Here's how Forepoint achieved change.

“We were steady, profitable and proud of our work,” says Steve Gill, Forepoint’s Managing Partner, “but we wanted to be more deliberate about where we were heading. We needed a stronger proposition and to be more strategic in how we grew, and we knew that if we got that right, the confidence of the whole business would follow.”

The partners already knew of DBA Expert Ralph Ardill’s work with other creative businesses and sought his perspective. With decades of top-level client and agency-side experience, he had helped design firms reinvent themselves through the same imagination and discipline they offer their clients. What began as a conversation about strategy and confidence quickly opened into a broader dialogue about purpose, performance and the future shape of the business.

Ralph reframed the challenge. What Forepoint needed wasn’t another round of tweaks or away days. It needed a transformation approach rooted in purpose, lived in practice and built to last.

“From our first meeting it was clear this was not about fixing anything broken. It was about unlocking potential,” reflects Ralph Ardill. “I introduced my proven creative-transformation framework, developed over decades with world-class clients and agencies, to help Forepoint rediscover who they are, what they stand for and how they grow. It was about embedding a new way of building confidence, capability and momentum across the business.”

Turning transformation into a creative act.

The partners and leadership team began a structured journey with cross-disciplinary teams tackling briefs across the key drivers of agency value: commercial, creative, cultural and client. At heart, it was a creative endeavour with Ralph re-imagining business transformation for agency life.

“The moment we started treating the agency as a creative project, everything changed,” says Forepoint’s Creative Director, Keith Noble. “The energy in the studio lifted. People felt involved, responsible and proud again. It gave everyone permission to bring their best thinking to the table.”

As momentum built, the framework embedded a living system for growth, reviewing progress, celebrating wins and setting transformation briefs for the year ahead. What began as an experiment became Forepoint’s new way for guiding its own future. “That moment was a real turning point. For the first time we could see the whole business working as one: one purpose, one plan, one energy,” says Steve.

“We never talked about change as a business project. We treated it as a creative transformation brief, structured, collaborative and focused on the areas that drive the greatest value,” highlights Ralph. “Its power lies in combining commerce with creativity, imagination with discipline and turning ambition into results you can see every day.”

Embedding the approach.

A shared value proposition soon emerged. Forepoint now knew exactly who they were for, why they mattered and where they had the greatest right to win. Teams became more self-assured and conversations with clients more confident.

“We have now got the clearest sense of who we are and what we stand for that we have ever had,” says Steve. “That shared understanding has made every decision simpler and given everyone in the business a new sense of confidence.”

Each year, the journey is now marked by Forepoint’s annual Captivation away day, celebrating progress, sharing learning and setting fresh priorities. The work also created a platform for the next generation of Forepoint leaders to step forward. Ownership now sits across the business, ensuring the approach lives on beyond any single individual.

“It is not about top-down directives anymore. The framework gives everyone a way to think and act creatively about the business itself. That is the real culture shift,” reflects Keith.

That shared ownership has rekindled pride across the agency and a renewed sense that Forepoint controls its own destiny.

The transformation has also delivered a series of impressive agency firsts:

The biggest single client win in Forepoint’s history, new consulting services, value-priced client programmes and a next-generation management team. Creative standards, confidence and consistency have never been higher, proof that transformation can touch every part of an agency when it is owned by everyone.

Business impact. 

Over the last two years turnover has risen from £1.9 million to £2.8 million and gross profit from £1.4 million to £2.0 million supported by record staff engagement, stronger board-level client relationships and a continued shift from projects to programmes of work.

The new Forepoint website captures the clarity and assurance that now defines their work. Externally, Forepoint is being invited into higher-value conversations and industry forums. Internally, pride and purpose have never been stronger.

“The results speak for themselves,” says Steve. “But for me the biggest change is confidence in our direction, our offer and our team. We are prouder than ever to talk about Forepoint, and our clients can feel that difference.”

“Creatively we are in the best place we have been for years,” adds Keith. “We are seeing bolder ideas, faster decisions and better collaboration. All proof that culture drives performance.”

Why it's working.

