Writing about the business of design

To be sustainable, businesses need maintenance because, like gardens, because they are continually growing and changing.

In a difficult market, the agencies that win won\’t necessarily be the ones producing the best-looking work.

Life can get very complicated for founders. Grab a calculator and give me 20 minutes and you’ll reveal if your studio has a profit leak and what to do about it.

Designers earning the majority of their salary ‘on-the-tools’ need a change. They have a problem because now anyone can now do what previously only they could. 

You quote the same fee and deliverables and one client signs without blinking. Another baulks and asks you to “revisit the numbers.” What changed is the framing, not the price.

Hiring ‘junior’ designers was previously based on proficiency. That’s increasingly irrelevant but hiring them is more important than ever. Here’s why…

Every design project creates impact, whether the designer or client chooses to recognise it or not. The challenge is to understand what that impact might be.

Don’t wait for a ‘planning’ or ‘strategy’ day to do some analysis. Snatch 60 minutes and tackle on of these tasks… you’ll be amazed what you can achieve.

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.

You know the thing most client’s are worried about when commissioning design? That the result will flop and they’ll be embarrassed in front of their colleagues because they backed a loser.

While others dwell on the changes disrupting the design industry, you focus on the things you can change. Introduce a toolkit that helps manage costing, pricing and profit.

You know the thing most client’s are worried about when commissioning design? That the result will flop and they’ll be embarrassed in front of their colleagues because they backed a loser.