In this issue:

Viewpoints

DMI Survey Shows Optimism for 2004

DMI Conferences

The 8th International European Conference

Featured DMI News

The 2004 DMI Senior Executive Workshop Announced

DMI Education

Creating the Perfect Design Brief
Marketing Graphic Design Services
Managing Design for Strategic Advantage
Strategies for Designing Meaningful Brand Experiences
Using Design Research for Product and Brand Innovation Managing Strategic Creativity & Innovation
The New Marketing: Understanding It, Working with It

Free Download of the Month: Dynamic Duos

News & Events Around the World

DMI Survey Shows Optimism for 2004

In the December 2003 eBulletin, DMI hosted a short survey about economic trends and the state of design management. The results show that overall, eBulletin subscribers are optimistic about economic trends during the coming year, and a majority of the organizations represented expect to increase design staff and expenditures on design. Nonetheless, a significant minority expected that economic conditions would continue to be challenging in 2004. Respondents working in consultant organizations were significantly more optimistic than those working in corporate organizations.

View survey results

Article submissions are welcome; please contact jtobin@dmi.org.

DMI Conferences

Trends/04: Insight From Trends for Design Leadership
The 8th European International Design Management Conference
March 21-23, 2004, Barcelona Hilton, Barcelona, Spain
Registration now underway

This important and exciting event will feature an outstanding roster of international speakers discussing the importance of anticipating, understanding, and developing trends for design and business success. Key issues that will be examined include: managing design to achieve sustained leadership beyond current trends, the key dimensions of trends, and the role of research in understanding trends.

This conference will have presentations by leading thinkers in the areas of trends, product development, brand management, communications, and research.

Complete Speaker List:
Changing a Company Profile From a Retail-Based Company to a Brands-Based Company
Stéphane Roche, Chief Operations Officer, Decathlon
Forecasting for the Present
Mario Gagliardi, Principal, Allevio Innovation and Design
Deep Context: The Path that Leads to Inspired, Integrated, Boundary-crossing Innovations
Michael Eckersley, Principal, HumanCentered
How to Make Your Brand Future Proof
Fennemiek Gommer, Managing Partner, SCAN Management Consultants BV
Justien Marseille, Principal, Future Institute
Confessions of an Emerging Brand: The Role of Trend and Design in Fossil's Developing Business Model
Tim Hale, Senior Vice President, Design, Fossil
Stephen Zhang, Image Director, Fossil
Innovate or Die: Design as a Means to Stay Connected to Young Consumers
Martien Heijmink, Design & Innovation Manager, Heineken International B.V.
We do not Want to be the Worlds Best Manufacturer of Products that Nobody Wants to Buy
Han Hendriks, Executive Director, Design Studios Europe, Johnson Controls, Inc.
Meaningful Branding: A Holistic Differentiation Strategy
Annamari Lammassaari, Vice President, Global Branding, KONE Corporation
Bionic Design
Axel Thallemer, Dipl. - Ing., Festo AG & Co.

Don't miss this important event at its exciting new location in Barcelona! For more information, visit the program, schedule, registration, and hotel pages on the DMI Web site.
 

Featured DMI News

The DMI Senior Executive Workshop:
Strategies for Developing, Maintaining, and Sustaining a
Powerful Brand
June 16-18, London, UK

Led by: Stephen A. Greyser, Richard P. Chapman Professor (Marketing/Communications) Emeritus, Harvard Business School Peter L. Phillips, Design Strategy Consultant
	Stephen Greyser		Peter Phillips

Among the most daunting tasks faced by senior executives in any enterprise is to develop, maintain, and sustain a powerful competitive brand in the global marketplace. The brand reputation of the company is one of its most important assets, and must be strategically managed at the highest levels.

The creation, and management, of a powerful brand requires an equal partnership between both strategic marketing and design expertise. This Workshop has been tailored specifically to address the problems faced by senior executive managers responsible for creating—or recreating—their company’s brand identity and meaning to multiple stakeholders.

Professor Stephen A. Greyser and Peter L. Phillips have recently revised and updated the content of the Workshop for a global audience. The two leaders bring a unique mix of marketing strategy and brand design strategy to the discussions. The integration of marketing and design disciplines has generated enthusiastic accolades from previous participants. This Workshop is the only such program to actively combine both disciplines in the overall presentation of this critical topic.

The content has been designed to include case studies, lectures, and ample time for participants to share their own knowledge and experience in brand management. Participants will leave with an arsenal of new strategic management tools and state of the art knowledge of effective brand management.