Forepoint’s success lies in the blend of courage, focus and commitment. The team embraced a challenging but proven approach and made it their own. They invested consistently and treated transformation as a creative act, not a management exercise.

Lessons:

Start with possibility, not pressure

Know who you are, why you matter and where you want to go next.

Treat your business as your most important brief.

Use the same imagination, discipline and craft you give your clients.

Build a system, not a sticking plaster.

Keep it alive year after year.

Be the change together.

Involve everyone to turn participation into pride.

Become your own best case-study.

Design the business you want to be then live it.

Says Steve: “We’ve gone into this with our eyes open, we know change is hard, not everything will work and we’ll make mistakes along the way but as long as we stick to the plan, keep pushing, keep learning and keep improving we’re more excited than ever to see what the next chapter of our story holds.” 

The next chapter.

Forepoint continues to work closely with Ralph, applying the same framework to its future growth plans, building the future management team and winning ongoing programmes with new and existing clients.

“What we’re building isn’t just a stronger business, it is a model for how creativity can keep unlocking an agency’s future,” says Ralph. “I’m bringing my framework and experience, Forepoint are making it their own and together we’re delivering the next chapter, not just dreaming about it. That’s where the real transformation lives.”

“We set out to reinvigorate the business and along the way we’ve reinvigorated ourselves,” reflects Steve. “With a business we believe in again that now has the confidence, focus and approach to write our own next chapter and encourage other agencies to believe that meaningful change is possible, even in these uncertain times.”

Having a mentor with a vast wealth of experience, who helps you better understand the opportunities for your business and to tackle your fears in a supportive, exploratory way, can help you take a firm control of your agency’s future and deliver transformational results.

“Speak to previous cohorts and I guarantee you’ll jump on it like a shot.” That’s the advice a previous Twenty/Twenty mentee gave to anyone considering the programme, and here’s what a few others had to say about the experience:

“I couldn’t recommend it more highly.” 

“Genuinely pivotal.”

“Investing in yourself is one of the most effective things you can do.” 

“As a business owner with vision, goals and struggles, the value of being able to learn from, and bounce ideas off someone who has already walked a similar path can only be beneficial.”

“Almost every session reveals something that is incredibly helpful, insightful or that was hidden in plain sight!”

What is it all about?

The Twenty/Twenty programme is crafted for leaders in design looking to make their next big leap. Whether you’re focused on strategic growth, succession planning, scaling your business or the design function within your organisation – or something entirely different, imagine what you could do with a mentor by your side. Here are just a few of the reasons previous mentees have signed up: 

“I felt I could do with some external advice and input to help us gear up for our next phase.”

“I was at a stage in my business where I wanted to grow it, but I needed to grow myself first.”

“My 60^th birthday was coming up in a few years’ time, and I wanted to explore complementary or even different career paths in a safe space, and with someone who could help me realise what I wouldn’t be able to see for myself.” 

“At 31 years old, I had spent most of my career in one agency and I really felt that I needed some external guidance and inspiration, some input and support that came from a different context.”

“The opportunity to learn from someone vastly more experienced at running a design business was too good to pass up.”

And what about the impact?

“Twenty/Twenty mentoring helped grow my confidence tenfold.” 

“Mentoring helped me navigate some particular business challenges at a time when I didn’t have many answers to them.”

“For me, the access and exposure I got to another creative business through the programme was as impactful as the relationship I built over the year. I came away from the experience with a whole network of new contacts and learning, many of whom I am still in good contact with today.”

“This process immediately benefitted my new position – I was able to have challenging conversations that I might have previously shied away from.” 

“Speaking to someone with deep expertise and experience, who has been through it all, provides incredible context.” 

“Our conversations gave me both practical advice and reassurance that was invaluable in the coming years.” 

“I would whole heartedly recommend the experience not only from a personal development standpoint, but also in terms of return on investment to the business.” 

Who are the mentors?

DBA mentors are industry icons – visionaries from renowned DBA member businesses who bring a wealth of experience and a unique perspective. Our extensive matching process ensures you’re paired with a mentor whose journey aligns with yours, creating a truly impactful partnership. Our mentors come from organisations including: 2LK Design | Chaos Design | Coley Porter Bell | Design4Retail | ECHO | Else | PB Creative | Nestlé and many more.

