Projector

BT’s ‘State of the Small Business Nation 2008′ report* showed that the 5 biggest priorities for small UK businesses are:

1 Increasing turnover

2 Winning New Business

3 Cash Flow

4 Maintaining current activity levels

5 Growth

These are all areas in which design can play a hand in improving, yet many clients sometimes don’t realise how exactly design can help.

Utilising design effectively can help change the culture of an organisation, sharpening the focus and getting the workforce involved. Communication is key and this is what designers are best at, they can help you to communicate to your clients, your partners and to your workforce. But they can’t do this by simply providing you with artwork on a piece of paper. For companies to get the best results and an on-going culture of innovation and growth they need to engage with designers early on and build a collaborative relationship. It’s not about spending a fortune by having designers on call all hours but by simply engaging them at the most effective times in a project and this should be from the very start.

More than simply producing artwork, a good design company will be able to advise on the relevant media, placement, effectiveness and timings of producing a successful communicative piece – they can add creatively to your whole business process. Involving them from the outset could pay dividends as they will likely have a network of contacts and suppliers that they are used to working with, saving both time and cost. And it’s not just design that they will offer advice on, many designers are used to working on projects which encompass the use of photography, web, animation, radio, tv, shop fitting, copywriting and PR. Invaluable information that might just help open new doors and opportunities.

Engaging the right creative at the right time could give the edge to a project, creating a stronger, more effective message built in partnership between the client and the creative. The benefits of investment far outweigh the costs, in the 2005 Design Week National Survey of firms it was found that for every £100 a design alert business spends on design turnover had increased by £225**.

Not sure if design can help you with a specific problem you’re business is facing? The chances are it can – you just need to get us involved.

* http://www.smallbusinessweek2008.co.uk/sp/media/direct/sbw/downloads/2008stateofthenationreport.pdf

** http://www.designfactfinder.co.uk/