It’s important to understand the skill of design management, which is a profession in its own right and crucial to the design process. A designer or a design agency can only excel against a well-compiled design brief. That brief must be compiled by a person with strong design acumen, with a strong understanding of how design can add value to their company/brand/product and also understand the design methodology and design stages involved in the design process. This can be summarised as:
‘Design Management is concerned with the management of design resources at strategic and operational levels. These resources should be integrated throughout the organisation in order to achieve integrity between the products and organisations identity in line with strategic decisions’.
• Strengthening brand identities
• Fending off low-cost competition
• Reaping the benefits of new technologies
• Renewing connections to the customers
• Fostering a culture of innovation
A design manager has a strong appreciation of both business applications and design appreciation. In short, they are the communication link between the business/strategic side of an organisation and the design industry.