How do I apply?

Step into the next stage of your career and unlock your full potential. Full details about the programme can be found here. 

DBA members benefit from a reduced rate to participate in the programme. DBA members: £1999+ vat | Standard: £3500+ vat. 

Applications are open, closing on 28 November 2025. Apply via this form or get in touch with Natasha Papa to discuss the programme.

Here’s a summary of what was discussed in the meeting, prepared under Chatham House Rule:

• If you have one golden ratio to monitor that is your income to staff cost ratio – how much of your fee income are you spending on staff costs? Adam discusses this in detail in our last webinar which you can now watch on demand.
• The gap between London and regional agencies in average fee income per head has narrowed by a significant £10k this year. We’re keeping an eye on this trend as we look ahead to 2026 and beyond.
• Freelancer use is down 5% this year. Do you know your unique tipping point between continuing to lean on freelancers and recruiting a permanent team member? Are there other ways you can flex your existing team to cover the work? This is an important consideration in managing your freelancer use and it’s important to have someone senior watching over this alongside and the peaks and troughs in your work flow. 
• Businesses maintaining profitability in light of client budget cuts are those who are confident in their pricing models and working at the high-end, strategic consulting level – and this is the same across all of marketing services.
• What value do you add to your clients business and how efficiently are you using your team resource to service your clients? Striking the balance between these two areas will keep profitability high. 
• Carefully consider how you communicate this to your clients, and how you charge for that value.
• How do you qualify your prices with your clients? Have these conversations face to face and as early as possible in the process to save yourself time and money.
• We had an interesting conversation around staff churn rates – too low and you end up fat in the middle, too high and that’s a big knock on the bottom line. Often the reasons people leave are easy to fix – so making sure training isn’t forgotten and your benefits packages stack up against the wider industry is a good start. 
• What’s your write off rate? Recovery rates hover stubbornly around 80% – so flipping how you talk about over-servicing clients internally was suggested.
• But be careful not to focus on recovery rates in isolation. Set utilisation rate targets too. The report and microsite can help you with this. Knowing your own figures is important, then you can make a plan to incrementally shift that while targeting reductions in your write off rate. 
• Under quoting, scope creep and over servicing are the top three issues that impact recovery rates. You can read more about recovery rates here.
• And hot off the press, an article about how to become indispensable to your clients from DBA Expert Joanna Anthony. 
• We’ve seen steady growth in the past decade in members working internationally. We’re going to cover this in more detail in our 12 January & 2 February 2026 forums, so hold 4-5pm GMT in your diary now. 
• If you need expert financial advice or a fractional accounts team in your business – check out the DBA Experts Register. DBA Experts have sustained and relevant experience in supporting the design industry, so you can rest assured that you will be getting sound, high-level support. 
• The DBA In Focus Survey will open in May 2026, so mark this in your diary now and make sure your financial data is included in next year’s DBA In Focus Report. You should have access to all the data we need, and if you’re not sure what you need to be tracking now, book in a chat with Adam and make sure you’re reporting on the right things. It’s completely anonymous and it’s your data that enables us to map out the trends and signals for the industry as a whole. 

Our next DBA Members’ Forum is on Tuesday 2 December at 4pm GMT. 

Building strong relationships is about meeting each other’s needs, being valuable, and ultimately becoming indispensable.

But being indispensable isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing what truly matters.

It’s easy to fall into a reactive rhythm with clients. They call, you answer. They say, “Can you just…” and you say yes because saying no feels like closing a door. Yet every “yes” adds another task with no job number, no scope, and often, no strategic return.

The truth is, growth-building relationships aren’t created through reactivity. They’re built on value — on the kind of partnership that helps clients think, decide, and move forward with confidence.

The goal is to become the person your client calls when they need a sounding board, a strategic challenger, or a trusted ally to help them evaluate choices, handle risk, or navigate internal politics. That kind of indispensable partnership doesn’t just happen — it’s built intentionally and strategically.

And at the heart of it lies trust.