What you will learn:

• Strategic processes for brand development
• Nomenclature systems and name development
• Repositioning existing brands
• Metrics for evaluation of brand design elements
• Estimating (and justifying) the cost of developing a brand identity program
• Developing and managing “Voice” as a corporate asset
• Creating a new brand from scratch
• Implementing a brand identity program
• Managing brand meaning in a period of brand crises
• Brand identity consolidation in the event of mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances
• How misalignments of multiple identities in a corporation can create significant management problems
• Issues of evaluating “brand equity”
• Ongoing measurement and management of brand identity in the marketplace

Who should attend
Senior level marketing, marketing communications, brand, or design managers in corporations or agencies, who have the responsibility for developing, sustaining and managing brands and their identities.

For more information and for an application to this important Workshop, please visit www.dmi.org/executive.

DMI Education

Creating the Perfect Design Brief
January 22-23, San Francisco, USA
February 5-6, London, UK
April 22-23, New York City, USA
Taught by Peter L. Phillips, Design Strategy Consultant

A well-crafted design brief can function as a contract, an easy-to-follow road map for the entire design process, and an invaluable tool for securing project approval at the end of the process. This seminar explores all of the critical components of a design brief and how to use them to assure the success of any design project. More information.

"A one-of-a-kind seminar that is much needed for designers and marketing alike. Eye-opening."
—Marie Macaspac, Graphics Manager, Sony Computer Entertainment America

Marketing Graphic Design Services
January 23-24, San Francisco, USA
June 11-12, New York City, USA

Taught by Cameron S. Foote, Principal, Creative Business Newsletter

Without regular and consistent marketing, a firm often finds itself on a feast-or-famine roller coaster at best, and at worst, struggling for its very existence. This seminar has a practical, real-world approach that's ideal for anyone who wants to improve his or her marketing ability, learn techniques for prospecting for new clients, needs to know more about hiring and motivating sales personnel, or would like to achieve a higher success rate in converting presentations into projects. Early registration is recommended, as the first session of this seminar sold out. More information.

“Cameron is knowledgeable and presents well, with interesting insights and info. A small price to pay for knowledge!”
—Craig Terrones, Principal, Creative Director, Graphica Communication Solutions

Managing Design for Strategic Advantage
February 3-4, London, UK
March 4-5, Chicago, USA
May 13-14, Montréal, Canada
Taught by Peter L. Phillips, Design Strategy Consultant

Traditionally, design has been viewed as a service within an organization—not as a strategic business resource. But this traditional view of design is rapidly changing in the fast-moving, highly-competitive business arena of the new millennium. Design managers and designers now need to rethink both the processes of managing design and the ways in which they communicate the strategic value of design to the success of the enterprise. More information.

"The subjects discussed are actionable on a daily and strategic level. The seminar was concise and relevant, and I will be able to apply the techniques directly in my work."
—Thomas Peters, Advanced Design Director, General Motors

Strategies for Designing Meaningful Brand Experiences

February 26-27, Austin, Texas, USA
May 20-21, New York City, USA
Taught by Dave Norton, Ph.D., Vice President, Experience Strategy and Research, Yamamoto Moss
With special guest Gregory Beck, AIA, Architect, Director, Urban Narratives (Austin session only)

Creating meaningful brand experiences is the key innovation that will drive growth and new value for your brand over the next ten years. It’s no longer enough to create brand image or even branded experiences. This seminar will prepare your brand to engage in—and profit from—the most important shift in consumer demand: a desire for experiences that really matter. Designed to make you a more strategic thinker about branding, experience design, and value creation, this seminar will unveil key consumption trends and detail techniques for creating meaningful experiences for your target audience. More information.

“What an eye-opening way to look at your business! Dave's seminar on creating meaningful brand experiences exposes you to what every marketer needs to know (and probably thinks he/she already knows, but doesn't) to become or remain successful during these times.”
—Cheryl Rogers, High Affinity Markets, Disney

Using Design Research for Product and Brand Innovation
March 4-5, San Francisco, USA
March 24-25, Barcelona, Spain
Taught by Darrel Rhea, Principal, Cheskin

This seminar empowers design managers to integrate research into the design development process with confidence. It will give managers the tools to become advocates for research that actually produces better design and supports innovation. By knowing how, when, and what kind of research to use in the design process, managers can maintain control of their programs, and produce more effective products and brands. Early registration is recommended, as the first three sessions of this seminar have sold out. More information.

