Business Success

By Design

What design can do for your

business and how to work
effectively with designers

www.dia.org.au
Why Design
is Good for Business

Designers bring human and cultural values

to business problems, values that sell
products and services, create demand and
inspire customer confidence and loyalty.
Design is a planning process. It produces the best
solution based on the stated business objectives and
the information and resources available. It uses a
methodical procedure to ensure that solutions are well
thought out and all the known criteria for success are
considered.

Just as a business plan is the first step to business

success. A design brief is the first step to project
success. A design brief spells out the criteria that a
project must meet. Design does not leave business
success to chance.

Design is a strategic tool used to gain market

advantage by companies operating at an international
level. Their products, their branding, their promotion
and their business premises are all designed to
maximise customer acceptance of the goods and
services they have to offer and to optimise the day to
day operation of their business.

The benefits of design are also available to national

and local businesses. The process can always be
tailored to the resources available.

Professional designers provide a balance of technical

and subjective skills that match the business needs
of many industry areas. Whether you manufacture
furniture, provide banking, build cars or sell wine there
is a design professional who can help you improve your
business.

Design skilfully bridges technical and marketing

requirements to put sizzle into a product, desire into a
promotion or confidence into an interior.

David Robertson FDIA

National President
2 The Design Institute of Australia Success by Design
Designers have the

skills to increase the

market acceptance and

profitability of your

products and services.

Invest in design for the

future of your company.

3
What is a
Designer

A designer is a business professional who

develops solutions to commercial needs
that require the balancing of aesthetic and
technical requirements. A designer can be
said to be both technician and artist.

A designer plans things for manufacture or

construction. The difference between a designer and a
craftsperson or artist is that designers usually develop
things that have requirements set by others and will
ultimately be produced by others. An essential part of
design is the preparation of plans and instructions that
will allow for the accurate production of the design
by others.

Rational Creativity
The requirements that a designer works to are
usually both objective and subjective. The objective
requirements are easy to understand. They’re technical
and business requirements that allow for measurement
and direct comparison. How much will it cost? What is
the best material? When can it be finished by?

It’s the subjective, creative side of design that’s hardest

to explain and hardest for most people to understand.
The aesthetic side of design relates to fashion, human
behaviour, emotion and cultural influences such as the
cultural meaning of symbols.

Designers are immersed in the visual language of their

culture and industry specialisation. This is an important
part of what you pay them for.

Approach design with an open mind. There are times

when you should ‘like’ what the designer is presenting
to you, but there are also times when what you require
from a designer is something that will differentiate
your business, make it noticed, make it stand out.
You may not immediately like it but it may be what
you need. Just as the designer listened to you during
their briefing, listen to your designer’s reasons for their

4 The Design Institute of Australia Success by Design

design. Keep an open mind. Their expertise may be
offering your business something new.

Working For You and Your Customer

Designers must balance the needs of their employers
with the needs of the intended users of the design.
These are often the employer’s customers. If the design
doesn’t meet the needs or desires of the end user,
rather than just the commissioner of the work, then
sales will be compromised.

In addition designers must reconcile their own

standards of aesthetics, quality and ethics with the
requirements of the intended commercial purpose
of their work. Both designer and client should also
consider community values and constraints.

A business professional

who balances

aesthetic and technical

requirements to satisfy

the human and business

needs of a project.

7
Why Use
a DIA professional

Full professional members of the Design

Institute of Australia are identified as
Members (MDIA) or, in recognition of
services to the design industry, Fellows
(FDIA) and Life Fellows (LFDIA).

In its role as a professional body the DIA

• sets minimum standards of ability that a full Member

must possess and
• sets standards of professional behaviour that all
members must adhere to.
DIA membership standards and the required skill level
of a full Member are based on the guidelines of the
international design bodies (IFI, ICSID & ICOGRADA).

To join the DIA with Member status (i.e. be entitled to

use the letters patent MDIA), a designer must satisfy
the DIA Membership Committee that they posses
an appropriate balance of education, professional
experience, ethics and professional ability.

