Project Overview

The business of design details the what, why and how of running an Australian design business.

Written entirely from a local perspective, this is the only Australian book to span all the business skills needed to start, manage and grow a design studio.

Organisation

Design business council

Team

Designer: Carol Mackay
Illustrator: Carol Mackay
Writer: Greg Branson
Editor: Trischa Mann

Project Brief

Australian designers are amongst the world's best. But when it comes to running a design business they are like the rest of the world; lacking the training and tools to do it properly.

The Design business council recognised there was a need to produce a complete guide to managing and running a design studio.

It was recognised that this needed to cover the wide range of Australian design studios from start-ups to established studios.

The brief was to produce a book that showed the basics of setting up a studio through to developing a sophisticated business model that will develop new markets.

Project Innovation/Need

The business of design is the first Australian book to show the inner workings of a design business.

It has captured the authors' 30 years of studio management and packaged it up in bite size easily managed chunks of information.

It takes the experience learnt from lean startups and shown how this can be put into practice in a design studio.

Design Challenge

The challenge was designing a book that could be easily accessed by designers without heavy text driven content. This meant illustrating concepts and adding hands-on tools that the reader could use to break up the content.

It was decided to only produce a print version and this then dictated the size and weight of the book to keep the postage rate down.

Effectiveness

The users can speak for this book.
"Hi Greg,
Today I received my brand new copy of The Business of Design. I'm finding the book incredibly insightful and helpful. Even for someone like me who has always prided myself on devoting as much time to the business side of things as creative development, your expertise and experience on offer throughout the book is opening my eyes much further. As a young Studio Manager of a design practice, this is invaluable and I couldn't have found a more clear and relevant reference tool. Thank you to you and Carol."

Chris Ahern
Studio Manager
Villain Designs


"Greg and Carol have created a benchmark and blueprint document for anyone who owns (or wants to own) a creative design business. Our studio has been going 8 years and has ticked a few boxes along the way, however this book has highlighted a few areas we still need to improve on. My copy has hand notes, highlights and post-it-notes all the way thru it. Its easy to read and makes a lot of sense. it should be compulsory for anyone studying the business side of design"

tom fauvette
director
fauv design