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DBA Roundup


A roundup of industry expertise, exclusive resources, business support and tools for your design business.

27/03/2024


News


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New Designers


The UK's largest graduate design event is back this summer and you can secure a free trade ticket for the event today.

27/03/2024


News


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What does your life in design look like?


This is the question at the heart of the ‘My Life in Design’ podcast, a collaboration between Red Setter and the DBA. Since launching the podcast two years ago, over 50 of the world’s leading designers, creatives and strategists have been interviewed about their lives in design. 

27/03/2024


News


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DBA Members’ Forum | March Summary


In our March DBA Members' Forum we were delighted to showcase some DBA Members who are keeping on top of new business. Here’s a summary of the conversation.

06/03/2024


News


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DBA Members’ Forum | February Summary


In our February DBA Members' Forum, we were delighted to be joined by Michael Lennington, co-author of the '12-Week Year'. We had an...

07/02/2024


News


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DBA Members’ Forum | January Summary


In our first Members' Forum of 2024, we were delighted to be joined by Blair Enns for a lively conversation around the habits we need to get into, and remain on top of, to keep new business flowing. Here’s a summary of the conversation.

18/01/2024


News


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Festive mullings to warm-up your business for 2024


DBA Experts share ways to reflect on the year and to help shape a bright future, with these 15 festive mullings to warm-up your business for 2024.

12/12/2023


News


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DBA Members’ Forum | December Summary


An illustrious group of participants joined us for our December Members' Forum to discuss what they are most excited about looking to the future, as someone working in design. Here’s a summary of the conversation.

06/12/2023


News


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DBA Members’ Forum | November Summary


In our November Members' Forum, we explored how to practically apply the findings in this year's DBA Annual Survey Report to your business. Here’s a summary of the conversation.

14/11/2023


News


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A minute with a Twenty/Twenty mentee


In this quick read, Fifth House MD Jonny Kermode shares his experience of DBA Twenty/Twenty mentoring and the benefits it's brought to him and his business. 

13/11/2023


News


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What’s new in 2019?

In 2019 the DBA have stripped the survey back and removed some questions that will only be included on a bi-annual basis, as results rarely differ in a two-year period. This will make completing the survey slightly quicker for everyone.

2019 also welcomes a shorter survey for smaller agencies to take part in which should make it easier for small creative businesses to benchmark their financial performance, salaries and rates – essential to managing your business.

What’s in it for you?

Only DBA member businesses are surveyed and only these businesses get access to the final results – a printed report and full access to the online dynamic data tables. All responses are treated in the utmost confidence, and members derive real benefit from the information supplied year on year.

The final on-line report features salary and utilisation rates, hourly fee rates and staff benefit levels for over 50 job titles. Results can be filtered on location, size of business and design disciple meaning that the data is particularly relevant to YOUR business.

Access to the results allows companies to benchmark figures against those of their peers. Are you charging enough? Are you not recovering enough of your time costs? Completing the survey helps develop your financial processes, having this type of information at your fingertips is essential for managing a successful profitable design business. 

If you would like further information or have any questions about the annual survey, please contact me directly eleanor.singh@dba.org.uk

DBA Roundup


A roundup of industry expertise, exclusive resources, business support and tools for your design business.

27/03/2024


News


Read more >>

New Designers


The UK's largest graduate design event is back this summer and you can secure a free trade ticket for the event today.

27/03/2024


News


Read more >>

What does your life in design look like?


This is the question at the heart of the ‘My Life in Design’ podcast, a collaboration between Red Setter and the DBA. Since launching the podcast two years ago, over 50 of the world’s leading designers, creatives and strategists have been interviewed about their lives in design. 

27/03/2024


News


Read more >>

DBA Members’ Forum | March Summary


In our March DBA Members' Forum we were delighted to showcase some DBA Members who are keeping on top of new business. Here’s a summary of the conversation.

06/03/2024


News


Read more >>

DBA Members’ Forum | February Summary


In our February DBA Members' Forum, we were delighted to be joined by Michael Lennington, co-author of the '12-Week Year'. We had an...

07/02/2024


News


Read more >>

DBA Members’ Forum | January Summary


In our first Members' Forum of 2024, we were delighted to be joined by Blair Enns for a lively conversation around the habits we need to get into, and remain on top of, to keep new business flowing. Here’s a summary of the conversation.

18/01/2024


News


Read more >>

Festive mullings to warm-up your business for 2024


DBA Experts share ways to reflect on the year and to help shape a bright future, with these 15 festive mullings to warm-up your business for 2024.

12/12/2023


News


Read more >>

DBA Members’ Forum | December Summary


An illustrious group of participants joined us for our December Members' Forum to discuss what they are most excited about looking to the future, as someone working in design. Here’s a summary of the conversation.

06/12/2023


News


Read more >>

DBA Members’ Forum | November Summary


In our November Members' Forum, we explored how to practically apply the findings in this year's DBA Annual Survey Report to your business. Here’s a summary of the conversation.

14/11/2023


News


Read more >>

A minute with a Twenty/Twenty mentee


In this quick read, Fifth House MD Jonny Kermode shares his experience of DBA Twenty/Twenty mentoring and the benefits it's brought to him and his business. 

