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  • Home
  • what we do
    • we mentor
    • we research
    • we write
    • we advocate
    • we run workshops
      • How to find higher-fee design work
      • How to manage and lead a creative business
      • How to explain the measurable impact of design
  • Design Business Review
  • Who we are
  • How we can help
    • Costing pricing profit toolkit
    • …build financial knowledge
      • Financial mentoring for designers
      • ebook: Finance in a design studio ebook
      • ebook: Bookkeeping for designers
      • ebook: What’s a fair wage?
      • digital copy: the business of design publication
    • … grow your business
      • Business development mentoring
      • ebook: LinkedIn for designers
      • What’s a fair wage ebook
      • digital copy: the business of design publication
    • … build management and leadership skills
      • How to build a great creative business: good for people and profits
      • What’s the risk? ebook
      • What’s a fair wage ebook
      • digital copy: the business of design publication
    • Free resources
  • Connect
Design Business Council > design career
How many new clients do you actually need?
29
Jul

Most creative business owners chase new clients before analysing how many they need or whether their current ones are profitable. Start with numbers you know.

Posted in: Business advice for designers , Business coach for designers , Business coaching for designers , Business of design , business strategy , creative business coach , design business , design business coach , Design business coaching , sustainable creative business model ,
Tags: Business of design , design career , Design management ,
Why designers who fear specialisation have got it wrong
22
Jul

Designers fear specialisation will limit their skills. Amsterdam’s canal museum proves the opposite — true specialisation expands capabilities.

Posted in: Business advice for designers , Business coach for designers , Business coaching for designers , Business of design , business strategy , creative business coach , design business , design business coach , Design business coaching , sustainable creative business model ,
Tags: Business of design , design career , Design management ,
Talking straight: how open dialogue fuels Dutch creativity
15
Jul

Amsterdam design practitioners have found technical skills alone won\\\’t sustain careers. It\\\’s self-mastery and strategic thinking separate thriving designers.

Posted in: Business advice for designers , Business coach for designers , Business coaching for designers , Business of design , business strategy , creative business coach , design business , design business coach , Design business coaching , sustainable creative business model ,
Tags: Business of design , design career , Design management ,
Conversations with Amsterdam creatives
07
Jul

Amsterdam design practitioners have found technical skills alone won’t sustain careers. It’s self-mastery and strategic thinking separate thriving designers.

Posted in: Business advice for designers , Business coach for designers , Business coaching for designers , Business of design , business strategy , creative business coach , design business , design business coach , Design business coaching , sustainable creative business model ,
Tags: Business of design , design career , Design management ,
How to run design experiments
30
Jun

Here’s how to run design experiments to help clients understand design does make a difference. The key is to start with a strong hypothesis and go from there…

Posted in: Business advice for designers , Business coach for designers , Business coaching for designers , Business of design , business strategy , creative business coach , design business , design business coach , Design business coaching , sustainable creative business model ,
Tags: Business of design , design career , Design management , managing a design studio ,
Why most new business managers fail
16
Jun

New business isn’t a skillset common to the creative industry so talent comes from outside, but there’s mismatch between traditional sales approaches and design.

Posted in: Business advice for designers , Business coach for designers , Business coaching for designers , Business of design , business strategy , creative business coach , design business , design business coach , Design business coaching , sustainable creative business model ,
Tags: Business of design , design career , Design management , managing a design studio ,
Why design experiments matter
10
Jun

We know design makes a difference, but sheeesh we also know it’s a struggle to prove it. Here’s a simple framework to follow to run effective design experiments.

Posted in: Business advice for designers , Business coach for designers , Business coaching for designers , Business of design , business strategy , creative business coach , design business , design business coach , Design business coaching , sustainable creative business model ,
Tags: Business of design , design career , Design management ,
Our annual research trip: this time London, Amsterdam, Berlin and Munich
09
Jun

We combine travel with work and this year we’re heading to Europe. We work while holidaying, meeting with like-minded designers to investigate what’s happening in design businesses in other parts of the world.

Posted in: Business advice for designers , Business coach for designers , Business coaching for designers , Business of design , business strategy , creative business coach , design business , design business coach , Design business coaching , sustainable creative business model ,
Tags: Business of design , design career , Design management , managing a design studio , risk management for designers , risks for creatives , risks for design studios , risks for designers ,
How designers can influence client behaviour (without being manipulative)
02
Jun

Good designers don’t just create great work. They create the conditions where the work gets approved and implemented. They influence client behaviour ethically.

Posted in: Business advice for designers , Business coach for designers , Business coaching for designers , Business of design , business strategy , creative business coach , design business , design business coach , Design business coaching , sustainable creative business model ,
Tags: Business of design , design career , Design management , managing a design studio , risk management for designers , risks for creatives , risks for design studios , risks for designers ,
The client design ladder: moving clients from styling to strategy
26
May

The difference between clients who haggle and those who invest in strategic design? Their position on the design ladder. Here’s how to move them from “make it pretty” to “help us innovate”

Posted in: Business advice for designers , Business coach for designers , Business coaching for designers , Business of design , business strategy , creative business coach , design business , design business coach , Design business coaching , sustainable creative business model ,
Tags: Business of design , design career , Design management , managing a design studio , risk management for designers , risks for creatives , risks for design studios , risks for designers ,
Why clients resist change (and how to help them embrace it)
20
May

When clients resist your design, it’s rarely about the design itself. Understanding the “why” can help transform how you present creative and guide clients through change.

Posted in: Business advice for designers , Business coach for designers , Business coaching for designers , Business of design , business strategy , creative business coach , design business , design business coach , Design business coaching , sustainable creative business model ,
Tags: Business of design , design career , Design management , managing a design studio , risk management for designers , risks for creatives , risks for design studios , risks for designers ,
56% of clients think agency websites lack clarity
12
May

Clients think agency websites lack clarity because they all look the same. They want to understand what we do better than another – that’s clarity in positioning. We’ve found 3 good examples …

Posted in: Business advice for designers , Business coach for designers , Business coaching for designers , Business of design , business strategy , creative business coach , design business , design business coach , Design business coaching , sustainable creative business model ,
Tags: Business of design , design career , Design management , managing a design studio , risk management for designers , risks for creatives , risks for design studios , risks for designers ,
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