AdWorld Features

Designing Our Future

Jimmy Walsh

The importance of good design in all marketing and advertising material can never be understated. It goes right to the heart of branding and people's perceptions of brands. But it can also help Ireland Inc get out of the mess that it's in.

Like many other industries in Ireland, the design industry has been going through a rough patch over the past twelve months. However there is a degree of cautious optimism tinged with a dollop of frustration within the industry as budget holders continue to keep a firm grip on the purse-strings.

"Currently the design industry is a perfect reflection of our weakened economy," says Nicholas Cloake, chairman of Design Business Ireland, the organization which represents the design industry in Ireland.

"Growth has completely slowed down and recruitment is at an all-time low. Projects take longer to complete and more projects have been either postponed or cancelled than in recent years. More importantly there is a significant decrease in positive sentiment for the value that design delivers. Many clients see it as ‘luxury' that they cannot afford. However the reality is that, design fees have reduced in the past two years providing even greater value than before.

"Many commentators have said that Ireland is becoming uncompetitive, however, in the design sector we are offering expertise, talent and insights at the same level as many of our UK and other international competitors at much reduced fees," says Cloake.

"In fact if there was ever the time and opportunity to focus on exporting our services now is the time. Maybe we should take a leaf out of our friends in architecture's book and start jumping on planners to overseas markets. On the positive side it should be remembered that most great brands were developed in a recession and maybe now is the time for Irish companies to start building their brands."

"Good design will always deliver result for business," says Jimmy Walsh, managing director of the Dublin-based design house, Dara Creative. "In fact the Irish Design Effectiveness Awards (IDEA) organised every year by Design Business Ireland are all about rewarding clients and design consultancies that have demonstrated a measurable return for the investment in design. The IDEA Awards are all about proving the case for how design delivered results for clients and met their objectives in terms of sales, new business won and increased profile," he says.

Good design may deliver good results but unfortunately not everyone sees it that way. The procurement departments of government departments and semi-state agencies have wreaked havoc on the industry according to Cloake.

"Procurement is becoming a nightmare for design firms. According to a recent survey by Design Business Ireland, state and semi-state work represents over 35% of our revenues both North and South. In the South this has been dramatically cut back as Departments try to reduce costs. In fact at a time when communications and good communications becomes critical for Government they seem to misunderstand its potency. Government seems to apply the same rules to procuring paper- clips as it does our services. This simply doesn't work," says Cloake.

"Currently there is a race to the bottom in terms of price which will eventually damage both our industry and the Government's ability to communicate. Some if not most of Ireland's top firms will cease to take part in State and Semi-State tenders which is not just bad for our sector but is in fact bad for our Island. Design Business Ireland intends to approach Government to provide advice and guidance in relation to procuring design sector services and also to work with our sister industries in production such as the print and packaging sectors."

Jimmy Walsh agrees: "At a time when the survival of Irish business and the protection of jobs is critical, it is ironic that the procurement policies pursued by the Public Sector is costing jobs. In some cases the process seems to work against Irish firms and some design projects are being lost to overseas competitors. The problem is even more serious for the print industry which is suffering badly as a result of the number of Government print contracts going out of the country."

There are some rays of hope on the horizon. The growth in digital media and marketing has opened up new income streams for the industry.

"More and more companies are investing in digital marketing," says Jimmy Walsh. "A well designed, easy to navigate website that can be found on search engines is critical for any successful business. Many companies have an ebusiness strategy that includes selling online, website videos and email marketing campaigns. Email marketing in particular, tremendous potential. It allows companies to communicate directly with their target audiences at a fraction of the cost of more traditional media."

According to Nicholas Cloake companies should be using the current downturn to communicate and innovate and by doing so, they are positioning themselves nicely for the anticipated upturn in the economy whenever that is.

"Every company and organisation needs to innovate and communicate. These are the two key strengths of the Irish design sector. I believe that design will play an essential role in our return to prosperity. I further believe that the organisations and enterprises that embrace design will benefit the most. Any company that wishes to develop export business will have to communicate on a par with international competitors. This cannot be done in-house and the fact that companies continually try to create websites and other communications pieces themselves will only serve to differentiate them in the wrong way. The web will become even more important in the next few years and it is essential that companies use professionals to do this for them. This is where the design sector can play a pivital role."