Management is often a matter of responding to a given challenge. One such challenge can be the perceived need for visual changes and/or further development of a brand. An important factor is whether this need is sensed only within the organization, or whether the need is confirmed by external signals from the market. Strategic design management involves making the effort to work out future needs and choose a direction that will enable the company to take a leading role in its market. The greatest asset that design managers can bring to strategic decision-making is not just their immediate knowledge, but their general ability to encourage and wisely make use of both internal and external feedback.

The development of a brand is a key area of management, dealing with the preservation of the company’s most important values. Strong, established brands have often achieved a state of harmony between the actual product or service being offered (identity), the customer’s experience with that product or service (image), and the wider public perception of the company and/or brand (profile). Any further brand development must allow for the need to preserve this state of equilibrium while maintaining control over the image and profile in particular.

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

INNOVATION/05 Conference Fills
The 9th European International Design Management Conference
March 9-11, 2005
London, UK

The London Conference has received unprecedented response, and is now full with an extensive waiting list. DMI appreciates the support that this conference has generated, and we pass our regrets on to those that are unable to attend. Please see the DMI Web site for further information about the conference.

The Innovation Imperative in Consumer Goods
The 17th International Brand/Design Conference
June 5-7, 2005
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Today, shoppers not only have greater choices in the consumer goods marketplace, they have the tools and the means to reward or discredit new product introductions and innovations. Furthermore, one department or discipline can no longer create and maintain complete control of consumer goods brands. There is a paradigm shift underway demanding a move from the dictation of brand attributes from one source to a much broader and deeper collaboration in their creation. A new dialogue is emerging to meet the current innovation imperative in the space of consumer needs, purchases, retail strategies, and experiences. Design, product development, and marketing are the primary parties in this new dialogue, and new approaches to research and strategy are revealing paths to innovation and success. This conference, in the city where brand management was created, will bring together thought leaders and leading practitioners to explore and discuss these issues.

Featured speakers:

Eric Armour, President, Braun GmbH
Hartmut Stroth, Director, Braun GmbH
Bruce Nussbaum, Editorial Page Editor, BusinessWeek
Patrick Ple-Boishardy, Vice President Creative Services, Estée Lauder
Werner Domittner, Managing Director, Interbrand
Rick Robinson, Global Director, NOP World
Claudia Kotchka, Vice President, Design Innovation and Strategy, Procter & Gamble
Douglas Holt, L’Oreal Professor of Marketing, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Craig Vogel, Professor, University of Cincinnati
Representative TBA from Shiseido, Ltd.

Conference Forum: Fulfilling the Needs and Dreams of the World's Beauty Consumer

Chair: Liz Grubow, Vice President/Group Creative Director, LPK

Panel: Elizabeth Olson, Director, Global Beauty Care, Procter & Gamble
Representative TBA from Shiseido, Ltd.
Patrick Ple-Boishardy, Vice President Creative Services, Estée Lauder

Registration is now open for this popular conference. DMI’s last two conferences have sold out, so early registration is recommended. Please visit the DMI Web site in the coming weeks for more information about the program.

A New DMI Seminar

DMI’s major expansion of the seminar program for 2005 is now complete with the introduction of another new seminar, Design Consultancy Strategies: Beyond the Visionary. Four other new seminars have already been announced, Integrating Design into Strategic Management Processes, Managing Creative Staff, Design Research Fundamentals, and Building Innovation Scenarios and Simulations.

Many of today’s most prolific service consultancies were born out of the passion and tenacity of a single visionary. Growth was often organic, and incorporation of sound business practices and a healthy, thriving culture were secondary considerations, if focused on at all.

Today, the best design consultancies have moved past the control and guidance of a single founder—and beyond design as their sole offering. They are working with clients and corporate cultures to create new and innovative ways to evolve their brands, services, and products. This seminar will focus on what is really involved in ensuring that design and other creative consultancies move beyond traditional methods of execution—from building the right culture, to integrating new and diverse people into this culture, to creating the right language to use when discussing opportunities with clients. It will address the challenge of meaningfully assimilating research and strategy development into a firm’s service offering, and successfully integrating new processes and methodologies so that key stakeholders are provided with solutions that ensure success in the marketplace.

What you will learn:

• Bulletproof ways to achieve and nurture success, culture, and strategy throughout a creative organization.
• Ways to identify and develop the people who are essential in achieving growth.
• Establishing short, medium, and long-range plans that ensure that you are hiring, training, and empowering people who provide value to your clients.
• Innovative ways to work effectively with diverse client organizations in the development and deployment of new product and/or service strategies.
• Establishing new methods of communication and program deployment that work effectively and with diverse client organizations.
• Taking inventory on the health of your company—what it’s doing, how it’s executing and where it’s succeeding or failing.

Who should attend:
This seminar is ideal for design firm owners and senior management, client contacts who work with and hire design firms, and any progressive thinker who sees the value in partnering with a design firm beyond traditional services. More information.

Upcoming Seminars:

Marketing Graphic Design Services
Taught by Cameron Foote, Principal, Creative Business
March 4-5, 2005, Los Angeles, USA

“This is the first seminar to fully address all elements of the designer/client relationship and how to nurture it. Cameron Foote has a vast amount of experience and his style, manner and tone were excellent.”
—Ben Blaber, Vice President, Account Director, Davis

Managing Design for Strategic Advantage
Taught by Peter L. Phillips, Design Strategy Consultant
March 17-18, 2005, New York, USA
June 16-17, 2005, Chicago, USA

“I feel empowered to make positive changes at my company; I feel I have a whole new toolbox that I will use for years to come.”
—Rachel Caldwell, Design Manager, The Vanguard Group.

