Be sure to follow our CEO, Alexandra Gibson, on Twitter April 28th-30th as she visits High Point Furniture Market.   Follow her at twitter.com/gibsondm and get all the details and scoop from her adventure!  For our Gibson Design Management  members, you’ll soon be receiving our High Point Report that outlines new resources and updates from current vendors.   

A sampling of Alexandra’s Tuesday “tweets”

-Chocolate vignette from Pearson. #highpoint http://yfrog.com/37fsvj

-French seam on upholstery is becoming more prevalent. #highpoint

-Dransfield & Ross- great resource for tabletop access., pillows, & accent tables. Whimsical & fun. #highpoint

-Sofa in Sunbrella fabric. Pearson also has monogram pgm & will closely stitch-match ben Moore. http://yfrog.com/e9qspxj

-New curved sofa from Pearson. 102″ continuous front rail (very rare). 52″ deep. #highpoint

-Pretty new case piece from Pearson. Circular design across glass front. #highpoint http://yfrog.com/5sqh8j

Stay tuned for more High Point Adventures through Thursday, the 30th.

In our current economy it is more important than ever to think outside the box.  Many designers are using this time to redefine themselves and position their design firm in new markets.  Recently, we were approached by a young designer in New Jersey looking to target a more upscale clientele.  She feels her current portfolio doesn’t lend itself to the types of projects she would like to work on.  After seeing the realistic quality of Gibson Design Management‘s 3D renderings, she decided to do some renderings of a few fabulous designs that illustrate her talent and capabilities.  She feels this will enable her design firm to attract clients that might not have otherwise been interested in her work based on her current portfolio. 
 
Maybe you would like to attract commercial projects or work with real estate agents to stage their properties.  Whatever the new market you’re ready to target, our 3D renderings can help you gain some valuable attention and recognition.  Contact our CAD Services team for more information.

3D Rendering, Gibson Design Management

Beginning April 14, 2009, Gibson Design Management is pleased to offer a bi-weekly webinar that interior designers can attend to learn about everything GDM has to offer.  During our 30 minutes together we’ll discuss:

• Basic outsourcing advantages
• Advantages of each particular service
• Easy step-by-step of how it works
• Time for Q&A

This webinar will be available weekly on Tuesdays at 4pm EST and we encourage you to attend to learn about what our membership is all about.

Click here to sign up for the complimentary webinar.  For more information, please contact Kay Alessi, Director, Sales and Marketing.

This is the third part of a multi-part series of lessons learned from Inc. Magazine’s GrowCo conference. These lessons have been translated and applied to the interior design industry for relevance.

In interior design, we are hired by our clients to be innovative and creative.  However, are we carrying that ability to innovate and be creative into how we run our businesses?  Furthermore, are we using our gift of visual thinking to represent that innovation?  In a main stage presentation called Fostering Innovation in Turbulent Times, Tom Wujec, Fellow at Autodesk, gave a convincing argument for not only the importance of innovation in general, but also for the special importance of encouraging innovative process creation through sketching.

Tom Wujec

The backbone of every good product or service is innovative teams that augment their creativity, Wujec argues.  How do they augment this creativity?  They make the creativity visible.  In an industry where many of us are primarily visual learners, this becomes of paramount importance.  When thinking about how to innovate and improve any of your business processes, post visuals on a giant bulletin board or use a huge white board to visual where you are going.  Could your manuals or communications be more visual?  Wujec gave a great example of Mattel turning a 60 page manual that shows the flow of money through the company into a 1 page visual that even a 12 year old could understand.  Let’s be honest, who is going to read 60 pages?  Let’s also be honest, who has time to write 60 pages??

Wujec argues that in order to propagate a new idea, whether it be for a large problem within the firm or for a small task, put it on one page and make it visual.  An example of this from Autodesk is below:

Wujec also argues that a linear innovation process doesn’t work anymore.  If you try to innovate linearly, it’s much easier to get stuck and bogged down in one aspect of the process.  When you get stuck, you are much more likely to throw in the towel.  Wujec used this visual to show the innovation process.  Not a coincidence that he shows the innovation process as a drawing.

Again, as an industry of visual people, we have a leg up.  From this point forward, make all of your conceptual ideas visual.  At Gibson Design Management and Gibson Design Group, we are big fans of the giant post-its.  It’s rare that one is not on the wall with a process that we are tossing back and forth.  “Writing on the walls” serves one main purpose: collaboration.  Through putting up what one, two, or three of us are working on, others can and will chime in with ideas.  We are then able to propagate an idea much more easily than a piece of paper that sits on one of our desks.

