"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely place. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."
Small design agencies are popping up globally and are fast changing the business model that the creative industry once thrived on. With no more than 3 - 4 designers & a network of freelancers at their fingertips big companies are turning their backs on retainer fees and nabbing the small but fortified design studios.
Why would anyone use small businesses you may ask? Well, why not when they are highly adaptable to current trends, flexible enough to explore other market opportunities beyond their own borders when the markets are stalling. More cost effective as it eliminates expensive office spaces, hiring in regional MD's to manage the studio. Equipped with a tiny army of freelancers who have their ear to the ground and are closer to the mindset of the target market segments. It could prove to be a fatal blow if agencies cease to change their strategy in the future.
Don't believe it? Just look at their increasing numbers.
Major Ad Agencies are in the red with no speedy recovery on the way anytime soon. With running a company costing them five to six figures a day with very few contracts to go around it's getting harder to justify the logic of signing invoices in the millions. The no none sense guillotining of designers in the recent economic fallout have fueled smaller studios with manpower and connection they needed to be one step ahead of the competition. There's another unsuspecting added pressure; Creative Crowd sourcing. With Threadless, Design by Humans even 4chan emerging as pioneers in this market it's hard to ignore that consumers have more control on what's being produced. Creative Crowd Sourcing involves a lot of people sending ideas or designs to a hub site and are able to refine those concepts with crowd feedback or 'collective intelligence ' and have their ideas up for scrutiny, praise, fame and possibly theft. The downfall of crowd sourcing aside from the fact that they are in the public domain is that they step toes on private launches which could tip off your competitors with your design strategy. Cue small design studios.
Where are these hidden gems? Well for starters they are spread across continents strung together by their networks of designer, photographer friends and fans. Incestuously teaming with other small studios making collaborations as we all know can be wildly magical. Pogo is one of the smallest and hottest design boutiques in the heart of Buenos Aires with clients like MTV, Reebok, Adidas and Motorola they have a proven track record that some of the best things in life come in small packages.
Long gone are the days of the big bad corporations with their die-cast solutions, expensive tweaks, mediocre salaries and zero recognition. With clients and marketing managers getting savvier on the design front, they are demanding innovation. Dismantling the formal relationship that governed Client and Designer into a collaborative effort between two co-workers. This keeps both portfolios and branding healthy.
It's not to say that big agencies don't use freelancers successfully, it's the lack of engagement between designer and client that could falter in the long run. There is the possibility of breaking down the competitive walls and working with other like-minded studios/freelancers instead of working behind the scenes. A symbiotic relationship where agencies and studios can work together, filling the gaps where needed. Realistically, it's not just fiercely competitive on the conceptual end but also with other important factors that include financing, strategy and delivering on a large scale.
Big Companies get caught up with the profit margins so they don't innovate, and the small companies can only survive if they do. The Corporations can catch the wave should they become the element that feeds small studio boom and that in turn would create a force to be reckoned with, even if the organisations don't want to recognize that now. There is an underground community clawing it's way upward to the light of day. With all this coming off of the worst economic crisis in history, it is apparent that designers are taking their fates into their hands and making work what they dreamed it to be : their own.
Top Left : Swanky Arabic Type
and not as strong as the ensemble last year. The good news is 7 UCA graduates out of 20 are up for some of the most prestigious awards GFW has on offer. Gala finale is on tomorrow at Earls Court Exhibition Centre at five. May the fiercest win.
Came across my good ol' friend from AUD daze, Somayeh Bardai's continued photographical exploration of gender/ Islam and the unanswerable question of how/where we fit in.
Crawling with entrails, Allison Sommers work ridicules logic with many historical parodies.
I had the amazing opportunity to attend a at UCA by Fred Deakin. Famously known for his collaboration with Nick Franglen as the electro-pop (don't kill me) group, Lemon Jelly. Fred is also one of the founders of Airside Studios here in London; who produce some of the most talked about info graphics in industry.
