The health improvements of designers working a four-day week are known, but also understanding the monetary implications is vital.

One of the most common challenges in the creative industry is hiring. Clients hiring creatives. Creatives hiring creatives. Creatives hiring employees. Creatives hiring freelancers. All tough decisions … should you hire on skillset or attitude? On ability or potential? To job description or opportunity?

Here’s an exercise done to identify bad clients. It delivers valuable insights, especially if you repeat it a couple times a year.

Apart from productivity increases there are two ways to accrue money: firstly by adding a margin, secondly by adding profit. They are different beasts and we would argue you need both to build a sustainable businesses.

Taking on a design intern can be a win:win scenario. It adds diversity to a stable design team. Designers get management experience, interns get studio experience.

Fundamentally, new business managers are trying to get clients to buy from their studio rather than another …. so does that mean the only skill new business managers need is persuasion?

It’s a terrible feeling, the realisation the studio you nurtured and grew no longer brings you joy … but do not despair, there are tools and resources to help diagnose the problem and fix it.

Photo by Jordon Opel on Unsplash Hunters and farmers I’ve always found it incongruous studios need to ramp-up new business activities when we are busiest. Seems bonkers, but research proves it time and again. Sustainable businesses need constant client renewal. One would think, with all that research, someone must have found some kind of formula [...]

Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash Persuading others (to do what you want). In a world of co-creating and collaborating, the ability to persuade others to your view point is a really valuable skill. Would you be surprised if I told you that forcefully arguing your point of view is the least effective way of [...]

Photo by Adam Birkett on Unsplash Too black for Snapchat. It’s easy to think that bias is embedded in ‘others’ – people like Donald Trump, Pauline Hanson and Today Tonight producers. Truth is we all have unconscious bias and we all unknowingly embed our bias into design. Think you don’t? That could be worse – [...]

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash Design is not a cure for cancer. They were the final words Ken Cato’s wife said as she slammed the door behind her and left the building.* Harsh but true. Design is not a cure for cancer. An early boss had a very similar message during my very first role [...]

Photo by Radovan on Unsplash Bored, disengaged designers. Sometimes managing a studio is a little like being the entertainment director of the P+O Cruise ship 'Designer'. It often falls on the studio manager to keep designers engaged, motivated and focussed. And that's no mean feat, especially (as a business owner) having a stable of loyal, [...]