They must also have a minimum of three years of

professional experience with a recognised individual,
firm or business providing specific involvement in their
area of design.

When you employ a Member or Fellow of the DIA

you can be assured that they are capable of providing
professional design services.

DIA Designer Referral Service

As a service to industry the DIA maintains a database
of designers and their areas of specialisation. Potential
customers looking for design assistance are directed
to three designers with expertise in the required area.
Only DIA members who are full professional Members
or Fellows are included in this database.

6 The Design Institute of Australia Success by Design

Look for the letters that

indicate a designer is a

recognised professional

member of the DIA

Member MDIA

Fellow FDIA

Life Fellow LFDIA

5
What Types
Of Designers Are There?

There are design specialists available with

the knowledge and skills required to address
most business needs.

The design professions are differentiated by the types

of things they design, the differences in technical,
aesthetic and procedural skills that each area requires
and the sort of customers or clients they work for.

The design of a restaurant requires different skills, tools

and techniques than the design of an air conditioner.
But the process of design remains very similar. Both
professionals will consider the aims and constraints of
your project, generate concepts and winnow
them for appropriate solutions. Then refine the chosen
solution, document it for production and monitor
its implementation.

The fields of design listed on the facing page indicate

those that the DIA has traditionally represented, some
of which are outlined in more detail on the
following pages.

New Technologies - New Design Professions

With the advent of computers there has been a rapid
change in the tools used for design and the nature and
range of products and media that designers design for.

New design fields are emerging that are already

providing important areas of specialisation for
designers. While these usually draw on skills from older
design disciplines such as graphic and industrial design,
they are significantly differentiated by new technical,
procedural and client requirements.

Some of the emerging design areas are listed on the

opposite page.

8 The Design Institute of Australia Success by Design

The DIA represents members
practising in all fields of
design including:

Industrial Design
Interior Design
Interior Architecture
Interior Decoration
Graphic Design
Visual Communication
Textile Design
Exhibition and Display
Fashion Design
Design Management
Design Education
Furniture Design
Jewellery Design
TV, Film & Theatre Set

DIA professionals also

provide design services in
many new media design
disciplines:

Multimedia Design
Web Design
Digital Environment Design
Digital Animation Design
Digital Game Design
E-commerce Design
9
Design Professions
In Brief

Industrial Design
Industrial designers develop and prepare
products for manufacture with particular
emphasis on those aspects that relate to
human usage and behaviour.

They explore solutions to meet marketing,

manufacturing and financial requirements and arrive at
the optimum design of a product. They consider both
functional and aesthetic aspects and pay particular
attention to ergonomics, those factors that relate to
human behaviour and ease of use.

They prepare models and prototypes to demonstrate

and test products. They prepare drawings and
illustrations of products to assist in the decision making
process and support marketing efforts.

They select components and materials, resolve

assembly and manufacturing details and produce
digital and documentary instructions for others
involved in the manufacturing process. They organise
and oversee tooling to prepare for production and
develop and oversee subsequent adjustments and
refinements to the product.

Furniture Design
Furniture design could be considered to be a
specialist area of industrial design. However the
specific ergonomic knowledge that a furniture designer
must apply and the specialised construction methods
that undergo constant change in the industry make
this a large area of specialisation. Furniture design
has a rich history of styles and precedents and a close
relationship with fashion that makes practise in this
area distinctly different.

10 The Design Institute of Australia Success by Design

Textile Design
Textile designers plan and prepare patterns,
weaves, prints, textures and illustrations for
fabrics and other materials that require the
development of patterned surfaces.

Textile designers develop fabrics used in furniture,

soft furnishings, clothing, vehicles and products such
as luggage. They can apply the same skills to the
development of patterns for wallpapers, laminates and
patterned plastics.

They design fabrics to satisfy marketing and

manufacturing requirements. They balance aesthetic
and functional aspects, they consider the nature
of yarn types, thicknesses, weights and textures to
produce fabrics to cost and production constraints.

They prepare design concepts and assess them

for market viability. They resolve the concepts into
artworks and instructions suitable for a variety of fabric
production and printing techniques. They develop
colour specifications and colourways for ranges of
fabrics. They liaise with manufacturing and production
personnel to prepare for manufacture.

