DBA Roundup
A roundup of industry expertise, exclusive resources, business support and tools for your design business.
Main Content
Designing a World for Everyone: 30 Years of Inclusive Design
The way we experience the world is largely through the design of the places, products, communications, services and systems we encounter every day.
Author: Jeremy Myerson | Pick up a copy.
Published by Lund Humphries (Hardback £35). Design Business Association members get 20% off (+free UK postage) – visit www.lundhumphries.com and use the DBA discount code at checkout to apply the discount. Offer valid until end 28 February 2022.
Click here to login in for discount code.
Sapiens: A brief history of humankind
With fans including Barack Obama, Sapiens explores who we are, how we got here and where we’re going.
Author: Yuval Noah Harari | Pick up a copy.
Need some colour? Pick up a graphic novel version illustrated by David Vandermeulen here.
Myths of Branding: A Brand Is Just A Logo, and Other Popular Misconceptions
Explore the huge number of misguided, mistaken and blatantly false myths that are abound in the branding arena.
Author: Simon Bailey | Pick up a copy.
Company of One: Why staying small is the next big thing for business
Exploring the case for making your business better instead of bigger.
Author: Paul Jarvis | Pick up a copy here.
Unchartered – How to map the future together
Taking a look into the people and organisations that aren’t daunted by uncertainty.
Author: Margaret Heffernan | Browse here.
Self compassion
Offering a powerful solution for combating the current malaise of depression, anxiety and self criticism that comes with living in a pressured and competitive culture.
Author: Kristin Neff | Pick up a copy here.
Agencynomics
Tips to guide you through your agency growth journey and to help you tackle the challenges faced in scaling your business.
Authors: Spencer Gallager and Peter Hoole | Pick up a copy here.
Deep work: Rules for focused success in a distracted world
Exploring reasons to cultivate a deep work ethic and how to master the skill to achieve extraordinary results.
Author: Cal Newport | Take a closer look here.
Creative process design: A methodology for team ideation and co-creation
A book about simple and intuitive methodology that allows you to design any creative process you need.
Author: Alejandro Masferrer | Pick up a copy here.
Digital minimalism: Choosing a focused life in a noisy world
How to digitally de-clutter to feel less overwhelmed and more in control.
Author: Cal Newport | Pick up a copy here
Who moved my cheese: An amazing way to deal with change in your work and in your life
Learn how to anticipate, adapt to and enjoy change and be ready to change quickly whenever you need to.
Author: Dr Spencer Johnson | Pick up a copy here.
Go local
If you want to support local bookshops, order your next read through https://uk.bookshop.org.
Thames & Hudson lockdown promotion
Shop on Thames & Hudson’s website for other titles and enjoy 25% off until 12 February 2021. Choose from stunning books on art, architecture, fashion, photography, design and more.
Image credits:
Immo Wegmann | Unsplash
Chenyang Gao| Unsplash
Susan Yin | Unsplash
Ma Kl | Unsplash
Vitaliy Zamedyanskiy | Unsplash
Josep Martins | Unsplash
Aneta Pawlik | Unsplash
Erik Mclean | Unsplash
Dan Gold | Unsplash
Ed Robertson | Unsplash
A roundup of industry expertise, exclusive resources, business support and tools for your design business.
In Focus: Where agency margins are won – or lost in delivery
DBA Expert Manish Kapur looks at two places where design agencies tend to lose margin and why small changes can make a noticeable difference.
In Focus: Staff cost to fee income ratio
DBA Expert Mike Almandras explores a key metric you should be looking at to set your design business up to be profitable.
In Focus: The people story behind the numbers
DBA Expert Aliya Vigor-Robertson explains why the latest sector data reveals something most agencies are missing: the financial pressure we're seeing isn't just a finance story. It's a people one.
Design events calendar
There are many industry events held every year to enrich your team and business. We've compiled a snap-shot of what's coming up.
DBA Member Forum | February Summary
Our February DBA Member Forum brought together four DBA expert perspectives on the DBA In Focus benchmarking report, drawn from real member data.
The Design Effect 2026: Speakers
Exploring and celebrating the impact of design Uncovering design’s role in a changing world – talks, debates, case studies and...
DBA Member Forum | January Summary
The first DBA Member Forum of 2026 brought together a wealth of peer-led insight on the realities of working internationally.
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?"