We call our library
‘The Design Business Review’

It’s a library of articles about the business of design.

The articles are based on real questions from real design businesses — pricing, positioning, client management, mental wellbeing, and the research we've done into what actually works. Many originated from knowledge earned from 30 years running a studio, and updated with research and insights from mentoring sessions with Australian designers.

New articles land every Wednesday morning AEST, straight to your inbox.
Got a topic you’re interested in but can’t find? Let us know… we might be able to help.

Design business, creative business, design studio, design career, Managing a design studio, managing an agency, business of design Carol Mackay Design business, creative business, design studio, design career, Managing a design studio, managing an agency, business of design Carol Mackay

A back-of-envelope benchmark worth doing even if your agency is thriving

Life can get very complicated for founders. Grab a calculator and give me 20 minutes and you’ll reveal if your studio has a profit leak and what to do about it.

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Design business, creative business, design studio, creative business management, design career, Managing a design studio, managing an agency, business of design Carol Mackay Design business, creative business, design studio, creative business management, design career, Managing a design studio, managing an agency, business of design Carol Mackay

Time for a change

Designers earning the majority of their salary ‘on-the-tools’ need a change. They have a problem because now anyone can now do what previously only they could. 

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design business, business of design, cost rate for designers, design management, creative business management, design business management, time management for designers Carol Mackay design business, business of design, cost rate for designers, design management, creative business management, design business management, time management for designers Carol Mackay

5 tasks worth 30 minutes of your time

It can feel impossible to put aside a day or even half a day to work on your business. Instead, why not build a repertoire of quick business moves you can squeeze between other ‘must do’s’?

Here’s 5 activities guaranteed to move the business dial … it’s pretty amazing what you can get done in half an hour.

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managing a design studio, managing a creative studio, managing an agency, benchmarks for creatives, benchmarks for design studios, benchmarks for agencies, profitability for designers, profitability for creatives, business of design Greg Branson managing a design studio, managing a creative studio, managing an agency, benchmarks for creatives, benchmarks for design studios, benchmarks for agencies, profitability for designers, profitability for creatives, business of design Greg Branson

Busy may not = profitable

Busy and profitable are very different things. A busy diary can be one of the most dangerous indicators in a design business. Activity feels like progress but keeping an eye on some key metrics tells you whether progress is real. Here’s 2 key business metrics worth measuring – and what they look like for high-performing Australian design studios.

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business of design, design business profitability, creative business profitability, design business finance, financial management for designers, financial management for creatives, financial knowledge for designers, financial knowledge for creatives, how to manage a design studio, how to manage a creative business, business management for designers Carol Mackay business of design, design business profitability, creative business profitability, design business finance, financial management for designers, financial management for creatives, financial knowledge for designers, financial knowledge for creatives, how to manage a design studio, how to manage a creative business, business management for designers Carol Mackay

You’re not an imposter, you were just never taught this

There’s a moment most designers recognise: you present work with confidence and all goes until the discussion moves to budget. Your confidence evaporates. All going well until the conversation moves to budget and any confidence evaporates.

That’s not imposter syndrome.
That’s a knowledge gap. And it’s not your fault.

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branding, design branding, data-driven design, design management, business of design, the business of design, creative business management, Design business Greg Branson branding, design branding, data-driven design, design management, business of design, the business of design, creative business management, Design business Greg Branson

What happens when clients stop investing in their brand

Times are tough. Clients are looking for ways to cut costs and we know brand investment is often one of the first things questioned. The client’s assumption is simple: if we stop spending on branding, marketing or communications for a while, nothing much will change.

The evidence suggests otherwise.

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