South West Design Forum – stay productive and creative despite the financial climate

In a strange way recessions offer more opportunity than more buoyant markets. Clients cast around for new ideas and review costs, so opening up opportunity for new ideas and often, smaller agencies. The laziness borne out of the ‘good times’ is replaced by a need to prove value quickly.

The creative industries have, largely, been able to adapt and survive quickly. New business models, new uses of technology and new learnings have emerged quickly and only get faster. Just look at the new opportunities around response tracking and lead generation by companies such as Intimis.

Competition has always focused the mind and, as lateral thinkers, we have the ability to be able to grasp new ideas and move fast. This recession means that a whole raft of agencies will emerge that will begin to lead the way. This will be refreshing.

Continuing Professional Development (government speak) has always been undervalued in the creative sector. Maybe its because many creatives hated the conventional classroom and so became creatives. However we ignore it at our peril. ‘Upskilling’ and getting people to think deeper about what they do and fully realise the context of what they are doing, will always produce more intelligent solutions, that inevitably build better ROI.

Proving that ROI is always a big challenge but it is the only way forward. It always amazes me how shy agencies are around this whole question.

The creative sector needs to pull itself up by its own bootstraps. Government tells us that we are important, vital if you look at the figures. However important we are though, government often doesn’t really know what to do with us or how to engage with us. Therefore we have to do it for ourselves.

In the South West we have set up a regional Design Forum. It has 1,500 members across the region, each with their own county based group and board. Though the organisation received start-up funding, our continuing success is self-funded. And we have just launched our own CPD programme – Design Train – across the region after successfully bidding for £70,000. This followed a skills gap analysis conducted with our members.

We also have a project that aims to create ROI business models to be used in the design sector. We received funding for the first half and we hope to secure funding for the final part shortly.

Finally we are developing a student ‘buddy’ project, where 2nd and 3rd year design students get access to a professional for a year in a manageable way that supports and enhances the experience for both sides. We hope that this will not only help with regional talent retention but also inspire all parties, creating opportunities for work experience and maybe, fingers crossed, even a job.

All of this is small in the great scheme of things. However what it does show is that a small group of people (all volunteers from the creative sector I should add), can really start to make a positive difference for our industry. If you look around there are many others around the country doing similar things.

For me it is a real sign the creative sector realises that no one owes it anything – and that we have to do it for ourselves. We have to become a ‘voice’ that really delivers. Once we are seen to be doing that, then we will be heard.

Roger Proctor
Chairman, South West Design Forum
 
To find out more about the South West Design Forum, please visit our website.

Alternatively, for more information on Design Train and other SWDF schemes, please call 01752 346530 or email info@swdf.co.uk