Jewellery Design
Jewellery designers conceptualise, prototype and
detail for manufacture items of jewellery such as
rings, brooches, bracelets, necklaces, watches, glasses
and ear rings. They have specialised knowledge
of the metals, jewels, precious stones and other
materials associated with personal adornment. They
may develop designs for mass or batch production
or they may develop special items to satisfy one-off
commissions. They may also design other objects that
use precious metals and jewelled decoration such as
trophies, goblets, silverware and cutlery.

11
Design Professions
In Brief

Interior Design
Interior designers plan and detail
commercial and residential building interiors
for effective use with particular emphasis on
space creation, space planning and factors
that affect our responses to living and
working environments.

Good design can enable us to live and work more

efficiently, comfortably, profitably, securely and
pleasurably in a more aesthetically fulfilling and
functional environment.

Interior designers plan space allocation, traffic flow,

building services, furniture, fixtures, furnishings and
surface finishes. They consider the purpose, efficiency,
comfort, safety and aesthetic of interior spaces to
arrive at an optimum design.

They custom design or specify furniture, lighting, walls,

partitions, flooring, colour, fabrics and graphics to
produce an environment tailored to a purpose.

Interior Decoration
Interior decorators plan and prepare building
interiors for effective use with particular
emphasis on furnishings, finishes and
aesthetic presentation.

Interior decorators often work directly with the person

who will occupy the space rather than working with
other building or business professionals and must
develop the skills to identify and accommodate
another individual’s taste.

They frequently have an extensive knowledge of

historic furnishing styles and their relationship
to architectural periods and employ a detailed
understanding of the application and effect of colour
and pattern.

12 The Design Institute of Australia Success by Design

Interior decorators plan, arrange and style the space
finishes and furnishings. They consider the purpose,
efficiency, comfort and aesthetic of interior spaces to
arrive at an optimum design.

They specify furniture, lighting, flooring, colour and

fabrics to produce an environment tailored to a
purpose.

Exhibition and Display Design

Exhibition designers design and organise the
construction and installation of trade exhibitions,
permanent shop displays, museum exhibits and
interpretive displays. They use skills drawn from
graphic, industrial and interior design to attract, inform
and involve an audience in the subjects that their
clients employ them to present.

TV, Film and Theatre Set Design

Set designers plan and manage the construction
of sets for the presentation of theatre, TV and film
productions. The design skills are closely associated
with those of interior design and exhibition design.
Set designers must understand the production
requirements of the entertainment media that they’re
designing for and pay particular attention to methods
of assembly and disassembly and strength and safety
aspects.

13
Design Professions
In Brief

Graphic Design/Visual Communication

Graphic designers develop and prepare
information for publication with particular
emphasis on clarity of communication and
the matching of presentation styles to
audience requirements.

The information they deal with not only requires a

sound understanding of text based communication but
also requires them to skilfully use the communication
properties of symbols, colours and pictures.

They prepare concept layouts and mock-ups to discuss

project details with clients. They prepare or subcontract
diagrams, illustrations and photography. They resolve
all communication elements into a final format to suit
the required physical or digital media.

They select paper and other printing materials, resolve

manufacturing details and produce instructions for
others involved in the reproduction process. They
organise and oversee proofs and colour separations
to prepare for printing and liaise with suppliers who
specialise in the many forms of digital and computer
based information distribution mechanisms.

Multimedia Design
Multimedia is the production of digitally delivered
information and promotional content that can include
still and animated words and pictures, video and
sound. Multimedia draws on graphic design skills as
well as requiring skills that were previously the job of
film, video and sound production technicians.

Web Design
Web design, initially largely the delivery of static
graphic information is taking on all the complexities
of multimedia as technology finds ways to deal with
sound and moving pictures with fast web delivery
times. Core skills for web are graphic design and

14 The Design Institute of Australia Success by Design

programming.

