Category: Yachtbuilding & Design

Should designers be allowed complete freedom of expression, or is management always necessary?
I think the two are mutually exclusive at the onset of the creative process. Problem bashing has the unique ability to not only solve an immediate issue, but to also open doorways that may not have been anticipated: an innovative concept, a new way of providing an old service, a better process to make an existing product, and so on. I think there is huge value in allowing designers an unfettered response at first and to mind map whatever comes to the surface. From there, results can be ‘managed’ into parameters that may be necessary for a specific project; budget and timeframe being the usual culprits. I recently spoke with a colleague of mine who was engaged to deal with some basic marketing issues and came up with an idea for a line of hair care products. Alas, here is where a touch of business management could have helped: he failed to get something in writing for this additional concept and his compensation was largely a ‘thank you’. Big lesson learned.

Are non-designers well placed to manage creative people?
It really depends on the people: who is managing and who is being managed. If each person has a basic understanding and respect of the other person’s job function (and personality), then there should be no problem. One of the reasons I have enjoyed being in the management side of the design industry is because I thoroughly enjoy design and the creative personalities behind the process. The industry mixes creativity and business and a lot of good is done for the world, while a lot of money is made at the same time. The idea of a good manager is one who supports the creative people and provides them with the tools (space, materials, a paycheck) needed to get the job done. Offices and businesses do not run themselves and I’ve seen far too many designers try to manage it all, only to come up short in one area or another and experience ‘burnout’, because there isn’t time in the day to do everything. So yes, a peaceful and synergistic co-existence can exist between non-designers and the dreamers.

How can design thinking benefit business thinking?
Easily. Design thinking can breathe life into old ideas and make the process fun at the same time. Take the work of Tom Ford and Gucci, for example. The brand was tired and largely diminished in value in the eyes of consumers. The name was over-licensed and knock-offs abounded everywhere. Enter Mr Ford (creative) and Domenico De Sole (business) who together, over two decades, built the brand into a multi-billion-dollar powerhouse, returning the lost cachet, cancelling many of the licences and selling the product out of their own corporate boutiques. Without the inspired and sexy designs of Tom Ford as supported by Mr De Sole’s business acumen, the story would not have been a success. As we watch the Tom Ford legacy unfold, he has branched off on his own under his own label, creating even higher-priced products than Gucci, while letting his creative impulses move into other sectors including film with the Oscar- nominated A Single Man. No doubt his enterprises embody both creative and fiscal sensibilities.

In what ways does design management differ from design leadership?
I think that design management supports the creative process and day-to-day operations of a practice. Design leadership is the visionary guidance that is often embodied by the design principal, or firm’s namesake, who knows where he or she wants to go and also knows that proper support is needed to get there. I have seen a lot of bad design that is churned out efficiently and profitably by a successful business person. I have also seen genius talent go out of business because of fiscal irresponsibility. My favourite combination is to see great design flourish that is also a financial success for everyone in the business. This requires great design and great business, guided by a vision and kept firmly planted on the ground with great partners.

Lloyd Princeton
Design Management Company

Category: Yachtbuilding & Design