So You Want to Start a Business… – Reflecting on this Week’s Lecture.
This week we’ll be exploring the financial and structural aspect of a design business. The lectures started off with five different design business owners where they described how their business operates and how they concluded that the that was the best practice for them. Following this, the same business owners formed a discussion panel that was headed by Alec Dudson, one of the lecturers for this module, where they discussed further how their business operates, why did they make certain choices and the like.
My favourite out of the five was Studio Moross. Not because she was the first, but because she caters for the kind of clientele that I would like to work for someday. I also liked the way Moross described the structure and how her studio operates in terms of handling the projects. I remember a similar structure way back when I worked in a design agency, although the agencies I worked for are much smaller. The fact that they work in a rather flat structure give equal opportunity to multiple employees across the whole company to express their ideas. However, I do believe that a certain amount of experience is required in order to manage a project.
Being a Designer in a Large Firm
Moving on, I can totally relate to where Neef Rehman was saying during the discussion. Ustwo is the largest company out of the five, and I can understand that when working in a company with 200+ employees, a flat structure does not necessarily work. The company I work for is even larger than Ustwo, in addition to being listed, therefore a project often numerous stakeholders operating at different levels of the company. One of the key point Rehman highlighted was that a simple decision can take a lot longer to be taken as opposed to smaller, flatter firms. In our case it is a parallel situation but it is a mirror kind of situation – being an affiliate company in iGaming, our product is lead generation (basically getting people to visit other websites), hence before even changing something as simple as the colour of a button, we have to see what would the impact be on the number of leads. Moving forward, although I can see myself being employed with such a large company, I do not think that I will be the right fit to manage a company of that size.
Lastly, I would also like to make a note on Theo Inglis. Unfortunately, he gave me the vibe that he was not very pleased with the work he was doing. I honestly thought that he really did not like being a graphic designer at one point before I saw him smiling at a comment mid-way during his presentation. That being said, I think that he still brought up a couple of good points. Some of which also tie in with Lisa Armstrong from LOVERS said. In relation to Inglis’s point, I definitely understand the fact that work can definitely be unpredictable. It is one of the main reasons I probably did not risk going fully freelance. In addition to that, being a freelancer, along with design, you also have to be an administrator, producer, a salesperson and an accountant.
A short note on networking…
Another interesting point brought up by Armstrong and Inglis, it that of networking. Armstrong mentioned that they host banquets and parties, whereas Inglis that that it is important to put yourself out there. In Malta, it can be quite demanding in terms of finding clients. in addition to that, as a freelancer, I think that networking is very important. In the time that I worked in the iGaming, I learned that the biggest form of promotion is indeed the word of mouth. Although the parties and events that are hosted by such companies can be at times over the top (I’m talking limos, champagne and acrobats…) establishing connections in various levels of different companies can be a key element in advancing your career both locally and abroad. Networking is also good in getting to know people in general. I think that any designer at any level can benefit from networking events as you get to meet people from different walks of life and you get to listen to different perspective and opinions in a causal atmosphere.
Where am I headed?
I probably mentioned this already last week, but these couple of weeks in the module have made me think on how I want my career to progress. Currently I am at a crossroads: mid-way to the course, I have quite a bit of experience in the industry, yet I still think that there is more room for me to learn before I can say whether I am able to branch out as an independent entity. Following this week’s lecture, I am probably a cross between Moross and Inglis. I would probably start off as a sole trader, then depending on the cash flow and volume of work, maybe I would consider hiring people. The idea of a collective is also interesting, but I cannot relate that much to it. I never quite understood the operating side of a collective.
