Comments on: Design’s Return on Investment http://www.designsojourn.com/designs-return-on-investment/ Good Design and Clever Products Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:37:07 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: DT http://www.designsojourn.com/designs-return-on-investment/comment-page-1/#comment-66794 DT Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:26:45 +0000 http://www.designsojourn.com/?p=2814#comment-66794 Hi Yushi, The ratio applies to people who use design, I'm sure there is a large number of companies that don't use design or get around paying for it. It is really two separate discussions here. One is spending on design, the other is paying designers. Designers also need to understand their value in the food chain and doing work for free, very common by the way, is known as Spec work and devalues the profession. Designers should try not to do Spec work as much as possible. I supposed if designers are better paid, the ratio will be not as big, perhaps closer to the British ratio. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Hi Yushi,

The ratio applies to people who use design, I’m sure there is a large number of companies that don’t use design or get around paying for it.

It is really two separate discussions here. One is spending on design, the other is paying designers. Designers also need to understand their value in the food chain and doing work for free, very common by the way, is known as Spec work and devalues the profession. Designers should try not to do Spec work as much as possible.

I supposed if designers are better paid, the ratio will be not as big, perhaps closer to the British ratio.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

]]> By: yushi http://www.designsojourn.com/designs-return-on-investment/comment-page-1/#comment-66790 yushi Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:06:06 +0000 http://www.designsojourn.com/?p=2814#comment-66790 I have a lot of friends actually working in Beijing design studios. As the statistic showed, it is a great ratio if we see it from here. However, the problem is designers in China are under paid. The awareness and perception of design value is not formed yet. If the value is not appreciated, how designers could work out some brilliant ideas. I am not saying money is the only incentive here, but a very important one, because they are in the bottom of the pyramid. For example, some small manufactures hired some designers. When their clients ask for a product to produce, they will give them the design for free. How to make everyone informed about the ROI on design is essential. There are huge potentials in design industry in China. When we see design industry in Beijing changed from several years before, it is incredible. Once some successful ShanZhai cell phone manufactures actually take advantage of design, their profit is going sky high. I want to see a design business model emerge from this. If you know TianYu in Beijing, they are a cell phone design firm; they also produce their own phones. They did pretty well. Only few domestic design firms in Beijing are doing well. Even Luo Ke Ke is struggling, that is what I heard. I have a lot of friends actually working in Beijing design studios. As the statistic showed, it is a great ratio if we see it from here. However, the problem is designers in China are under paid. The awareness and perception of design value is not formed yet. If the value is not appreciated, how designers could work out some brilliant ideas. I am not saying money is the only incentive here, but a very important one, because they are in the bottom of the pyramid. For example, some small manufactures hired some designers. When their clients ask for a product to produce, they will give them the design for free. How to make everyone informed about the ROI on design is essential. There are huge potentials in design industry in China. When we see design industry in Beijing changed from several years before, it is incredible. Once some successful ShanZhai cell phone manufactures actually take advantage of design, their profit is going sky high. I want to see a design business model emerge from this. If you know TianYu in Beijing, they are a cell phone design firm; they also produce their own phones. They did pretty well. Only few domestic design firms in Beijing are doing well. Even Luo Ke Ke is struggling, that is what I heard.

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