Trust grows when you consistently demonstrate the right partnership behaviours. 

Here are five to start with:

1. Be business-minded

Show that you understand business — their business, your business, and the business of doing business. Demonstrate that you recognise the weight of their world: the commercial pressures, the accountability, the career stakes.

Then use your expertise to solve real business challenges, not just creative ones. When clients see that you grasp both the logic and emotion of their commercial reality, they start to see you as someone who’s in it with them, not just working for them.

2. Speak the right language

Respect the time-short, outcomes-oriented environment your clients operate in. Lead with impact, not process. Talk about the difference your recommendations will make — not the steps involved in getting there.

Process belongs to project managers; outcomes belong to partners.

Be succinct, confident, and clear. Land your key point quickly — the “how” can come later. When you respect their time and decision-making context, you earn credibility.

3. Be proactive

Anticipate needs before they surface. Understand your clients’ world well enough to spot risks, opportunities, and misalignments before they do. Don’t wait for instruction — bring ideas, insights, and perspective. Share what you’re seeing in other sectors. Flag issues early.

Clients want agencies that lead, not those that merely deliver. Proactivity shows investment — it signals that you care about their success beyond the brief.

4. Be emotionally intelligent

Partnership is built on emotional awareness as much as strategic acumen. Understand and manage emotions — yours and theirs — to build trust and navigate challenges. Recognise how your tone, timing, and attitude shape their perception of you and your agency. Listen for what’s unsaid as much as what’s spoken.

It’s about tuning into how the client feels, not just what they say. When ambiguity arises, check it. Clarify it. Emotional intelligence turns friction into flow.

5. Be agile

Agility isn’t about saying yes to every change request. It’s about responding with curiosity and flexibility. Ask why. Reframe to test the purpose and desired outcome. Think inventively about how to deliver what’s needed in smarter, more effective ways.

Being agile means adapting fast — but always with intention, not reaction. The most trusted partners respond to change without losing clarity or direction.

Being indispensable isn’t about doing more

Partnership isn’t about over-servicing; it’s about over-delivering on value. It’s about knowing when to say yes, when to question, and when to lead.

Because when clients experience that level of partnership — where you help them think, not just act — you don’t need to prove your indispensability. You already are.

As the world around us changes, one thing remains constant; the ability of designers to create solutions and reinterpret challenges into new ways of thinking and shape the way forward.

The DBA Design Effectiveness Awards are the most rigorous standard for measuring the effectiveness of design, rewarding entries that have demonstrated the value of investing in design to drive business and societal success.

Much more will be revealed about this year’s list of winners at The Design Effect event in March 2026, and we encourage you to read the winning case studies when they are published online at that time. Understanding what makes a winning case study goes much deeper than the project name and accompanying pictures – these aren’t like other awards.

Projects may have societal, environmental or category defining impacts for example, when you look beyond their outward appearance. There may be projects that involve product or digital design alongside branding, that have fundamentally impacted that company’s operations and success.

The next entry deadline will be in November 2026. If you’d like to see the kind of work you do represented in the case studies, get in touch with us now so we can help you lay the groundwork for proving your case: awards@dba.org.uk

These case studies fuel the DBA’s work in championing and proving the impact of design in businesses like yours.

DBA Design Effectiveness Awards 2026: Winners shortlist

If you’ve not done this yet, you should. The results are often quite surprising. Typically, the usual big names appear, but there’s also a number of agencies you’ve never heard of. Crucially, ChatGPT has heard of them, and is recommending them to your potential clients.

This matters simply because more and more of those clients are entering that prompt. A year ago a few were doing it, today most are. While there are no specific figures on the percentage of design buyers who are using generative AI as a tool in the buying process, according to a November 2024 report from Forrester, 89% of all B2B buyers overall have adopted it.

It’s not removing due diligence in choosing an agency – but it is reframing the top of the funnel. We’re at a tipping point where agency discovery now starts with a prompt rather than a pitch. More than anything, this is an opportunity for design agencies. It’s such a new area, that even the smallest agencies can stand out. Look at all those agencies that you’ve never heard of appearing on your ChatGPT search.