Digital Environment Design

The developing ability for businesses to solely interact
with their customers digitally and the need in games
and entertainment for realistic or fictional digital
environments is opening up new industry areas. Skills
in this area are coming from industrial design, interior
design, graphic design, architecture and animation.

Digital Animation Design

Digital technologies are creating a new golden age
for animation. There seems no limit to the complexity
and realism now possible. Industrial designers with
their CAD modelling skills, graphic designers and
illustrators with their visualisation skills are finding new
employment in this area.

Digital Game Design

Games and entertainment are committed to delivery
in a digital environment. These can take the form of
boxed software for game machines and computers
or be delivered solely on the internet. People from
around the world now interact in shared artificial game
environments. Once again the skills are drawn from
product, graphic and interior design among others.

E-Commerce Design
The development of easy to use secure interfaces
for doing business on the internet calls for designers
with good technical communication design skills and
programming skills.

15
Design Professions
In Brief

Fashion Design
Fashion designers develop clothing, accessories,
footwear and other items of personal apparel. They
study the design and construction of clothing, its
historical development and styles and the techniques
and processes available for its manufacture. They rely
heavily on illustration skills and the making of samples
to communicate their designs.

Design Management
With the integration of design into the business
planning process of many large national and
international companies and the identification of
design as a major factor in competitive advantage the
management of design has become a specialisation in
its own right.

Design Education
Design education has become a major growth area in
both secondary and tertiary education. The education
of designers requires teachers and lecturers with
knowledge in the many subject areas that designers
must study as well as experienced designers in the
respective design disciplines who are able to pass on
the specifics of professional practise. Design educators
may have qualifications in a design discipline or in one
of the subjects that make up the curriculum. They may
additionally have qualifications in teaching.

16 The Design Institute of Australia Success by Design

Professional designers

bring to your project

extensive training and

a wealth of experience.

Use their expertise and

product knowledge to

expand your ideas, solve

problems, offer unique

solutions, save time and

money.

17
Finding & Employing
A Designer

The Design Institute of Australia can refer

you to designers with expertise in your
project needs through its national Designer
Referral Service.

When selecting a designer from referrals or by

introduction from colleagues and business contacts
you should be satisfied that the designer is a good
fit to your project needs. You should ask to see the
designer’s portfolio and discuss with them their
training and experience. Consider how their business
scale and previous projects match your project size and
requirements. You should feel comfortable that they’re
able to interpret your needs and your project brief
creatively, technically and within your budget.

Some useful questions to answer -

• do the requirements of the brief suit the designer’s

aesthetic and technical skills and experience?
• does the designer have the resources to satisfy your
time and quality requirements?
• are the project complexities and management
requirements suited to the designer’s capability?
• does the designer demonstrate an ability to
understand the needs of your industry or market?
• will the designer bring skills to the project team that
will enhance market success?

Having first selected designers who match your

requirements you should then ask for quotations to
your written brief (see page 22). The responses you
receive will be easier to compare if the project has a
well thought out scope of work and is being costed by
designers who meet your initial selection criteria.

Before the project starts you and the designer should

agree in writing on the scope of work and the fees
that the designer will charge you. See page 24 for
various methods of determining fees.

18 The Design Institute of Australia Success by Design

Take advantage of the

DIA Designer Referral

Service for introductions

to designers with

experience in your project

area.

19
How Does
Design Work?

The Design Process

Design is a structured process that follows
methodically from one stage to the next. In
simple terms the stages are:

• The Brief
• Research
• Concept Solutions
• Design Development
• Documentation
• Implementation

In a simple project these stages can be lumped

together but in complex projects it is common for
these stages to be broken down into more detail or
even commissioned one at a time.

Each design discipline has its own variations on the

method of structuring projects. Your designer will be
able to explain the structure suited to your business or
project requirement. Each project will require time to
be allocated differently depending on project aims and
resources.

The design process usually requires input and

interaction from a variety of people. This may be just
the client and the designer but often includes the
clients’s staff, external subcontractors and suppliers,
end users and the designer’s staff. Successful design
projects often require the integration of needs from
many areas.

