DBA Roundup
A roundup of industry expertise, exclusive resources, business support and tools for your design business.
Main Content
Here’s a short summary of what we covered, prepared under Chatham House Rule — we explored much more during the session.
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
The Discover! Creative Careers programme is back, and this time for a whole month in 2025. This means more time to get involved, more creative career encounters for young people, and more impact.
If you’re an employer in the design sector, please consider spending some time this November showing 11–18-year-olds what a career in design looks like through in-school, workplace or online activities.
Head over to Discover’s website where you can explore their industry toolkit, getting started guide and encouraging case studies on what industry employers have done in previous years. Let’s inspire the future workforce for the sector – register your interest today. You can also attend an online information session on 3 September at 12.30-1.15pm.
“Where would you be if you weren’t working in design? What led you to your career? If you are passionate about design, the richness it brings to your life and the wider world, I’d really encourage you to support ‘Discover! Creative Careers Month’ this November. There are so many ways you can get involved, from opening-up your studio for a day, to a one-hour online or in-school talk. Simply share your enthusiasm for design – what it’s like to work in our fantastic sector – and you could inspire a young person on a path they’d never even considered before. Help us make a difference attracting and diversifying the next generation of design talent.”
Deborah Dawton, CEO, DBA
What is Discover! Creative Careers?
Discover! Creative Careers (DCC) is an industry-led initiative designed to provide young people from England with encounters and experiences of the Creative Industries through in- school, workplace and online opportunities. For the 2025 programme, Discover is funded to support and engage with schools and young people across 101 priority areas in England, identified as those facing the greatest disadvantage, but the online programme is open to all.
The DCC programme culminates in an annual flagship event that has this year been extended to a whole month, giving industry and schools greater opportunities to forge connections and offer more 11–18-year-olds vital encounters with creative industry careers. This is part of the wider expansion across the programme which aims to reach 100,000 young people. Discover! Creative Careers Month takes place in November 2025 and will remain free for schools and young people to access, with registration for both schools and industry employers open now.
Funded by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, Discover! is part of Government’s pledge to build a highly-skilled, productive and inclusive workforce for the future, outlined in the Creative Industries Sector Plan.
Wondering where to start?
Last year, DBA member BAGGI hosted a fun and interactive brand workshop for A-level students at Strode’s College in Surrey. “We wanted to put something back locally and inspire young people to consider a career in design,” says the brand consultancy’s founder Mark Baxter. Here’s how BAGGI helped young people Discover Creative Careers.
Inspire the future design industry workforce by getting involved in Discover! Creative Careers Month 2025 throughout November, an opportunity for young people to gain insight into real job roles and pathways from employers through online and in-person events. Access the industry toolkit and register your interest to receive news >
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.