Adrian Kulesza (UI Adrian): How Sharing Design Knowledge Built a Thriving Brand and Business
From aspiring designer to global educator, Adrian Kulesza proves that sharing value, building community, and staying consistent can unlock incredible opportunities.
Freelance Graphic designer
A short introduction to the interview. Freelancing offers the promise of freedom, flexibility, and control over your own career—but getting started can feel overwhelming. Whether you're looking to escape the 9-to-5 grind or turn a passion into profit, the path to becoming a successful freelancer requires careful planning and strategy. This roadmap is your step-by-step . Ready to dive in? Let’s get started!
What sparked your decision to start freelancing, and how has the journey been so far?
Freelancing offers the promise of freedom, flexibility, and control over your own career—but getting started can feel overwhelming. Whether you're looking to escape the 9-to-5 grind or turn a passion into profit, the path to becoming a successful freelancer requires careful planning and strategy. This roadmap is your step-by-step guide to navigating the early stages of freelancing, offering key insights to help you build a strong foundation, avoid common pitfalls, and thrive in a competitive marketplace. From finding your first clients to overcoming challenges, this guide will set you up for success from day one. Ready to dive in? Let’s get started!
What do you attribute to the massive growth in your freelance business this past year?
Freelancing offers the promise of freedom, flexibility, and control over your own career—but getting started can feel overwhelming. Whether you're looking to escape the 9-to-5 grind or turn a passion into profit, the path to becoming a successful freelancer requires careful planning and strategy. This roadmap is your step-by-step guide to navigating the early stages of freelancing, offering key insights to help you build a strong foundation, avoid common pitfalls, and thrive in a competitive marketplace. From finding your first clients to overcoming challenges, this guide will set you up for success from day one. Ready to dive in? Let’s get started!
How did you go about finding new clients and expanding your client base
Freelancing offers the promise of freedom, flexibility, and control over your own career—but getting started can feel overwhelming. Whether you're looking to escape the 9-to-5 grind or turn a passion into profit, the path to becoming a successful freelancer requires careful planning and strategy. This roadmap is your step-by-step guide to navigating the early stages of freelancing, offering key insights to help you build a strong foundation, avoid common pitfalls, and thrive in a competitive marketplace. From finding your first clients to overcoming challenges, this guide will set you up for success from day one. Ready to dive in? Let’s get started!
What were the biggest challenges you faced while scaling your freelance business
Freelancing offers the promise of freedom, flexibility, and control over your own career—but getting started can feel overwhelming. Whether you're looking to escape the 9-to-5 grind or turn a passion into profit, the path to becoming a successful freelancer requires careful planning and strategy. This roadmap is your step-by-step guide to navigating the early stages of freelancing, offering key insights to help you build a strong foundation, avoid common pitfalls, and thrive in a competitive marketplace. From finding your first clients to overcoming challenges, this guide will set you up for success from day one. Ready to dive in? Let’s get started!
What systems did you implement to scale your freelance business?
Freelancing offers the promise of freedom, flexibility, and control over your own career—but getting started can feel overwhelming. Whether you're looking to escape the 9-to-5 grind or turn a passion into profit, the path to becoming a successful freelancer requires careful planning and strategy. This roadmap is your step-by-step guide to navigating the early stages of freelancing, offering key insights to help you build a strong foundation, avoid common pitfalls, and thrive in a competitive marketplace. From finding your first clients to overcoming challenges, this guide will set you up for success from day one. Ready to dive in? Let’s get started!
What’s your approach to pricing new projects?
Freelancing offers the promise of freedom, flexibility, and control over your own career—but getting started can feel overwhelming. Whether you're looking to escape the 9-to-5 grind or turn a passion into profit, the path to becoming a successful freelancer requires careful planning and strategy. This roadmap is your step-by-step guide to navigating the early stages of freelancing, offering key insights to help you build a strong foundation, avoid common pitfalls, and thrive in a competitive marketplace. From finding your first clients to overcoming challenges, this guide will set you up for success from day one. Ready to dive in? Let’s get started!
What advice would you give to other freelancers looking to grow?