"This seminar is useful to anyone who designs, manages design, or participates in research and has to make decisions about design. It has broadened my perspective on the value and purpose of design research. I will be a more effective advocate for design as a result."
—Janine Heffelfinger, Director Brand Design, General Mills

Managing Strategic Creativity & Innovation
April 1-2, London, UK
Taught by Alison Rieple, Professor of Strategic Management, University of Westminster-Harrow Business School (UK)

Designers are visionaries with important roles to play in the innovation process, and are key drivers of organizational success. And yet innovation, and the creativity that underpins it, is notoriously hard to manage. This seminar will explore why this is the case and how participants can work to overcome some of the problems inherent in bringing about something new in their organizations. More information.

“The seminar was very well organized, and the instructor was extremely knowledgeable and full of timely info.”
—Brenda Parkin, Chief Color Designer, Nissan Design America

The New Marketing: Understanding It, Working with It
May 6-7, Boston, USA
Taught by Bruce Clark, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Marketing Group, Northeastern University

It’s not just the “four P’s” of marketing anymore. It’s not just “brand” anymore. Over the last ten years, marketing has been inundated with new ideas that are changing the way marketers and designers need to do their jobs. Simultaneously, the end of the 1990s boom has put new pressures on marketing managers that only increase their demands on complementary functions such as design. This seminar outlines the new marketing practices resulting from these trends, how the new marketing affects design and other functions, and how to build and maintain effective relationships with marketing in this environment. Please visit the DMI Web site for more information or to register for this new seminar.

DMI Publications

Free Download of the Month
Dynamic Duos: Maximizing the Potential of Partnerships
By Pamela T. DeCesare, Director of Packaging and Brand Design, Kraft Foods
Design Management Journal, Summer 2003, Vol. 14, No. 3

Based on her experience, Pamela DeCesare believes clients and consultants can promote successful interaction in several ways. Among her priorities: listen well; be as open as possible; share a rich awareness of brand, business goals, needs, and potential obstacles; carefully match objectives and competencies; fully engage the design manager and project team; keep senior management informed; and provide feedback.

This free download has expired. Click here to read the executive summary for this article and the opportunity to purchase the article for direct download.

News & Events Around the World

Living Space for the Elderly—Visions for the Year 2050 Competition
Deadline: January 10, 2004
This competition for students on the theme of Universal Design will have a prize pool of €6,000. Info: www.ifdesign.de

Icograda Design Week in Istanbul, Turkey
January 28-31, 2004
Get exposed to the big issues facing the design profession. Meet and interact with designers from South East Europe, Middle East and diverse other parts of the world. Join in dialogue about design practice, management, and education. Info: www.istanbul.icograda.org

Red Dot Award: Product Design 2004
Deadline: January 30, 2004
This annual award is sponsored by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen. The award attracts more than 4,000 entrants from about 44 countries. Info: www.red-dot.de/registration.

Imagina 04
February 2-5, 2004, Monte Carlo
Imagina is an international digital entertainment and interactive content trade show. Info: www.imagina.mc

SEGD 2004 Design Awards
Deadline: February 13, 2004
Applicable projects for the Society for Environmental Graphic Design
Award include themed environments, wayfinding & signage, placemaking, mapping, public art, identity, and more. Info: www.segd.org

Design is Visible: A Special Design Exhibition at CeBIT 2004
March 8-24, 2004, Hannover, Germany
For the first time at CeBIT 2004, design will be made visible in a special way and on an impressive scale in this exhibit. Info: www.ifdesign.de

Re:Charge Safari 04
March 12-13, 2004, Jacksonville, Fla. USA
A day-and-one-half of creative exploration and discovery on the campus of the University of North Florida, co-sponsored by the UNF Communications and Visual Arts Department and the Jacksonville AIGA chapter.
Info: www.rechargesafari.com/2004

The Marksman Design Award 2003-2004
Deadline: March 31, 2004
The Marksman Design Award challenges students of industrial and architectural design from all over the world to design an innovative and original business gift: Info: www.marksmandesignaward.com

2004 IDSA Catalyst Award
Deadline: April 22, 2004
Open to any gold, silver or bronze Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA) winner from 1999-2001. Info: www.idsa.org

Sappi Ideas that Matter
Deadline: May 31, 2004
Sappi Limited, through its annual Ideas That Matter grant program, has awarded grants to graphic designers around the world to design projects for the non-profit organizations of their choice Info: www.sappi.com.