Over the past few months, the design team at Futureheads have been talking to our network of Creative Directors and Design Leads to establish what some of the key challenges currently faced in the digital industry are.One recurrent theme kept coming up through our discussions with them - The need for designers to have broader skillsets than hands-on design.In particular, the importance of understanding business so that their designs can be relevant, contextual and solve real business problems. Arguably, that’s the primary function of good design!This proved to be such a hot topic that we invited a group of Creative Directors we know in for a breakfast discussion on how the industry can work with design talent to become more business savvy.The conversation threw up some interesting points which we wanted to share with you in this article. Here are some of the ways to show you’re a commercially minded designer or a hirer who can develop good business thinking in a design team.
During education
University and Design courses can have a significant impact on the industry by teaching designers how to be commercially astute. We’re seeing a rise in some courses including business modules as part of a design degree.This is a good development as it encourages designers to think in the right way from the outset. Those who come out of their degrees/ courses with a sound understanding of business, in general, are very employable and in demand.If this way of thinking starts from the outset, then there’s an excellent foundation of knowledge to build on in the commercial world.As a design student, you should always be thinking about the context of your work and whether it’s something you’d be proud to show a potential employer at an interview, with the ability clearly explain what you were looking to achieve.
During your job search
As a designer, you know that your portfolio speaks volumes and is often your gateway to securing an interview for that dream job. There are some key things you can do to enhance your portfolio from an employer’s perspective.
Show context in your work
Understand the brand as a whole and be able to demonstrate how your design reflects that brand
Write a case study including the research/ data you were given and how this impacted your design show empathy with the business – what were their pressures and pain points
Show that you can be a pragmatic problem solver as a well as a great visual designer tell a story – being able to articulate the story around your work will add a lot of value to your portfolio
During interviews
As part of the hiring and interview process for designers, it’s crucial to assess how business savvy a designer is.As a designer, you should be able to talk through your work clearly. While presenting the final designs of your project, you must be able to:
Explain your rationale
Talk through what the business requirements were
What challenges the business was facing
How the design you created addressed these challenges
It’s also crucial that you know what impact the project had, were the key deliverables and measurables met? And how?The ability to work as part of a team is also crucial for a designer, and some companies are including a design workshop element in the course of their interview process – this allows the interviewer to understand how the designer thinks and would work as part of a wider team in a real life scenario.
During your career
It was unanimous that designers should understand the commercial value of what they do. Good design can have a huge business impact, so as well as design being aesthetically pleasing and functional, it’s imperative that a designer's work can also:
All designers, regardless of level, should take the time to understand business requirements and demonstrate the value in what they do.
What can businesses do?
The industry is moving away from the days where a designer would be handed over a brief from a Creative Director, Project Manager or Strategist to work on.Instead, designers themselves are working with major stakeholders across the business to understand needs from all angles so they have the right level of business knowledge from the outset.We’re moving away from the model where designers are all sat together in one part of the studio. Increasingly designers are part of a project pod - sitting with a product manager, developers, content strategists, project managers and others who make up the project team. This allows the whole team to learn from each other, starting together at the same point.Another way to have designers as an integral part of the process is to have designers presenting their work directly back to stakeholders, regardless of their level. If junior designers have the opportunity to talk through their work and justify it, then they’re developing these valuable skills from the outset.
Integrating design and business
There needs to be a general shift away from design being seen as an add-on service to becoming a vital part of any business. Design teams need to step up more and demonstrate that they can add real business value.Designers should consider using the data and analysis that is extracted before a project starts then they can use this to inform designs. This eventually can assist in getting buy-in from stakeholders and clients and show them that the work being produced has real meaning and is in line with business requirements.
Closing thoughts
In summary, the role of designers in businesses is evolving as are business needs, with a shift towards design being given greater importance in the board room. Designers can improve their employability and career development chances by taking the time to truly understand business requirements and adopt a true problem-solving approach. Business can work in close collaboration with design teams to develop better business understanding resulting in more successful projects all around.If you would like to get involved in our next breakfast event, or share your thoughts on this topic, then we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch directly on meera@wearefutureheads.co.uk. Follow Meera on Twitter (@meeramccann)