Freelancing offers the promise of freedom, flexibility, and control over your own career—but getting started can feel overwhelming. Whether you're looking to escape the 9-to-5 grind or turn a passion into profit, the path to becoming a successful freelancer requires careful planning and strategy. This roadmap is your step-by-step guide to navigating the early stages of freelancing, offering key insights to help you build a strong foundation, avoid common pitfalls, and thrive in a competitive marketplace. From finding your first clients to overcoming challenges, this guide will set you up for success from day one. Ready to dive in? Let’s get started!
Freelancing offers the promise of freedom, flexibility, and control over your own career—but getting started can feel overwhelming. Whether you're looking to escape the 9-to-5 grind or turn a passion into profit, the path to becoming a successful freelancer requires careful planning and strategy. This roadmap is your step-by-step guide to navigating the early stages of freelancing, offering key insights to help you build a strong foundation, avoid common pitfalls, and thrive in a competitive marketplace. From finding your first clients to overcoming challenges, this guide will set you up for success from day one. Ready to dive in? Let’s get started!
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The Early Days: Starting with a Blank Canvas
Every designer begins somewhere. For Adrian Kulesza, the journey started in a small town, where creativity was his escape from the mundane. As a child, Adrian loved to draw, tinker with gadgets, and imagine how everyday objects could be made better. While others saw things as they were, Adrian saw what they could become.
But like many creatives, Adrian didn’t initially see a clear career path. In high school, he leaned toward engineering, but his passion for creativity kept pulling him in another direction. His turning point came during university when he discovered UI/UX design.
The idea that design could seamlessly blend aesthetics and function fascinated him. He realized he could create solutions that not only looked great but also made people’s lives easier.
With no formal training, Adrian dove headfirst into learning design. Armed with only a laptop, YouTube tutorials, and an unshakable curiosity, he began experimenting with redesigning apps and websites.
Overcoming Early Challenges
Adrian’s early years were marked by challenges:
Lack of Mentorship: Without a design community to lean on, Adrian often felt isolated.
Imposter Syndrome: “Is my work good enough to share?” was a constant question.
Uncertainty: As a self-taught designer, he struggled to understand industry standards and where he fit in.
To push past these hurdles, Adrian turned to social media. He decided to share his work—not to impress but to grow.
The Breakthrough: Sharing His Work Online
In 2017, Adrian launched his Instagram account with a simple goal: to document his design journey. He started by posting UI/UX redesigns of apps he loved. These redesigns weren’t commissioned—they were passion projects designed to show his skills.
Adrian also began sharing:
Design Tips: Quick, actionable advice on improving layouts, colors, and typography.
Before-and-After Shots: Visual transformations of user interfaces.
Behind-the-Scenes Processes: His tools, workflows, and thought processes.
At first, the audience was small. But Adrian’s authenticity and practical insights resonated with budding designers.
Consistency Is Key
Adrian didn’t post sporadically; he committed to showing up consistently. Whether he felt inspired or not, he shared something valuable every week. Over time, this built trust and visibility.
Within two years, Adrian’s Instagram following grew to over 100,000 designers. By 2023, his audience across Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn had grown into the hundreds of thousands.
“You don’t have to be the best designer to share your work. You just need to show up and help others. Consistency beats perfection every time.”
Turning a Personal Brand into a Business
With a growing audience came new opportunities. Designers reached out, asking for resources to improve their skills. Brands sought collaborations, and clients wanted to hire him for projects.
Adrian realized he could create products that helped others while building a sustainable business.
Building Digital Products
Adrian started small, creating:
UI Kits: Ready-made components for websites and apps.
Figma Libraries: Tools to speed up the design process.
E-Books: Tutorials on mastering UI/UX fundamentals.
These products quickly became popular among his audience, generating passive income and freeing Adrian to focus on creating more value.
Launching Courses and Coaching
Adrian expanded his offerings with:
Online Courses: Covering everything from wireframing to advanced prototyping.
1:1 Coaching: Personalized guidance for designers looking to level up their portfolios and workflows.
Adrian’s philosophy was simple: Value first, sales second. He focused on helping designers, knowing the revenue would follow.
