Mikołaj Biernat

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Mikołaj Biernat

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M.B.

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Tonik Design Academy

Copywriting

2022

Context

It's never been easier to become a product designer. The tools are available for free, and so is the know-how. Yet, the aspiring designers trouble to break into the industry — why?

They learn alone; mastering the tools and designing made-up concepts instead of collaborating with people under real-life constrains.

That's why Tonik Design Academy exists — to teach them about the job from the inside.

Tonik Design Academy logo. It’s an abbreviation of the name written in lowercase. The last letter “A” is placed inside a circle.

Unpopular opinion

In the industry where you don't need a degree to practice, many designers claim that they're "self-taught" to show off how they hustled their way through without anyone's help.

But that's not the full picture. Sure, they might not have had a formal tutor, but they still have gained from materials shared by others. So, my pitch debunks that myth.

Headline: “Nobody's really self-taught”. Body: “That’s right — even if it looks sick in a bio. All of us can name people who helped us learn design. To give back to the community, now it’s our turn to teach you! Apply to Tonik Design Academy and join 16 Junior Product Designers for a unique event — full of workshops, real-world design challenges and practical knowledge to step up your design game. Heck, maybe you’ll show us your secret tricks too!”

Let's cut to the chase

The copy sounds casual. And it's also scannable because it's no longer than two lines for each point.

List of the benefits. First headline: “Experienced mentors” Body: “All the 4 mentors are well-seasoned Product Designers. Together, you’ll work on a real-world design challenge — that’s the best way to learn their secret sauce.” Next headline: “Practical design process” Body: “Forget the unrealistic design process random gurus try to feed you. Here, you’ll work with practical design methods we use every stage at every stage of a project.” Next headline: “Feedback; a lot of it” Body: “No advice will teach you as much as the first-hand feedback. Your mentor will guide you through the whole process, giving you useful tips at every stage. And you’ll get a summary after the event.” Next headline: “Portfolio review” Body: “Besides the workshop, you’ll get a portfolio review from Damian — our Head of Design and the guy responsible for hiring. Keep that in mind, we're always looking for new talents!” Next headline: “Project to show off” Body: “You’ll work on a real-world problem with an almost real client. That’s the best way to learn design and land your first job. But don’t worry, we won’t use anything you do commercially.” Next headline: “New design buddies” Body: “TDA doesn’t end after the weekend. Join our members only Slack community to stay in touch with everyone. Ask for feedback or career advice anytime!” Next headline: “After party” Body: “Every event needs a proper after party — at least in our books. Expect great food, an open bar and all the inside jokes we’ll come up with.” Last headline: “$0 forever” Body: “All you gotta do is bring your own laptop and join us in Poznań (we don’t cover transport or accommodation fees though). Let us take care of the food, drinks and know-how.”
Workshop’s agenda. First headline: “Problem analysis” Body: “Your job goes beyond drawing rectangles. That’s why we’ll spend the most of first day on getting a deep understanding of the problem.” Next headline: “Ideas sketching” Body: “Before we pick the color palette, we’ll sketch our ideas. The more, the better — although later on, we’ll focus on just the best one.” Next headline: “Make it pop” Body: “They say that ‘form follows function’, but trust us — both clients and users love eye candy. So let’s turn those gray mockups into beautiful prototypes!” Last headline: “Showtime” Body: “Last but not least — you need to know how to sell your ideas. Presenting them is far more important than your Figma wizardry. So get ready for a hell of a roast (JK)!”

Who's behind?

Bios often come off too serious — or too quirky. But these are perfectly balanced and snappy.

List of mentors. “Bartłomiej Pierzchała — Don’t mention design tokens near him or you’ll get a (free!) lecture. Design System GrandMaster, Webflow Expert and Product Designer who always starts with ‘why’.”, “Dawid Domagała — A head full of conversion optimizations patterns and rock classics. Give him any digital product and he’ll turn it into the best designed app on your phone.”, “Piotr Kaźmierczak — One of the few who remember the glory days of Photoshop CS2. But don’t be fooled. He’s designed everything from Awwwards website to huge digital products.”, “Karol Dera — Ain’t no way that this man has enough time to design hundreds of components and curate his IG feed. Yet somehow he always gets a ‘wow’ from our clients.”

TL;DR

At last, a straightforward summary that also works as a press release.

Headline: “Free design workshop. And after party.” Body: “Tonik Design Academy (TDA) is a weekend workshop hosted at tonik HQ in Poznań on 23–24 April 2022. We want to give back to the design community and help entry-level designers take their first steps into the industry. No fillers, only practical know-how on the agenda.”

Credits

Shout-out to the people who also worked on this project.

Damian Redecki

Project Leadership

Project Leadership

Project Leadership

Jacek Janiczak

Logo

Logo

Logo

Natalia Żerko

Branding

Branding

Branding

Bartosz Buszkiewicz

Branding

Branding

Branding

Szymon Michalczyk

Web Design

Web Design

Web Design