Design Research for Product and Brand Innovation
Taught by Darrel Rhea, CEO, Cheskin
March 17-18, 2005, San Francisco, USA
May 19-20, 2005, New York, USA

“A wonderful seminar jam-packed with practical information. I look forward to sharing what I have learned in the last day and a half with my co-workers.”
—Kristin Arnold, Consumer Insights Leader, Sanford Corporation

Creating the Perfect Design Brief
Taught by Peter L. Phillips, Design Strategy Consultant
April 14-15, 2005, Chicago, USA
May 12-13, 2005, Montréal, Canada

“With the way that design is being viewed in today’s corporate culture, it is imperative that we work towards change. This seminar has provided me and my company with the foresight to make a positive change. Thank you!”
—Debra Maher, Graphic Designer, Redgate Design Group

Design Research Fundamentals (New for 2005)
Taught by Darrel Rhea, CEO, Cheskin
April 14-15, 2005, San Francisco, USA

Building Innovation Scenarios and Simulations (New for 2005)
Taught by Michael Eckersley, Ph.D., Managing Principal, HumanCentered
April 28-29, 2005, Cincinnati, USA

Managing Creative Staff (New for 2005)
Taught by Dr. Leonard Glick., Executive Professor, College of Business Administration, Northeastern University
May 5-6, 2005, Boston, USA

Strategies for Designing Meaningful Brand Experiences
Taught by Dave Norton, Ph.D., Vice President, Experience Strategy and Research, Yamamoto Moss
May 5-6, 2005, Chicago, USA

“This seminar shed light on how to create meaningful brand experiences and differentiate those experiences from the old branding paradigm. I loved this seminar!”
—Allison Leeds, Art Director, AOL

Managing Strategic Creativity and Innovation
Taught by Alison Rieple, Professor of Strategic Management, University of Westminster—Harrow Business School
July 11-12, 2005, London, UK

“This seminar had excellent content, delivery, and discussion, it was extremely inspiring and insightful, and a real asset to our personal and professional development.”
—Simon Bromfield, New Media Manager, Lubrizol Ltd.

The New Marketing: Understanding It, Working with It
Taught by Bruce Clark, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing, Northeastern University
September 29-30, 2005, Chicago, USA

“Great exchange of information. I have new ideas to take back to the office.”
—Corinne Queenan, Supervisor, Marcom, First Health

For complete information and the latest schedule, visit www.dmi.org/seminars.

Free Download of the Month
Design as First Aid: The Wallace Cameron Company
By Bruce Wood, Director, Glasgow Caledonian University
Design Management Review, Summer 2004, Vol. 15, No. 3

The idea was rather old and tired. But transformed by design, it became a product line that brought new life to the company and its revenues. Bruce Wood narrates the tale of a corporation in which the redesign of a product, along with the redesign of marketing and production, ultimately inspired plans for a more diverse and promising long-term business strategy.

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.

DMI members can download all DMI Review articles for free on the DMI Web site. Visit www.dmi.org/membership for more information.

 

Calendar of Events

InSource Presents: A Seat at the Table—Articulating Design’s Strategic Value to Management
March 2, 2005, Madison, New Jersey, USA
Info: www.in-source.org

Schools of Thoughts 2: Poised Toward the Future of Graphic Design Education/AIGA Design Educators Conference
March 4-6, 2005, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, Calif., USA
Info: www.aiga.org/content.cfm/schoolsofthoughts

InDex: Award
Deadline for entries: March 15, 2005
Info: www.index2005.dk.

Doors of Perception 8: “Infra”—Platforms for Social Innovation
March 21-26, 2005, New Delhi, India
Info: doors8delhi.doorsofperception.com

C & J Clark Fellowship in Design Leadership, Saïd Business School (SBS)
Application Deadline: 29 March 2005, Oxford, UK
For more information about this new fellowship position, contact Jennifer Fielding, tel. +01865-288813 or acvacs@sbs.ox.ac.uk.

International Symposium on Fashion Marketing and Management Research
Abstract Deadline, March 31, 2005, London College of Fashion
Event: June 27, 2005. Info: Dr. Philippa Ashton, p.ashton@fashion.arts.ac.uk

ICSID Interdesign: Sustainable Transport
April 3-16, 2005, Northwest Province, South Africa
Info: www.interdesign2005.org.za.

The Design & Technology Festival
April 9-11, 2005, Toronto, Canada
Info: www.fitc.ca

Graphic Communications Day—New England
April 21, 2005, Boston, USA
Info: http://www.pine.org

2005 APDF Exchange
May 12-15, 2005, Austin, Texas, USA
Info: www.apdf.org

Innotown: 5th Annual International Innovation Conference
May 23-25, Ålesund, Norway
Info: www.innotown.com

3rd MATERIALICA Design Award 2005
Registration deadline: May 30, 2005
Info: www.materialicadesign.de

Designing the Future of Public Health: A Call for Entries from the World Health Organization
Competition Deadline: May 31, 2005
For more information, please contact: Vittorio Cammarota, WHO Regional Office for Europe, vca@euro.who.int.

2005 SEGD Annual Conference & Expo
June 2-5, 2005, Philadelphia, USA
Info: www.segd.org

Transforming Urban Communities: Lessons from Providence, Rhode Island, and Liverpool, England
June 5-7, 2005, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, USA
Info: www.rsa-us.org

Call For Papers, Special Issue of the Journal of Product Innovation Management: “Branding and New Product Development”
Deadline: August 31, 2005
Info: Prof. Erik Jan Hultink, Delft University of Technology, tel.: +31-15-2783068, e.j.hultink@io.tudelft.nl.