DBA Roundup
A roundup of industry expertise, exclusive resources, business support and tools for your design business.
Main Content
A roundup of industry expertise, exclusive resources, business support and tools for your design business.
Lobbying for a fairer, more effective system
One of the most significant commercial pressures industrial design consultancies face in the UK is losing work to publicly funded organisations offering heavily subsidised design and product development services. The DBA is lobbying for a fairer, more effective system.
The Global Talent Visa for Design
Talented and promising individuals can now apply for the Global Talent Visa in Design, and the DBA will assess applications on behalf of the Arts Council.
Promoting the UK-India opportunity to the UK design sector
The UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) comes into effect on 15 July and the DBA has been asked by the Department for Business and Trade to advise on the opportunity it creates for UK design companies.
DBA Member Forum | July Summary
At our July DBA Member Forum, we took a balanced look at what might be responsible for the downward trend in junior hiring in recent years.
Beyond the echo chamber: How creative agencies get into the business media
How can your agency claim its place in the business media? Competition is fierce and journalists receive hundreds of pitches every day. To stand out, you need to master these three key areas.
The Employment Rights Act and agencies: What to do now
DBA Expert, Aliya Vigor-Robertson looks at what the Employment Rights Act means for design agencies and what you should be doing now.
A Shared Vision for Industry-Led Design Education within Higher Education
The DBA has launched its latest white paper, produced in partnership with the Council for Higher Education in Art & Design.
Rules & Rebels: How design agencies tell their own stories
How do you choose the right words to set your business apart? DBA Expert Emily Penny looks at the rules and rebels of design agency messaging.
The era of the Client Partner has begun
Client service helps generate serious returns and it's time to recognise its value. The Client Partner era has begun.
Main Content
“As we approach the second anniversary of lockdown in the UK, it has been inspirational to see the continuing stories of design effectiveness in this year’s submissions. Companies from the largest to the smallest have used design as a strategic tool to strengthen their relationships with customers, engage them in the values of their brand and communicated their purpose to customers. In an increasingly competitive market in such challenging times, they have invested and reaped the measurable rewards of design.It is encouraging to see the growing diversity of products and services that have entered the awards and proven to the expert jury that design made the difference, in charities, social enterprises and public sector projects. The awards continue to represent the growth of design across service and digital experiences as well as point of sale and brand communication.
Judging days remain my favourite events of the year as a diverse, international and highly expert panel of judges come together to discuss and debate the impact of design on every submission. The winners, from Bronze to Gold and beyond, can be assured that they have achieved the highest level of evidence that their use of design has bought them success. We recognise and can reward their belief and investment in design and see it lead them out of these times into a future of new opportunities.” Chairman of the Judges, Clive Grinyer
Join us to celebrate the power of design
On Thursday 30 June from 12pm BST, our 2022 winners will find out if they’ve won Gold, Silver or Bronze at the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards 2022 winners announcement.
The online event, which is free and open to all, is a fantastic opportunity to find out what makes a DBA Design Effectiveness Award winner, so you too can prepare your case.
Tune into the live broadcast to celebrate the power of design and toast the success of our 2022 winners. Register here.
DBA Design Effectiveness Awards Winners Shortlist 2022
| Business | Consultancy | Project title |
| Little Bellies | B&B studio | Little Bellies Rebrand |
| Raw Halo | B&B studio | Raw Halo Rebrand |
| Health Education England | Brand Ethos | Step into the NHS Rebranding and Website Redesign |
| Sainsbury’s | BrandMe | SO Organic |
| Aimia Foods | Brandon | Horlicks |
| McCain | BrandOpus | McCain Street Fries |
| 3V Natural Foods | Bulletproof | Meridian Rebrand |
| Mondelēz International – Australia | Bulletproof | Old Gold Rebrand |
| My/Mochi Ice Cream Co. | Bulletproof | My/Mochi Redesign |
| Billson’s | Cowan | Billson’s Rebrand |
| GlaxoSmithKline | DCA Design International | Voltaren Flip-top Easy Open Cap |
| Ministry of Justice | Design102 | #ItStillMatters Campaign |
| Fred. Olsen | ELSE | Fred. Olsen Website Optimisation |
| Bayer Healthcare | goDutch | Midol Brand Restage |
| Barnardo’s | Leap | LifeLabs |
| Shorts Boy Distillery | Lewis Moberly | Tidal Rum |
| ACCO | Oxford Product Design | Leitz IQ Autofeed Office Shredder Range |
| Mars Wrigley | Path | M&Ms 3D Confectionery Advent Calendar |
| DRTY Drinks | Pearlfisher | DRTY Drinks Branding |
| General Mills | Pearlfisher | Cinnamon Toast Crunch |
| Westward Whiskey | Pearlfisher | Westward Whiskey Rebrand |
| UpCircle by Optiat | Studio More Design | UpCircle Branding |
| KP Snacks | This Way Up | KP Nuts Rebrand |
| Oxford Brewery | WPA Pinfold | Oxford Brewery Rebrand |
DBA Roundup
A roundup of industry expertise, exclusive resources, business support and tools for your design business.