Here are five steps every agency should be taking right now to seize this moment of opportunity.

How to get recommended by ChatGPT

1. Begin with an audit.

Run a GenAI search and see what comes up. Where are you? Look more closely into the firms that do come up. What are they doing that you can learn from?

2. Get your website in shape

Your owned channels are the best place to start. This is primarily your website. Ensure it explains clearly what you do. Show your best work. Demonstrate its impact. Set out why you are good at what you do. Include testimonials where possible. 

3. Build a trusted profile on community forums

When it searches for evidence, GenAI looks for the most trusted sources. So, in making recommendations it relies heavily on forums like Reddit, Quora and Medium where comments are moderated and members are rated. Substack is less influential because it lacks the community moderation aspect.

Note that building a trusted profile on the forums is highly time consuming. If you are an agency leader who has time to do it then you should, without doubt, do it. It will significantly increase the likelihood of you appearing in the lists of agencies GenAI recommends.

4. Gain media exposure

GenAI does not use social media very much. It uses only bio information and ignores posts, making LinkedIn and Instagram far less important in this new age of agency reputation building.

On the other hand, the agencies that find a way to get appearances in respected, credible media outlets will be more recommended by GenAI than those that don’t. This sort of media coverage has always been valuable to agencies, but more from a reputation, positioning and credibility perspective – GenAI gives it a much more direct new business purpose.

Key areas to look at are: think pieces, op-eds and profile pieces in business publications like Fast Company, and Forbes, or marketing ones like AdAge and Campaign, or specialist sector titles like The Grocer and Vogue Business; work getting shown in creative media outlets like Creative Review and It’s Nice That; appearances on high profile podcasts or appearances at industry conferences on panels or even keynote speakers.

It is not easy for brand design agencies to gain this sort of media exposure, but it can be done. 

5. Use awards, rankings and reviews

GenAI recommends agencies that appear on lists like the Creative Boom Top25 and D&AD rankings. So, try to get included on them. At the very least, anyone can get a Clutch listing, so do it.

In the same way, GenAI is influenced by reviews and awards, so encourage clients and employees to leave reviews. There are many issues with Glassdoor, but GenAI uses it, so positive reviews from employees there will make a difference. And enter awards, especially the most highly regarded, and celebrate your achievements.

Making invisible design visible

AI tools aren’t replacing referrals or RFPs but they’re quietly shaping the shortlist, and brand design agencies need to react.

After all, brand design has to work harder than most to get noticed. While building, fashion, furniture and product design are all quite literally seen, brand design is invisible. It doesn’t get credited on pack or at the end of ads. Clients are too often reluctant to acknowledge its contribution.

Finding ways to get recognised for the work we do – the value we bring – is essential for success, and no one running a design agency today can afford to ignore generative AI.

It seems to me that, somewhere along the line, the importance of the creative brief has been lost. Within agencies, it’s often seen as a bit of a chore, a piece of admin, just a form to be filled out. In my view, there is a general lack of understanding as to its proper role and value.

Our latest ‘What Clients Think’ report reveals that 30% of clients wish their agency would ask more questions and dig deeper, so the first stage in the process is a thorough interrogation of the client’s brief. A typical client comment is, “They should be more challenging around my brief and push back” or “Is it the right thing to do?” and “Challenge what we give them rather than just heads down.” Another is, “I’m obviously not being clear and I accept some of the blame, but they’re the experts and they should be able to drag it out of me.” The last point is key.

Agencies can’t just blame the client for a poor brief. A major part of an agency’s skill set is the ability to ask the right questions and extract the right information before leaping to creative work. After all, an important distinction to remember is that the artist writes his own brief, the designer can’t start without one. Designers need parameters to work within, a problem to solve and an opportunity to seize.

The agency’s questions can usually be grouped into three broad areas. Firstly, there are questions about the problem – the strategic issues being addressed. Secondly, there are questions about the context – competitors and trends. Thirdly, there are questions about deliverables – what we want the target audience(s) to think, feel and do. At brief stage, never be afraid to ask the obvious questions. Now’s the time. As Peter Drucker, the father of modern management consultancy, said, “My greatest strength as a consultant is to be ignorant and ask a few questions.”

