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  • Home
  • what we do
    • we mentor
    • we research
    • we write
      • An ebook about the business of design
      • Finance in a design studio
      • Bookkeeping for designers
      • LinkedIn for designers
      • What’s a fair wage
      • What’s the risk
    • 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
      • How to build a great creative business: good for people and profits
    • we share free resources
  • Design Business Review
  • Who we are
  • Connect
Design Business Council > pitching
What I learnt from my side hustle
02
Jul

Last year I started a passion project with two professionals that I didn’t really know that well. The Clear Communication Awards have just opened and it’s time to take stock to remind myself what I’ve learnt along the way…

Posted in: Business of design , creative business coach , Design business coaching , Design business strategy , Design index , Human centred design ,
Tags: Agile design business , Business of design , capability building , design , Design management , designers , designers pitching , new business , new business development , pitching , pitching to clients ,
Explaining design
18
Jun

It’s hard to explain design because it means different things to different people. And it’s hard to explain where design can be used. We think we’ve found a solution in our research. Read more about our Design Maturity Index…

Posted in: Business of design , creative business coach , Design business coaching , Design business strategy , Design index , Design value chain , Human centred design ,
Tags: Agile design business , Business of design , capability building , Design management , designers , designers pitching , new business , new business development , pitching , pitching to clients ,
man in baseball cap
Explaining design debt
03
Jun

More people are using design. That’s a good thing. Isn’t it?
In reality it can mean more fingers in the pie. More people accessing and using assets. And that means the design you introduced as an asset can quickly become a design debt.

Posted in: Business of design , creative business coach , Design business coaching , Design business strategy ,
Tags: Agile design business , Business of design , capability building , Design management , designers , designers pitching , new business , new business development , pitching , pitching to clients ,
Designers need validation
28
May

I think designers need validation. How often does a designer present a concept to a great reception only to be told the client will return with their thinking at a later date … they just need to ‘ask another’. The client needs the designer to be validated.

Posted in: Business of design , creative business coach , Design business coaching , Design business strategy ,
Tags: Agile design business , Business of design , capability building , Design management , designers , designers pitching , new business , new business development , pitching , pitching to clients ,
Client relationships = new business development
21
May

In 2014 when I bought the newly published Value Proposition Design by Alexander Osterwalder, I quickly adapted the ideas and developed the Design Value Proposition. It looks at design from a clients’ perspective – what value we can add to their world.

Posted in: Business of design , creative business coach , Design business coaching , Design business strategy ,
Tags: Agile design business , Business of design , capability building , Design management , designers , designers pitching , new business , new business development , pitching , pitching to clients ,
Forget about new business development
13
May

Last week I met with one of my regular clients – a studio where I perform the role of Chairman.
In this case, I’m there to help the studio develop new directions – specifically – help them get a swap of new business through the door.

Posted in: Business of design , creative business coach , Design business coaching , Design business strategy ,
Tags: Agile design business , Business of design , capability building , Design management , designers , designers pitching , new business , new business development , pitching , pitching to clients ,
How to think like a client
07
May

In May 2019, Design Business Council facilitated an UNseminar titled ‘What client’s think’.
We invited three clients to share their views about designers: what they liked, and what they didn’t.
This is a summary of the night written by Serpil Senelmis.

Posted in: Business of design , creative business coach , Design business coaching , Design business strategy , Design value chain ,
Tags: Agile design business , Business of design , capability building , Design management , designers , designers pitching , new business , new business development , pitching , pitching to clients ,
Getting more work from existing clients
30
Apr

We all know the best way to new business is to get more work from existing clients but it can be hard trying to find new avenues to sell our skill.
This is a new service most designers can confidently add to their pitch.

Posted in: Business of design , creative business coach , Design business coaching , Design value chain ,
Tags: Agile design business , Business of design , capability building , Design management , designers , designers pitching , new business , new business development , pitching , pitching to clients ,
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good
23
Apr

Innovation whooshes past designers steadfastly committed to producing innovation solutions that keep their clients products and services up-to-date. But while we keep them relevant, who keeps us relevant?

Posted in: Business of design , creative business coach , Design value chain ,
Tags: Agile design business , Business of design , capability building , Design management , designers , designers pitching , new business , new business development , pitching , pitching to clients ,
A new way to find new business
09
Apr

In a crowded marketplace, designers need to explore different ways to find new business. Our design value chain, evolved from Michael Porter’s value chain, works brilliantly to identify where an organisation uses design, how effective it is, and the benefits of using more design.

Posted in: Business of design , creative business coach , Design business coaching , Design business strategy , Design index , design value , Design value chain ,
Tags: Design management , designers , designers pitching , new business , new business development , pitching , pitching to clients ,
What do you do?
02
Apr

Of all the line items in an estimate of costs, clients seem to question design management the most. They seem to think that paying for design management is like paying for bottled water…

Posted in: Business of design , creative business coach , Design business coaching , Design business strategy , Design index , design value ,
Tags: Design management , designers , designers pitching , new business , new business development , pitching , pitching to clients ,
What clients think
What clients think.
19
Mar

This research report titled ‘What client’s think’ is based on 500 individual client interviews conducted on behalf of (and paid for by) UK design agencies. We think the results are relevant to the Australian design community and worth sharing.

Posted in: creative business coach , Design business coaching , Design business strategy , Design index , Design pricing , design value ,
Tags: Design management , designers , designers pitching , new business , new business development , pitching , pitching to clients ,
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