Lobbying for a fairer, more effective system
One of the most significant commercial pressures industrial design consultancies face in the UK is losing work to publicly funded organisations offering heavily subsidised design and product development services. The DBA is lobbying for a fairer, more effective system.
The Global Talent Visa for Design
Talented and promising individuals can now apply for the Global Talent Visa in Design, and the DBA will assess applications on behalf of the Arts Council.
Promoting the UK-India opportunity to the UK design sector
The UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) comes into effect on 15 July and the DBA has been asked by the Department for Business and Trade to advise on the opportunity it creates for UK design companies.
DBA Member Forum | July Summary
At our July DBA Member Forum, we took a balanced look at what might be responsible for the downward trend in junior hiring in recent years.
Beyond the echo chamber: How creative agencies get into the business media
How can your agency claim its place in the business media? Competition is fierce and journalists receive hundreds of pitches every day. To stand out, you need to master these three key areas.
The Employment Rights Act and agencies: What to do now
DBA Expert, Aliya Vigor-Robertson looks at what the Employment Rights Act means for design agencies and what you should be doing now.
A Shared Vision for Industry-Led Design Education within Higher Education
The DBA has launched its latest white paper, produced in partnership with the Council for Higher Education in Art & Design.
Rules & Rebels: How design agencies tell their own stories
How do you choose the right words to set your business apart? DBA Expert Emily Penny looks at the rules and rebels of design agency messaging.
The era of the Client Partner has begun
Client service helps generate serious returns and it's time to recognise its value. The Client Partner era has begun.
Main Content
- To the question of what businesses can and should do in response to the war in Ukraine, Matt took us through the 7 top tips from B Corp UK on how businesses can help. There were also some interesting ideas from others, such as donating old technology equipment, supporting Legal Aid and giving refugees a place to stay. We’re keen to hear from you on this issue and will prioritise getting our members guidance as necessary as it progresses. We’ve compiled an online resource to help you keep on top of how the conflict is impacting business you can access here.
- The government’s Levelling Up agenda makes clear that there isn’t equality of opportunity across the country. We heard some great suggestions from Michael Thompson on bringing together the community on a local level. Nigel Davies highlighted that some of the best colleges are outside of the central regions in the UK, and so there are perhaps opportunities to spread opportunities from those bases. Shray Vaidya also shared a great local level initiative – Speakers for Schools – their aim is to end educational inequality by giving all young people access to the same prestigious networks available to the top fee-paying schools in the UK.
- We were invigorated by Sam Jameson from Soapsmith’s story of how design changed the lives of her and her team. If design is going to contribute to the Levelling Up agenda, it has a key role in creating new jobs, improving living standards, and advancing public services – we as a design industry have a key role to play in this.
Our Members’ Forum takes place on the first Monday of each month, at 4 – 5pm. If you would like to attend, get in touch here.
DBA Roundup
A roundup of industry expertise, exclusive resources, business support and tools for your design business.
Lobbying for a fairer, more effective system
One of the most significant commercial pressures industrial design consultancies face in the UK is losing work to publicly funded organisations offering heavily subsidised design and product development services. The DBA is lobbying for a fairer, more effective system.
The Global Talent Visa for Design
Talented and promising individuals can now apply for the Global Talent Visa in Design, and the DBA will assess applications on behalf of the Arts Council.
Promoting the UK-India opportunity to the UK design sector
The UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) comes into effect on 15 July and the DBA has been asked by the Department for Business and Trade to advise on the opportunity it creates for UK design companies.
DBA Member Forum | July Summary
At our July DBA Member Forum, we took a balanced look at what might be responsible for the downward trend in junior hiring in recent years.
Beyond the echo chamber: How creative agencies get into the business media
How can your agency claim its place in the business media? Competition is fierce and journalists receive hundreds of pitches every day. To stand out, you need to master these three key areas.
The Employment Rights Act and agencies: What to do now
DBA Expert, Aliya Vigor-Robertson looks at what the Employment Rights Act means for design agencies and what you should be doing now.
A Shared Vision for Industry-Led Design Education within Higher Education
The DBA has launched its latest white paper, produced in partnership with the Council for Higher Education in Art & Design.
Rules & Rebels: How design agencies tell their own stories
How do you choose the right words to set your business apart? DBA Expert Emily Penny looks at the rules and rebels of design agency messaging.
The era of the Client Partner has begun
Client service helps generate serious returns and it's time to recognise its value. The Client Partner era has begun.