We advocate for designers
Our onlyness is our knowledge of the Australian design industry. We're not just advisors – we're practitioners – we've spent our career having skin in the game.
That means we understand the challenges being a creative: the free pitches, 'trial' projects and the difficulty entering our industry as an emerging designer.
We can help because DBC is an independent advisor.
We can advocate for Australian design practitioners without fear.
‘I wanted to thank you for guiding us in the new direction. Since our last session, things have just exploded with opportunities laser focussed around our pillar.
I still am stunned at how well aligned this direction is with the portfolio we had and the number of opportunities that were just ahead of us. Clarity is everything isn’t it?
Believe it or not, we are going to tick over the 500K mark by EOFY! Do you remember the first P&L I sent you a few years back? I think my annual turnover then was 60K.’
Please don’t use my name 🙂, Managing Director Branding Agency Perth
Yeah, I went all in and bought a bit of everything from you.
I think it’s all fantastic — wonderfully written, and very helpful. We have a handful of design business books here but I think your publications are far and away the most relevant to us (it really speaks to a studio of our size, in Australia).
We’re only small, 3 employees (two owners, and a junior), and are 4 years into this journey. We’re definitely at a point where we need to take stock of where we’ve come from and where we want to go.
Shane Keane,Creative/Director, Landmark
ADVOCACY FOR EMERGING DESIGNERS
Minimum standards for emerging designers
In 2018 when Never Not Creative was founded, we were part of an initiative writing minimum standards for internships. That pledge is still relevant to all emerging designers entering our industry:
- We sign a contract with the intern/emerging designer that mutually states the commitments and responsibilities of both parties, including duration, outcomes and other protections.
- We will clearly state if a permanent employment opportunity exists at the beginning of any internship. This doesn’t mean we guarantee a position for the intern.
- Our internships will be of a fair and reasonable timeline: a minimum of around 20 days and not longer than 72 days.
- We’ll set and record goals that are negotiated between the emerging designer and us before the internship/employment commences.
- We will ensure there is an interim as well as a final review provided to the emerging designer according to criteria set out in the goals.
- We provide an induction with the emerging designer on commencement of their contract.
- We’ll provide the emerging designer with a mentor/buddy to manage the relationship and their experience. The mentor/buddy will have the ability to assist where necessary.
- We will take into account an intern’s work/life balance when determining the days/times of the internship.
- We integrate interns into every aspect of our business, including social, team and whole of company activities.
- We commit to opening up our business for the intern to understand everything from how we work, who we do work for, to how our business operates successfully.
- We’ll ensure our workplace is safe and healthy for all of our people – employees and interns.
- Internship opportunities are available for everyone regardless of race, belief, cultural background, or gender.
- Our internship will actively focus on helping the intern prepare for their next stage: either full time position, interviewing or starting their own business.
- We support paying interns and emerging designers at the very least the national minimum wage.
- We understand that university students who receive course credits for their internship are not required to be paid, but we will aim to pay them the above rates whenever possible.
SIGNATORIES TO THE PLEDGE
Creative Businesses who have pledged to support minimum standards
Aer Design • AGDA • Anthologie • APR • Atollon • Ball & Doggett • Barely Managing • BHD • BossMan • Box Hill Institute • Bright Yellow • BWD Strategic • Creative Spaces • Creative Womens Circle • CREAYTIVE PTY LTD • Dense Magazine • Design Business Council • Design by Davey • DLF Creative • Edison • Fluid • Folk • Freelance Designer • Frost*collective • FutureBrand Australia • Geteogy • Goldi • Goodness • Grade • Green Light Creative • Groszcolab • Harcus • HM. • Hound & Bone • Hoyne • Hundredweight • Image Workshop • Isgro • IVE • J.Clausen Creative • Jalapeno • Key 2 • Ki Creative • Landmark • LBD Studios • Leon Borrack • Louise B Creative • Love + Money • Love and Money • Mammoth • Milo • Mindly Studio • Minta Viski • Motherbird • Nani • Never Sit Still • Newledge • Nook Studios • Onfire Design • Our revolution • Paper Moose • Plutonium • Portable • Poyo • Public Journal • R-Co • Raine & Makin • Rare • Ripe Designs • RPS Group • Savanah • Scampi • Self-titled • Shillington • Storyfolk • Streamtime • Stuart Pettigrew • Studio Chenchen PTY LTD • Studio Papa • Synergy • Tandem • Tangent • The Brand Foundry • The Brownbill Effect • The Child in Me • The Design Dept • The Esplanade • The Offices • The Solutionist • The Sum Of • Tom Lucey • Two from Two • USTWO Interns • Vaulter • Written and Recorded • Young Bloods •
“A truly fascinating piece of work. Breaking the impacts of design into various functions of the selected businesses – e.g logistics – as opposed to taking a macro view on whether a company does or doesn’t design well, was very creative and insightful. As are the recommendations you provide for how to better incorporate design into each of those business functions.”
“As a start-up we have taken a design centric approach so it was good to get validation and see where else we can add design.”
“Please don’t release this to our peers. We want the chance to implement it with all our clients before our peers get to it :).”
ADVOCACY AGAINST UNDERPAID PITCHING : JULY 4 2024
The City of Sydney submission for NYE visual identity.
The City of Sydney called for submissions (July 2024) to create the visual identify for their New Year’s eve extravaganza. Problem is, shortlisted designers were offered $3,000 to create and develop their concept: from that they’ll commission a designer. At industry rates, $3K doesn’t buy much time so those submitting will be probably be subsidising the City of Sydney’s design budget.
The standard you walk past is the standard you accept, and we didn’t think this was acceptable.
To start with, it shows a clear lack of understanding of the work needed to produce such pitch. It is effectively asking designers to work for free. The $3,000 fee is not fair, ethical or honest.
It also excludes those culturally diverse agencies who typically cannot afford to take a gamble on this type of work.
Has the City of Sydney done this because:
– of laziness? It saves them time. Instead of asking for a free pitch they should be doing research to identify the best candidate then analysing credential pitches
– of incompetence? Free pitches are a substitute for the government training or recruiting a person capable of making a decision based on evidence a designer/studio/agency is able to deliver
– they lack initiative? There are better ways to choose the right design candidate, they’ve just not thought about it.
To find the answer, we contacted Monica Barone, CEO City of Sydney
Ms Barone saw the email and called (while she was on leave) to say she understands the issue, respects the design industry and has as asked her team for more information.
The outcome
Late July 2024 the City of Sydney CoS have paused their EOI to re-examine their process.
They had aimed to avoid a free pitch by paying $3,000, they now understand that’s not sufficient.
They’ve contacted AGDA for guidance on how to proceed. We stand with AGDA on their free pitch stance.
Here’s what we suggest…
Our recommendation is to:
– write an EOI
– interview appropriate designers and select one to proceed at an ‘agreed fee’.
This process is a fair and balanced standard for everyone concerned.
We await the new EOI but until then, we think this is a good outcome.
