What they say…

We were excited to start our Business of Design program as it gave us an opportunity for the team as a whole to come together – separate to talking about specific projects. While we were a little unsure as to how the content would relate to all the staff, it proved to be a great learning experience for us all.

The staff brought their own ideas to the table and it provided a greater depth in understanding of how a design business needs to run and how we can relate better to our clients. It has really opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for us and we can’t thank Greg enough for his input and research into our specific industry.

We would highly recommend any design studio to invest the time into delving deeper into their business, they certainly won’t regret it. We look forward to working further with Greg on other projects in the future.

Rikki Clarke, Director. Creative Spaces

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The Business of Design program has been instrumental in the recent success of our 15 year old design business. The modules helped shape our positive change by developing the right processes, tools and strategies in a practical, staged approach that our staff understood and fully embraced even during busy working periods.

If you own a creative team or run a design studio, Greg will help you transform your business into a far more valuable, strategic and future-proofed business.

I’ve taken a number of business courses and training, but Greg’s program is the only one perfectly designed for our industry because he understands the context so well.

Highly recommended – thank you Greg.”

Peter Gould, Gould Studio

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Continued and sustained professional development is crucial for any industry … I’ve found my happy place in the Design Business Council. Thank you Greg Branson and Carol Mackay.

Stephanie Bradshaw, Creative Director, The Bite Project

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Designers aren’t great at new business. We spend years working on our craft hoping that’ll be good enough to draw the attention of prospective clients one day. But guess what? Clients don’t care. Why? Because it’s not about them. What they care about are designers that are like-minded, and the most effective place to find those clients is on Linkedin.

LinkedIn for Designers – a new business strategy; enables you to shift the conversation from this is what I did, to this is what I think, and it’s powerful.

I knew this book would give me the guidance on how to engage with clients for potential new business. But what I didn’t know until I actually did it was the knock on effect of Linkedin. Once you’ve shared a thought piece, you get to connect with Founders and CEOs which is a great feeling because you know it’s working. But, if they like and comment, it tears through their network like wild fire and you get to connect with their connections. Therefore doubling your chances of working with like-minded people.

So, buy the book, post the content and win the business.

Tyson Sheean, Founder, Creative Director Tyson Sheean Creative

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People laugh at me when I say that LinkedIn is my favourite social media tool, but Design Business Council’s LinkedIn for Designers identifies why. Not just about networking, this savvy and valuable guide for designers (or anyone!) shows how to optimise LinkedIn to match your new business strategy. Full of thoughtful tips, easy steps to follow and clear examples to boot, this guide is perfect for anyone looking to strategically secure new work.”

Libby Tiding (de Souza) Senior Producer, Portable

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If you are a design professional looking to bolster your new business strategy, this LinkedIn for designers e-book is for you. It’s full of convincing examples and actionable tips to harness the benefits of LinkedIn for new business development.

Audrey Mailhot, Design Manager, Swearwords

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Understanding our businesses intimately is the key for every creative professional. Understanding the risks, both known and those on the horizon are what will help us unlock the greatests opportunities in our businesses. I read through DBC’s “How Bad Can It Get” Risk Management book and was nodding after each page. Yes it can get bad, and sometimes the ‘bad’ is hiding in plain sight and we subconsciously choose not to see it. This DBC book gives some really great insights into the areas where risk exists, and does a great job in lifting the rug under which we sweep all those things we choose to leave for another day. Read it, weep and then get on with building a great creative business.”

Jim Antonopoulos, Managing Director, Tank

A huge thanks to Greg and Carol for the wonderful business insights shared. As a creative first and a business mind second, I am so grateful for how you simplify business concepts into manageable steps and processes to grow our studio with purpose and intent. You have an incredible knack for wording things in a way that speaks directly to our industry and the pain points we may encounter along the way.

Georgie Kropman, Chief Creative Officer. Bright Yellow

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Yesterday’s session was again very informative, the analytical approach to pricing and other business practices helps evolve a more coherent picture of our holistic operation. I have always found discussions with you and Greg to be grounded in a simple, consistent logic that is easy for SMEs to adopt and adapt. Your genuine love for design and the industry as a whole is more than apparent, I look forward to continuing our relationship.

Adam O’Neill, General Manager Tuckshop

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‘I find that designers love to talk about how amazing their latest projects are, but never about how accurately they estimate their billable time. Conversely, accountants are happy to talk about profitability summaries, but don’t seem to understand the “love” that goes into our work – because how do you charge for that? And that’s what’s great about The Business of Design, a book that tackles just that. It gives clear, practical advice for running a creative agency with real, Australian figures and benchmarks that are specific to the graphic design industry.

Especially helpful is the state and territory based presentation of salary range for each job role, along with average hourly studio rates, and an indication of the hours you’d expect to work every week.

The book also includes industry specific finance information, calculations for charge rates, and illustrative business plans and case studies are employed throughout to explain concepts in a fashion that is easy to understand. This is the perfect “go to” manual for any design studio bookshelf.

Sarah Cook, Headjam NSW

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Somewhere inside almost every designer there’s a design studio principle waiting to emerge. For most creatives the idea of running their own show fills them with equal parts of excitement and dread – and for good reason. Having founded and run Melbourne design studio Storm Design and now brand strategy, design and communications agency Truly Deeply over more than two decades I’ve as good a grasp as any of the highs and lows that running your own studio bring. Recently I got a sneak peek at a new book called The Business of Design written and published by a couple of local, Australian design industry gurus.

The book is a brilliant read for anyone considering starting, or being in the first few years of running their own design studio.

I first met the Authors of The Business of Design Greg Branson and Carol Mackay more than fifteen years ago (how time flies). We’ve shared many of the bumps our industry provides over that time, which is why I was wrapped to see them taking the wisdom of their journey and turning it into such a comprehensive and valuable resource for the next generation of creative studio owners.

I’m an avid student of business myself, including being 2/3 of the way through an Entrepreneurial Masters Program at MIT in Boston. But the more I learn about business, the more clearly I see the many challenges that are unique to running a design business. The Business of Design is incredibly detailed, thorough and specific. It is without doubt the most comprehensive and relevant book ever published in Australia to cover this subject. Content covered includes:

• An overview of our industry (which I found hugely valuable even having been a part of it for 20+ years)
• Planning a Design Business (the business strategy every design agency should have)
• Valuing Design (I think the most important chapter in the book)
• Marketing your Business (the next most important chapter)
• Financial Management (the area most design businesses trip-up) and
• The design business model canvas (how-to create a differentiated business model)

The book is written in simple language, taking a billion complex business concepts and ordering them into a concise, logical and easy to follow read.

Greg and Carol also run the Business Design Council, a resource for design business – which produces a free monthly newsletter well worth signing-up for.

David Ansett, Truly Deeply