Comments on: Building a design studio

By: kenreynoldsdesign.co.uk – 10 Sites that will make you a better Blogger

kenreynoldsdesign.co.uk – 10 Sites that will make you a better Blogger — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:34:36 +0000

[...] Eric Karjaluoto keeps one of the most thought provoking blogs that I frequent. He has very strong opinions of design and business issues. It doesn’t matter if you agree with his musings or not, it will stimulate your thinking. Here are a few articles form Ideasonideas I’ve found helpful: The Content Delusion The problem with AdSense Building a design studio [...]

By: Eric Karjaluoto

Eric Karjaluoto — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:08:37 +0000

Hi Nadia,

We have about 100 people who "subscribe" to the site, which is quite low. I believe that most are receiving updates through the RSS feeds as we're seeing around 60,000 monthly visitors.

I hope that helps! :-)

Eric

By: Nadia

Nadia — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 10:43:12 +0000

I wanted to know how many people subscribe to your blog? I am writing about designers who are thinkers. I am including your blog in that and to make a certain point I need to include some figures. It would be great to know the number. I will send you the link where I made a special mention of your blog.
Thanks

By: oscar rabeiro

oscar rabeiro — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 20:12:31 +0000

GREAT article. love the candor. appreciate the notes.

cheers

oscar rabeiro
cre8ive pixel : design
http://www.cre8ivepixel.com

By: Eric Karjaluoto

Eric Karjaluoto — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 21:53:52 +0000

Hi Nadia,

To answer your question, my business partner and I started the firm because we wanted to do something significant, and the opportunity excited us immensely.

That being said, I feel that these are choices that each person has to weigh out carefully. I'm quite entrepreneurial in nature, and I don't believe that business school would have fostered such characteristics. (I suppose it all depends upon what you are looking to achieve through the process.)

In response to your desire to be involved in more "big-picture" discussions, I believe you play the biggest part in this. It's your responsibility to engage clients in discussion regarding their design strategy, and not the other way around. You may find that as you help them solve problems, they will increasingly look to you for such expertise.

Everyone's busy; as such, it may not be practical to wait for others to recognize your potential. Perhaps you simply have to show them how great you are at it. :-)

Best wishes,

Eric

By: Nadia A

Nadia A — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 20:34:54 +0000

Thank you for sharing your experiences here. You mentioned in another post that you almost ended up going to a Business School but you didn't and it was a better choice not to. I find myself at a similar point where I am contemplating whether I should go to a business school after all only because I find my job a bit limiting. I want to do so much more. Look at the big picture, not just make clever ads and designs. There is so much intangible going on. I feel that as long as I remain a creative designer, people will never recognise that I could be a trend spotter or consultant or a planner or marketer. At least not at the current job. I have been thinking about starting on my own only because I feel frustrated that my abilities are under utalised. I love studying people and I feel that sitting behind the desk doesn't allow me to really create and innovate new ways of doing things and creating new markets.
To cut the long story short, I would really appreciate it if you could tell me what was the reason you started your own company, and why do you think that not going to a business school was better.
About myself: Currently working at an advertisng agency in Dubai that incidently does branding also. I went Central Saint Martins in London UK for an MA in Design Studies, which aims to push the boundaries of the working relationship between business and creativity; altering perceptions of how the two work together. It provides a particular approach to the study and application of creative innovation, and gives you the confidence to question convention, anticipate the future and experiment with new forms and content.

By: Shafaat Awan

Shafaat Awan — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 19:45:45 +0000

This was really a great reading, I came to know lots of imortant aspects to run through a bussiness.

Thank you very much

Regards,
Shafaat Awan
Lahore, Paksitan

By: Eric Karjaluoto

Eric Karjaluoto — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 15:51:24 +0000

Yes, processes have been important for us, and something we still struggle with. At smashLAB there were two key aspects to the development of our processes. The first was an effort to create a system of checks and balances to ensure that the minutiae of a project were all taken care of. (i.e. managing folder size at the end of a job.)
The second (and more important) aspect of our system was to create a consistent way of working, which all designers in the studio can share, in order to create a way to break down the steps in a project. This process gives ample time for research, exploration, production, et cetera, and can be augmented when we find that things aren't working as they could be.
Our processes are a work in progress. They haven't been sorted out entirely, but I believe that the effort is worth investing in, particularly for firms who intend to grow to any more than two people.
Processes and systems have to fit your personality, and the nature of the firm you are building. You will likely have to strike a balance between the rigidity of the system and the nature of your work habits. That being said it certainly is nice to examine how you work, where you can find efficiencies, and how you can build transparency for clients.
There's a book on this topic called the E-myth, by Michael E. Gerber, which is worth a quick read. It's a bit general, and does border on talking down to the reader, but the general notions are certainly worthy of consideration.

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 19:12:32 +0000

Great article... quite inspiring to a guy who's basically waiting in the wings for the green light to go it alone. The waiting period feels like the mountain lion (or pussy cat) waiting in the tall grass for that right exact second to pounce. Really, I'm just waiting to sell my house.
Anyway, I've just stumbled on your site and love love love the design of your blog and am truly inspired by your creative work and hard work.
You mention your processes and how the refinement of them has basically been a saving grace... can you write more about that?
Best Regards,
Steve

By: Pawel Komarnicki

Pawel Komarnicki — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 17:36:21 +0000

This is great article. It inspired me to start planning my own business... Maybe it will sound kinda stupid, but i think that here, in Poland it won;t look different than you have wrote :)

I wish you such a great another year of great exhibitions :) I will stay in touch with your site :)