Once the questions have been asked and the information gathered, the creative brief can be addressed. Typical creative brief sections include identification of the problem, offer, USP, the audience, application, success factors and practical considerations. Back to my earlier point, though, it shouldn’t just be viewed as a form to be filled in. Instead, the creative brief should be treated as the vital bridge between the client’s world and the agency’s creative team. It acknowledges that both client and agency are united in their objectives, but their skills and ways of looking at the problem are different. In this sense, it should never just be a shorter format regurgitation of the client’s brief. An effective creative brief reduces the client’s brief to its core and turns it into plain English. Remember, designers tend not to speak ‘marketing’ and customers certainly don’t.

That’s not to say that you should be limited by words. Some of the best creative briefs I’ve seen have included images. Images can be more stimulating and more precise than words and, after all, the designer’s currency is visual. Most importantly, though, the creative brief should excite designers. It should spark their enthusiasm and make them feel it’s the best project they’ve ever had.

For those agencies that don’t write creative briefs or have got out of the habit, let’s summarise why all this is important. A good creative brief saves time and money because it should result in fewer amends and revisions. It’s a more efficient way of working. It ensures better decision making because it helps to reduce subjectivity and allows better rationalisation of creative work. It helps the client to recognise great work when they see it. It inspires and motivates the creative team and is more likely to result in high quality, effective and measurable creative work.

Of course, if the creative brief gives an unclear problem, is overloaded with information, mistakes facts for insights, focuses on product/service features not user benefits, relays information but doesn’t translate that or contain a driving thought, then it simply becomes that form to be filled in.

So, how do you know when you’ve written a good creative brief? Well, the clue is in the name. Is it brief? It shouldn’t turn into an essay or a job justification exercise. The skill is in making it concise. Does it focus on one key message? Are you telling a simple, inspiring story? Does it lead the team from the key message, through the insight, to the reason to believe, with each building on the other? Is it clear on immovables and mandatories? Is it jargon free? Will everyone understand it?

Most importantly, does it have designers excitedly heading for the studio?

Here’s a short summary of what we covered, prepared under Chatham House Rule — we explored much more during the session.

• Creativity is becoming more important to businesses who have fewer levers to pull to create competitive advantage.
• With significant economic pressures – high inflation, low consumer confidence and buying power, volatility and uncertainty from political changes – growth and returning a profit, and crucially cash, is becoming harder for businesses to achieve.
• There are therefore significant pressures on organisations to control costs, which puts pressure on creative fees.
• And businesses have less ability to find the growth they need from simply doing what they have always done.
• However, this creates an opportunity for creativity and innovation, with many design leaders understanding that companies that pursue doing something different and pursue breakthrough innovation in difficult economic times do really well.
• Design leaders are also trying to find ways to work more efficiently as they develop creative ideas – less iterations, less visualisations, more reliance on an experienced eye and being a bit more scrappy and dirty in the journey to the finished creative outcome.
• AI is seen as best used at the start and end of the creative process – for initial research, and then for final implementation to help remove some of the grunt work – but the middle part, the creativity, is best kept with humans. Both so that IP ownership is clear, and because market research shows that the human consumer wants something that is created by a human.
• There is of course a tension between driving technical innovation whilst balancing social and environmental responsibility, which is incredibly important to consumers, particularly Gen Z.
• But, consumers are not willing to pay more for sustainable solutions. Consumers feel that business created the problem, profited from the problem, and therefore they won’t pay more for a company to fix the problem.
• Therefore business is after solutions that take costs down whilst being sustainable.
• So innovation becomes important here too. Particularly if that innovation can change the paradigm – for example by changing the face of luxury from heavyweight to light.
• Design leaders are looking for design agencies who can work with their inhouse teams to challenge what they are doing and bring in disruptive thinking.

The next DBA Members’ Forum is on Monday 3 November, from 4-5pm GMT, when we’ll be joined by Esther Carder, Partner at Moore Kingston Smith. Following the launch of this year’s In Focus Report, Esther will provide expert commentary and analysis, breaking down the data and delving into the key trends.