Global competition is increasing, so why, asks Chris Cox, don’t UK designers think it is affecting their businesses?
The global design industry is changing. Last year a major report by Cambridge University highlighted that countries such as South Korea and Singapore are becoming powerhouses of design, while China’s ambitious plans for design are turning it into a major player. But the jury is still out on whether all this is really affecting British designers. Are projects being plucked from them by overseas talent? Is international growth opening doors for collaboration? Or is it simply business as usual?
Intellectually based creativity is our best chance of building on our heritage and pushing things forward
The majority of designers (63%) who work abroad say overseas competition for work has increased. But the real point to note is this: 90%of British design businesses say that their main competition still comes from within the UK.
This certainly rings true for London-based Graphic Thought Facility. ‘For us it’s not really an issue,’ says Creative Director Andrew Neale. ‘We do sometimes go up against international consultancies, but I wouldn’t say it’s a problem. We’re also increasingly pitching for overseas work, so there’s a pretty healthy balance.’
Others have found that becoming internationally connected has been vital for staying competitive. Jeremy Sice, Managing Director of SAS, says: ‘For us it works both ways. Being part of an international network means we have an overseas delivery mechanism; but just as important are the global insights it gives that help us add value to our offer.’
With consultancies joining global networks in growing numbers, designers are increasingly competing on their international credentials to win domestic business. According to Sice, ‘The international card is definitely being played more heavily these days.’
Sice says that now emerging economies are offering cut-price design, it’s vital for UK firms to add something different, which they can get from adopting an international perspective. ‘The UK can only stay at the top table if we keep challenging our views by drawing in learning from other countries,’ he notes.
For others, concerns about pressure from overseas are all wrong. Branding guru Michael Wolff believes that instead of worrying, designers should seize this opportunity to raise their game. ‘Fear is completely the wrong way to look at it,’ he says. ‘Instead, we should be using this moment to genuinely question what value we can bring as designers.’
Wolff says that designers will always be vulnerable to overseas firms that are competing on service, ‘because it’s not a very high bar. That’s why intellectually based creativity is our best chance of building on our heritage and pushing things forward,’ he says. ‘You need to be asking, “What is the value that we bring?” And to do that you have to look at the value others bring and be open and inquisitive about how these others do their business.’