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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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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