13/11/2023


News


Read more >>

Main Content

The shift towards ‘experience’ is a well-documented one. However, experience is a very broad topic today, and can be misunderstood. For us at D&P, experience isn’t just something that is layered into existing stores or spaces; it’s everything a brand does to connect with a customer. It includes its brand positioning, identity and storytelling, content, digital platforms, service, spaces, products and people – all of these components together make the brand experience. This is why, rather than defining ourselves as a retail design agency, we’ve been working on a holistic approach to become a creative agency that specialises in total brand experience.

As an agency, we’ve been reflecting on the diversity of work we’ve been doing and recognising the shift in the role we have with our diverse range of clients. We’ve faced fresh challenges from the ambitious brands we’ve worked with, helping them define and implement their next chapters.

A huge challenge for brands today is to differentiate themselves in saturated markets. Consumers are also changing their spending habits, prioritising experiences over possessions and brands with purpose over brands without. For retailers, these drivers are having a significant impact on how they create and develop their retail spaces. The brief has changed; interior design remains important, but brands have to take more into consideration. A more insightful, strategic approach is needed to help clients find their position in this ever-shifting consumer landscape and it’s leading to a change in the way agencies partner with clients. 

scott-webb-470169-unsplash-copyThat being said, the role of the store hasn’t changed for every brand. A lot depends on the brand’s purpose and the role of the store in the entire brand ecosystem. For some stores, remaining a purely commercial platform will make sense. For other stores, their role could become more about raising awareness and building advocacy. Some store concepts have even transformed beyond anything we’ve seen before – just look at the Lego Wear x Snapchat store

Joining the dots across physical and digital channels is another ongoing challenge for retailers. Omni-channel is a significant undertaking, and one that’s very much needed for many brands, however there should be a shift in focus to ‘complementary channels’. Not every channel has to do the same job; working out where each channel’s strengths are and the benefits they can bring the brand is more effective than simply applying the same strategy. Making sure online and in-store experiences work together in harmony is another area where we believe a holistic approach can make a big difference to retailers, creating the highest impact for the customer. 

Whether it’s instant fulfilment and convenience or entirely experience-led spaces, stores will need to find their purpose and serve it well to thrive in this new era. In some ways, it has never been a more creative time for retail. The role of the store will continue to diversify as it adapts to new consumer needs and brand ambitions, and agencies will similarly evolve their offering to better serve clients.

Regardless of how diverse our role becomes, and how broad our expertise is applied across the total brand experience, we still believe that stores, whatever form they evolve into, will always be a fundamental part of any brand ecosystem and marketing strategy. 

About: Paul West, Strategy Director, Dalziel & Pow

Paul West is the Strategy Director at Dalziel & Pow, a leading, independent creative agency with an ambition to create the world’s favourite brand experiences.

At D&P, we define and design brands, and bring them to life as physical and digital experiences using our expertise across strategy, branding, communications, environments and digital. In our 35 years of partnering with some of the world’s leading retailers across the globe, we believe that the most fundamental factor to success is an impactful and differentiating brand experience. Everything we do is designed to help our clients thrive in today’s new consumer landscape and deliver measurable shifts in brand awareness and engagement, sales and advocacy.

Image credit: 

Ian Parker on Unsplash

Scott Webb on Unsplash

DBA Roundup


A roundup of industry expertise, exclusive resources, business support and tools for your design business.

27/03/2024


News


Read more >>

New Designers


The UK's largest graduate design event is back this summer and you can secure a free trade ticket for the event today.

27/03/2024


News


Read more >>

What does your life in design look like?


This is the question at the heart of the ‘My Life in Design’ podcast, a collaboration between Red Setter and the DBA. Since launching the podcast two years ago, over 50 of the world’s leading designers, creatives and strategists have been interviewed about their lives in design. 

27/03/2024


News


Read more >>

DBA Members’ Forum | March Summary


In our March DBA Members' Forum we were delighted to showcase some DBA Members who are keeping on top of new business. Here’s a summary of the conversation.

06/03/2024


News


Read more >>

DBA Members’ Forum | February Summary


In our February DBA Members' Forum, we were delighted to be joined by Michael Lennington, co-author of the '12-Week Year'. We had an...

07/02/2024


News


Read more >>

DBA Members’ Forum | January Summary


In our first Members' Forum of 2024, we were delighted to be joined by Blair Enns for a lively conversation around the habits we need to get into, and remain on top of, to keep new business flowing. Here’s a summary of the conversation.

18/01/2024


News


Read more >>

Festive mullings to warm-up your business for 2024


DBA Experts share ways to reflect on the year and to help shape a bright future, with these 15 festive mullings to warm-up your business for 2024.

12/12/2023


News


Read more >>

DBA Members’ Forum | December Summary


An illustrious group of participants joined us for our December Members' Forum to discuss what they are most excited about looking to the future, as someone working in design. Here’s a summary of the conversation.

06/12/2023


News


Read more >>

DBA Members’ Forum | November Summary


In our November Members' Forum, we explored how to practically apply the findings in this year's DBA Annual Survey Report to your business. Here’s a summary of the conversation.

14/11/2023


News


Read more >>

A minute with a Twenty/Twenty mentee


In this quick read, Fifth House MD Jonny Kermode shares his experience of DBA Twenty/Twenty mentoring and the benefits it's brought to him and his business. 

13/11/2023


News


Read more >>
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