Writing about the business of design
Welcome to a library of articles about the business of design.
You'll find articles about current research, our experience founding and managing a design studio and about insights uncovered during mentoring sessions with Australian designers.
The articles are released weekly via a news-packed EDM. Subscribe via the homepage
Nobody wants to meet anymore – is that a problem?
It’s happening everywhere – clients are refusing to meet, they’re requesting designers ‘just send a PDF’. That may be a problem for some, but not everyone.
Will AI commoditise your business?
When we ask creative agency owners how things are going we often hear the same answer.
“We’re busy, not profitable enough and feeling burnt out”
5 tasks worth 30 minutes of your time
Creative business owners often delay working on their business because of lack of time. Good news is, with a focused mind and a clear goal you can get heaps done in 30 mins.
Busy? Profitable? Burnt out?
When we ask creative agency owners how things are going we often hear the same answer.
“We’re busy, not profitable enough and feeling burnt out”
The social cost nobody talks about
There’s a silent change that has crept up on the creative industry. It’s not about tech, nor is it about $. It’s not even about clients. It’s about isolation.
Busy may not equal profitable
Busy and profitable are very different things A busy diary can be one of the most dangerous indicators in a design business.
You’re not an imposter
There’s a moment most designers recognise: you present work with confidence and all goes until the discussion moves to budget. Your confidence evaporates.
3 questions guaranteed to give useless answers
Here’s three questions that sound perfectly reasonable but guarantee you’ll get information you can’t actually use
When clients stop investing in their brand
New research confirms what many designers know: the old ways of working aren\’t cutting it anymore. Let\’s look at what\’s changing and what successful studios are doing about it.
Evidence-based design
When the economy is tight, clients are more risk-averse. They demand research and evidence the design direction is valid. What does that look like in practice?
How to get on the shortlist before the RFQ
Understanding resistance as a natural human response changes how you approach client presentations and feedback sessions.
Understanding client approval resistance
Understanding resistance as a natural human response changes how you approach client presentations and feedback sessions.