The brief defines the project stages and indicates the

work that should be completed at the end of each
stage. Efficient design projects complete and approve
each stage sequentially. Revisiting completed stages
(for example changing the concept later in the project)
or requiring information to be completed out of
sequence increases the time and cost of a project.

20 The Design Institute of Australia Success by Design

Managing The Design Process
Getting the best from the design process can
be difficult for an employer not experienced
in interacting with a creative service.

Taking the trouble to formulate a succinct project

brief and being thorough in the selection process of a
designer is clearly the first step.

Understanding that creativity can not necessarily be

produced on demand is another key factor. Allow
the designer to manage the creative process and the
design staff. They have experience in the amount of
latitude required at the concept stage before rational
constraints are applied and a solution locked in.

Giving the design team plenty of time at the concept

stage can work wonders for the project outcome.
While designers will use their skills and experience
to arrive at an appropriate solution in any time set a
‘wonderful’ solution may only evolve after investigating
many less fertile options.

You should ensure that the design team has access

to all the information that is relevant to the project.
Make sure that your staff and stakeholders have made
available information that may affect the project. It
can be expensive and time consuming to alter project
direction to meet criteria that have changed.

Pay particular attention to reviewing the project aims

against the outcomes of each stage. As the client it will
be your responsibility to approve the project direction
at each review stage and approve the completed
design for production.

21
The Importance
Of a Good Brief

A brief is a document that defines a project

by specifying the nature and extent of
the work being requested and what the
objectives and constraints of the project are.

A well written brief can save you money by enabling

a designer to quote more accurately and will ensure
a better project outcome by providing succinct
information to review project outcomes against.

A brief will always contain:

• A short summary statement of the task

• A list of the primary aims of the project
• A list of the major requirements that must be
included in the solution
• A statement of financial constraints
• A statement of time constraints.

A brief may also contain:

• The reasons why the project is being done

• The project stages or milestones required
• Market research information, end user information
• Previous project histories that have led to this brief
• Any other information that must be considered.

Example of a brief
Naval Radio Modem

Brief
Design a casing to house the electronics of
a radio modem including the casing fascia,
mounting accessories and finish.

Aims
• To meet the needs of the new military market
• To add a marine capable product to the range
• To commercialise R&D project 1234

22 The Design Institute of Australia Success by Design

Requirements
The casing is to be a modification of an existing
modem chassis R18 with the design emphasis on
eliminating previously identified design problems (see
attached report) and adapting the structure to new
dimensional constraints. There are also new control
requirements to be incorporated into the control facia.
The fascia style is not constrained by existing product
groups and is to suit the marine/military market.

Reference Documents Attached

Modem Prototype Review 14.7.00
Series R18 Chassis Specification 7.8.99
Market Research Report - Marine Market 1999
Prototype drawing set 30.8.99

Items for Consideration

The following items are areas of concern in relation to
the chassis -

• Incorporate a fixed input/output/rear panel in the

new case.
• Unit to fit into a 1U rack height including any
mounting details.
• Two units to fit side by side in a 19” rack.

Cost Constraints
Target cost, one set of casing parts = $85
Maximum cost = $95
Tooling budget = $100,000

Project Milestones
Approved design - 31 May 2000
Production commences - 15 September 2000

23
Methods of Paying
For Design

The fee method used often depends on

the project type and conventions in each
industry.

The methods listed are not mutually exclusive and are

often used in combination. Ask you designer to explain
how they intend to charge and prepare a written
agreement before the project starts.

Lump Sum Fees

Given a precise brief a fixed fee for each stage of a
project can be quoted. In some instances all project
stages are quoted before the project commences.
In others the project is quoted stage by stage as the
extent of the next stage is defined by the preceding
one. The scope of work covered by the fee should be
specified in a proposal or contract. Variations to the
scope of work are charged on an agreed hourly basis.

Hourly Rate or Per Diem Fees.

Design fees may be charged on the basis of time
expended using an hourly or daily rate. Hourly rates
vary depending on a designer’s skill, resources and
experience. A design studio may apply different hourly
rates for different parts of a project depending on the
staff they assign to the work.

