Specialising in one service means less competition, higher fees, and the chance to be seen as an industry-leader. No argument, but does it/will it work in Australia?
Here’s an exercise done to identify bad clients. It delivers valuable insights, especially if you repeat it a couple times a year.
In 2020 we lost a friend, a client and a great designer, Jack Rodgers. To celebrate Jack’s resilience we’re offering a 12 month mentoring scholarship to an emerging studio.
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.
Designers spend a great deal of time trying to guess what their clients want. The insights from this recent UK report conducted by ‘Up to the Light’ are valuable to all Australian designers.
We design for different markets because everyone absorbs information differently. In the same way, what one client needs to make a decision may differ to another.
In a truly collaborative studio, all opinions are treated equally and with respect. Problem is, that relies on everyone sharing their opinion and that doesn’t always happen.
