• Ideology
• Resources
  • Search By Topic
  • Newsletter
  • Blog
  • Articles
  • The Win Without Pitching Manifesto
• Events
• Consulting
• Online Learning
• Members
• Store

Sign UpContactLog InSearch

The State of Design Associations

I was cleaning out files yesterday and found the text of a speech I delivered to the Bureau of European Design Agencies (BEDA) in Berlin last year. (I cleaned it up and uploaded it to the Manifestos section here.) The purpose of the speech was to talk about what design associations can do to combat the free pitching problem. This was a challenge because, as I say in the speech, I don't see free pitching as a problem that can be addressed at the association or industry level. In fact, I see most attempts to deal with this at an industry level as counter-productive. (I explain why in the speech.)

I did go on to talk about what I see as the limited role of associations in combating the issue, the foremost of which is putting a higher priority of bringing sound business principles to design firms. Re-reading those comments got me thinking about the state of design associations. I do a lot of work with the Design Business Association (DBA) in the UK, whose mandate is the help members firms with the business side of their business, rather than the design side. To me, the DBA is a breath of fresh air and quite a contrast to the role played by most design associations.

By contrast, I look at North America's design associations and I see a neglect (that's the best word I can think of, and I think it's appropriate) when it comes to trying to raise the business acumen of their members. Granted, the mandate of an AIGA is different from a DBA or its Irish brethren, the Graphic Design Business Association (GDBA) who are both pure business associations, and, yes, organizations like the AIGA and Graphic Design Council (GDC) in Canada do offer some business issue programming, but I for one, and I'm certain I am not alone, think the industry is crying out for more and better guidance on basic business issues. The HOW Mind Your Own Business conference serves to meet this need - once every two years. And the AIGA has it's biannual business conference, GAIN, which I've done a workshop for. But as much as I enjoyed the other GAIN programming I found very little that would help people in the business of design advance their business skills. It's more a conference about two strangers, business and design, colliding in a hallway, rather than about the business of being a designer or running a design firm.

Design conferences abound, but pick up the program from one of this year's and compare it to one from ten years ago and you'll see the same four or five designers talking the same design issues, while flipping through their portfolio yet again.

I'm often left thinking there's way too much naval-gazing, self-congratulating and nepotism at the association level of the design profession and not enough new thinking on business issues. This very sentiment came up yet again one night after a recent event and I wasn't even the one to bring it up!

It's time for a hostile take-over. Or maybe North America needs it's own version of the DBA. I dunno, but sometimes I wish somebody in Design Association Land would shake it up out there. I know these people are underfunded and over-worked, but I think members, if they share my sentiments, need to speak up and look to their associations to do more for them on the business side of their design businesses.