Balancing Brand and Client Work
Even as his brand flourished, Adrian continued to take on client projects. For him, client work was more than a paycheck—it was a way to stay sharp and push his creative limits.
Success Story 1: Revamping a SaaS Dashboard
A SaaS company approached Adrian with a familiar problem:
Their product’s dashboard was cluttered and unintuitive.
Users were frustrated, leading to high churn rates.
Adrian’s solution was rooted in simplicity:
He redesigned the layout to prioritize key actions.
He improved the visual hierarchy, making navigation effortless.
He introduced a cohesive design system for consistency.
The results?
A 40% increase in user engagement.
Reduced churn and glowing user feedback.
Success Story 2: Helping a Startup Secure Funding
A tech startup needed a polished pitch deck to impress investors. Adrian delivered a visually striking, data-driven presentation that stood out. The result? The startup secured $1.2 million in funding, with investors praising the deck’s clarity and professionalism.
Adrian’s Content Strategy: How He Built a Global Community
Adrian’s growth wasn’t accidental. He crafted a content strategy tailored to each platform:
Instagram: Visual Inspiration
Adrian used Instagram to share bite-sized tips, redesigns, and carousel posts that were visually engaging.
“Instagram is perfect for quick inspiration. I kept my posts simple and actionable.”
YouTube: Deep Dives
On YouTube, Adrian explored topics in depth, from tutorials to freelancing tips. His long-form content built trust and positioned him as an authority.
LinkedIn: Thought Leadership
Adrian leveraged LinkedIn to connect with professionals and share industry insights, career reflections, and success stories.
Daily Tools and Workflow
Managing a personal brand, digital products, and client projects requires systems. Adrian’s toolkit includes:
Figma: For design and prototyping.
Notion: To organize content ideas and client projects.
Calendly: For scheduling coaching sessions.
Final Cut Pro: For YouTube video editing.
Adrian’s Framework for Success
Adrian’s journey is filled with actionable insights for designers:
Share Your Work
Don’t wait for perfection. Start sharing today.
Action Tip: Post one design or tip weekly on Instagram or LinkedIn.
Create Value-Driven Content
Focus on helping others solve problems.
Action Tip: Think, “What would I have needed when I started?”
Build Digital Products
Turn your expertise into resources others can use.
Action Tip: Start with a free template to test demand.
Balance Brand and Client Work
Use client work to stay sharp while building your brand.
Action Tip: Dedicate specific days to content and client work.
Lessons Learned: Resilience and Growth
Adrian’s success didn’t come without challenges:
Imposter Syndrome: Early on, he questioned if his work was worth sharing.
Time Management: Balancing content, products, and client projects required discipline.
Consistency: Growth took years of showing up, even when it felt slow.
His advice?
“Don’t compare your journey to others. Focus on helping people, and everything else will follow.”
The Impact: Empowering Designers Worldwide
Looking ahead, Adrian plans to:
Expand his course offerings.
Develop advanced tools for design workflows.
Launch a mentorship program to support aspiring designers.
His vision? To create a world where designers feel empowered, confident, and equipped to succeed.
What’s Next for Adrian?
Today, Adrian’s courses, templates, and coaching have transformed thousands of designers’ careers.
Key Achievements:
Helped designers improve skills and confidence.
Provided tools to streamline workflows.
Built a global community of aspiring and professional creatives.
Adrian’s mission is clear: To empower designers to achieve their potential.
“The best designs solve problems. The best designers lift others up.”
Final Thoughts: Share, Solve, Succeed
Adrian Kulesza’s story proves that consistency, value, and community can turn a passion into a thriving business.
If you’re a designer looking to grow, take these lessons from Adrian’s journey:
Start sharing your work.
Focus on helping others.
Build systems to scale your impact.
Your design career has limitless potential. Take the first step today.
Feeling Inspired? Here’s What to Do Next:
Follow Adrian: Learn from his insights on Instagram and YouTube.
Create Your First Product: Use Adrian’s journey as a blueprint.
Level Up with Usefreelance kit: Streamline your freelance career with tools and resources.
Your dream design career is waiting. Start building it now.
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