Percentage Fees
Design fees may be based on a percentage of the
project cost where the agreed upon total expenditure
includes all works and trades at their commercial value.
Percentage fees may be calculated on a sliding scale
depending on the project size and complexity.

Royalties
Royalties relate the designer’s payment to the success
of the design while reducing the initial cost to the
client. An initial fee is usually agreed upon as an non-
returnable advance on royalties. A royalty agreement
should outline the royalty percentage, duration of
agreement, method of calculation of the fee and the
level of intellectual property or exclusivity negotiated.
24 The Design Institute of Australia Success by Design
Consultancy Fees
A consultancy fee may be paid to a designer engaged
in a general advisory capacity. The scope and extent
of services to be provided should be defined in
advance. The consultancy agreement should be for
a specified period of time with conditions of renewal
and termination. If substantially increased services are
required during a consultancy period then an increased
fee is normally charged on a time basis.

Retaining Fees
If the client wishes to retain a designer for a period
of time not only in a general advisory capacity or in
connection with a series of projects, but also to act
exclusively for the client in some market, region or
capacity, a retaining fee may be negotiated. The fee
will reflect the fact that the designer’s activities are
being limited. The scope and extent of services to be
rendered should be defined in advance.

Cost Plus Percentage Fees

This method is based on an agreed percentage mark
up on the cost of goods supplied. The designer ‘sells’
the goods to the client at cost, passing on all discounts
and commissions to the client. The agreed percentage
mark up is then applied to the cost.

Retail
The designer or decorator supplies furniture or
furnishings at quoted retail prices. This method is
based on the designer purchasing on their own
account, applying a retail mark up and supplying the
goods to the client at the marked up or retail price.

Commissions
In instances where the designer procures items such as
artwork, object d’art, furniture, antiques and rugs from
galleries and retailers an agreement may be reached
that the designer’s fee is the introductory commission
paid by the gallery or retailer to the designer.

25
Taking Advantage
of Our Professional Network

The DIA is a professional body for designers.

Its purpose is to improve the status of its
members, their recognition and influence
in the community, and their professional
wellbeing.

In addition there are classes of membership available

to businesses who wish to associate with the design
professions and educational organisations involved in
the training of designers.
Corporate Membership
State based and national corporate membership
is available to businesses who want to identify
themselves with the design professions and the
Institute. National Corporate members can nominate
up to five, and State Corporate members up to two
representatives to attend DIA state activities. These
representatives can play active roles at State level but
they do not have personal professional status in the
organisation. They can be co-opted onto State Council
if desired on a state by state basis.

Institutional Membership
Institutional membership is available to Universities,
TAFE Institutes and private training providers with
government accreditation which provide courses in a
design or associated design profession. The courses
must be related to the educational requirements of
the DIA.

Sponsorship
The DIA generates design themed events across
many discipline areas at state and national levels.
These events are excellent opportunities to deliver
information to the various design sectors. Contact the
national office for information on planned events and
opportunities.

26 The Design Institute of Australia Success by Design

Connect with the

influential DIA national

network of designers,

design businesses and

design educators.

27
 The design community
working together with one voice
Industrial Design
Furniture Design
Interior Design
Interior Decoration
Interior Architecture
Exhibition & Display Need more information?
TV, Film & Theatre Set Design Institute
Graphic Design of Australia
Visual Communication ABN 12 004 412 613

Web Design National Office

Multimedia Design 1/175 Collins Street
Digital Environment Design Melbourne VIC 3000
Digital Animation Design Australia
Digital Game Design
E-commerce Design GPO Box 355
Textile Design Melbourne VIC 3001
Jewellery Design
Fashion Design Phone
Design Management 1300 888 056
Design Education Fax (03) 9662 4140
This brochure is illustrated with Website www.design.org.au
DIA members’ work and projects Email [email protected]
entered in DIA award programmes.

Design’s legacy
Each cover in this series features designs from the recent past.
These objects have significance as the forebears of modern designs.
They are the tangible evidence of key advances in the progress of man.
As iconic objects they have acquired symbolic meaning beyond their utility.
ICARUS DESIGN

Success by Design Issue A.P65