DBA Roundup: Season’s Greetings
A roundup of industry expertise, exclusive resources, business support and tools for your design business.
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A roundup of industry expertise, exclusive resources, business support and tools for your design business.
12-months of Forums: All wrapped up
The monthly DBA Member Forums are the heart and soul of the DBA. They epitomise the shared learning ethos of the organisation. Here are a few which particularly stood out in 2025, along with a snapshot of all the conversations this year.
DBA Member Forum | December Summary
In December's DBA Member Forum we asked an eclectic group of thinkers "What one experience this year will influence or change how you do business next year?"
New Chair of DBA Board of Directors
Nicola Tiffany, Managing Director at HMA has been appointed by the DBA Directors to Chair the DBA Board of Directors for a three year term.
A creative transformation story: Forepoint
Working with DBA Expert Ralph Ardill, Forepoint treated transformation as a creative act and the results speak for themselves. Here's how Forepoint achieved change.
DBA Twenty/Twenty Mentoring: the mentee’s perspective
Since its launch in 2011, the innovative programme has gone from strength-to-strength, with almost 600 participants from over 300 businesses and impactful results. But don’t just take our word for it.
DBA Members’ Forum | November Summary
In the DBA Members’ Forum we took a look behind the data in the latest DBA In Focus Report and discussed the trends and what they mean for us all working in design. It's a bumper summary this month, but this is a critical industry report that we are proud to deliver to DBA Members each year. It can genuinely transform the profitability of your business.
Strong relationships don’t just happen: how to become indispensable to clients
Strong client relationships don’t evolve by chance. They’re built, nurtured, and sustained through behaviours that consistently demonstrate value — the kind that make you indispensable.
DBA Design Effectiveness Awards 2026 | Winners shortlist announced
We’re delighted to announce the shortlist of entries that will win a DBA Design Effectiveness Award in 2026. Congratulations to the agency and client partnerships who will be taking home Bronze, Silver or Gold awards at our live event in March.
AI and agency shortlists – a moment of opportunity
Have you asked ChatGPT to recommend a good design agency in your sector, location or skillset? Were you one of the agencies it recommended?
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Innovate UK is looking for “innovative and ambitious ideas, which would realistically and significantly meet a societal need that has emerged or increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic or the need of an industry that has been severely impacted and/or permanently disrupted”.
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £20 million to respond to these needs in UK and global communities.
Innovate UK is looking for ambitious ideas for projects which can be:
- scaled up quickly
- delivered during this lock-down period
- started by June 2020
- and last up to six months.
Launched on 3 April, the deadline for applications is 17 April 2020 at 12pm. There is a streamlined application process for 100% up-front grants of up to £50k.
Ideas can come from any industry and be niche. Whilst solutions are likely to feature cross-cutting digital solutions, they could come from and impact on diverse sectors, for example healthcare, financial services, transport or creative services.
If you have ideas for solutions across priority areas that you could foresee through to commercialisation, or if you have clients who you can support and shape their R&D processes to help get these products to market quickly you can apply for a grant of up to 100% of your project costs up to the maximum of £50k (paid in advance of the project start date) from Innovate UK.
Your proposal must focus on a clear need and the proposed innovation to address it. You must have the ability to deliver the project during the working restrictions of Covid-19 pandemic.
Key details:
- competition closes 17 April at 12pm
- full funding up front
- project length 3-6months
- funding cannot be used for sustainability of a business
- sole traders will not be eligible.
Your application must demonstrate:
- a clearly innovative and ambitious idea, which would realistically and significantly meet a societal need that has emerged or increased due to the Covid-19 pandemic or the need of an industry that has been severely impacted and/or permanently disrupted
- that you have the capacity and capability to deliver the project successfully and on time during the working restrictions of Covid-19
- the ability to start your project no later than June 2020
- value for money
Full details and application info:
https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/583/overview
Image credit:
Brennan Burling | Unsplash
DBA Roundup: Season’s Greetings
A roundup of industry expertise, exclusive resources, business support and tools for your design business.
12-months of Forums: All wrapped up
The monthly DBA Member Forums are the heart and soul of the DBA. They epitomise the shared learning ethos of the organisation. Here are a few which particularly stood out in 2025, along with a snapshot of all the conversations this year.
DBA Member Forum | December Summary
In December's DBA Member Forum we asked an eclectic group of thinkers "What one experience this year will influence or change how you do business next year?"
New Chair of DBA Board of Directors
Nicola Tiffany, Managing Director at HMA has been appointed by the DBA Directors to Chair the DBA Board of Directors for a three year term.
A creative transformation story: Forepoint
Working with DBA Expert Ralph Ardill, Forepoint treated transformation as a creative act and the results speak for themselves. Here's how Forepoint achieved change.
DBA Twenty/Twenty Mentoring: the mentee’s perspective
Since its launch in 2011, the innovative programme has gone from strength-to-strength, with almost 600 participants from over 300 businesses and impactful results. But don’t just take our word for it.
DBA Members’ Forum | November Summary
In the DBA Members’ Forum we took a look behind the data in the latest DBA In Focus Report and discussed the trends and what they mean for us all working in design. It's a bumper summary this month, but this is a critical industry report that we are proud to deliver to DBA Members each year. It can genuinely transform the profitability of your business.
Strong relationships don’t just happen: how to become indispensable to clients
Strong client relationships don’t evolve by chance. They’re built, nurtured, and sustained through behaviours that consistently demonstrate value — the kind that make you indispensable.
DBA Design Effectiveness Awards 2026 | Winners shortlist announced
We’re delighted to announce the shortlist of entries that will win a DBA Design Effectiveness Award in 2026. Congratulations to the agency and client partnerships who will be taking home Bronze, Silver or Gold awards at our live event in March.
AI and agency shortlists – a moment of opportunity
Have you asked ChatGPT to recommend a good design agency in your sector, location or skillset? Were you one of the agencies it recommended?