What Happens When You Bet On Yourself: The Rise Of Ian Deloney

Connect with Ian Deloney on LinkedIn:   / iandeloney  

Follow Ian Deloney on Instagram:   / iandeloney  

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For any inquiries, please email ziggy@ziggythedesigner.com

Intro animation by Cooper Epps

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Most designers I’ve met have had some kind of head start — art classes growing up, design electives in high school, maybe a mentor. Ian Deloney had none of that. No Adobe, no sketchbook, no connections — just the feeling of being the worst designer in the room… and a decision to do something about it.

While everyone else was polishing portfolios, he was grinding three new projects a week just to catch up. While people waited for opportunities, he cold-DM’d idols, mailed calendars, built relationships from scratch. And two years later — his work is on shelves at Target, his name is in rooms he used to dream about, and his career? Built completely by hand.

This is not a story about talent. It’s a story about hustle, about betting on yourself when no one else will. Today, we’re sitting down with Ian Deloney — the undrafted designer who refused to stay on the bench — to talk about freelancing, networking, and what it really takes to build a career out of nothing.

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