The $60 million question is: are you taking the time out of your day to actually come together and flush through a process?  Even if you are a sole proprietor, are you setting aside some time to figure out where innovative improvements need to be made?  As designers, I would imagine that many of you sketch to solve design problems.  Why aren’t you sketching to solve business problems?  Give it a try.  The next time you sit down and think about an area of your business that needs improvement, start drawing.

Post note: There is a book by Dan Roam called The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures.  I would recommend picking it up if you subscribe to the idea that through drawing we can solve ideas more quickly and clearly.  If you’re not sold yet, you might be swayed by this excerpt from the book:

“When Herb Kelleher was brainstorming about how to beat the traditional hub-and-spoke airlines, he grabbed a bar napkin and a pen.  Three dots to represent Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.  Three arrows to show direct flights.  Problem solved, and the picture made it easy to sell Southwest Airlines to investors and customers.”  – excerpt from The Back of the Napkin

Dan also has a great website that explains many of the theories at BackoftheNapkin.com.

In February 2009, Gibson Design Management announced its first annual Student Designer Award to encourage professionalism and excellence in portfolio and resume presentation.  Students who entered could upload their portfolios and resumes via Flickr account and could then encourage their friends and families to vote and leave comments.

We also opened the portfolios to the public for viewing, rating, and comments to bring our student candidates more exposure within the interior design industry.  At the beginning of April, the public vote closed and our panel of 4 judges in the industry took their time to provide professional, constructive reviews and give a final star rating for each award candidate.  Our panel of judges included:

- Mark Cutler, Principal, Mark Cutler Design- Los Angeles, California

- Gail Doby, ASID, Chief Vision Officer, Design Success University- Denver, Colorado

- Alexandra Gibson, CEO, Gibson Design Management- Charlottesville, Virginia

- Judy Pickett, FASID, Principal, Design Lines Ltd.- Raleigh, NC

Our objectives for this award were as follows:

1.  To encourage excellence in portfolio and resume presentation.  This includes graphic presentation as well as excellence in written communication.

2.  To impress the importance of well-presented and professional portfolios to current interior design students to prepare students for the interview process.  This also includes the absence of typos, grammatical errors, and other proofreading mistakes.

3.  To provide interior design students with an opportunity to gain more exposure to the interior design industry and to receive reviews from professionals in the field.

The results were tabulated based 50% on the public vote and 50% on the vote of the panel of judges.

Congratulations to our winners!

1st Place: Mehdi Zerouali – Herzing College, 2009

2nd Place: Charlotte Ray – Eastern Michigan University, 2009

3rd Place: Susan Shaw – New England School of Art & Design, 2009

I can’t begin to explain how ecstatic I was to see this article posted yesterday on Fast Company’s website.  It’s about time that 1. the extremely complex nature of the interior design industry was brought to the forefront and 2. the industry, in and of itself, garnered respect as an industry of professionals and not just of weekend or afternoon hobbyists.  Way to go Fast Company and even more kudos to Design Investors.

Bringing Dollars and Know-How to Design Studios

With all the hoo-ha over laser-cut patterning and mid-century styling, it’s easy to forget that design is a business. But is it a profitable business? The folks at Design Investors think it is–or can be with smart management.

Design Investors may be the first attempt to bring the tricky magic of venture capital and private equity to design. Will it bring the breath of life to design seedlings?

Started two years ago by Peter Sallick (left), the former CEO of Waterworks, the firm has so far invested in just three outfits: Rose Tarlow Melrose House, Twill Textiles and Waterworks, Sallick’s former employer. Design Investors, which is based in Wilton, Connecticut, used its own funds and pooled with a dozen investors. (Sallick declines to say how much capital they have invested.)

Click here to see the full article on Fast Company’s site…

This is the second part of a multi-part series of lessons learned from Inc. Magazine’s GrowCo conference. These lessons have been translated and applied to the interior design industry for relevance.

Jack Mitchell

Jack Mitchell–listed by Inc. Magazine as one of the 26 most fascinating entrepreneurs in 2005, author of multiple books including Hug Your Customers, and former CEO of family-run clothing stores Mitchells and Richards—argues that we need to relate to our clients and to personalize EVERY encounter. While many argue that clients should be kept at an arm’s length and should be viewed as business associates solely, I disagree and subscribe to Mitchell’s way of business.

1. People do business with people they like. Be likable.
2. Clients are not transactions, they are people. Build relationships.
3. Give people great, personalized service. Your first priority should not be the products, it should be the service and the experience.

I am not a big hugger—literally. However, I do believe that the metaphorical hug is of utmost importance to running a successful business. You must also ensure that you empower your team to “hug” your clients. Hire a great team and treat them like you want them to treat your clients; your clients will feel good about doing business with you and will come back for every project. They will refer you. It seems simple but chances are your competition is not doing a good job. All the more reason to lead the bandwagon.

To see Jack Mitchell on The Today Show, take a look at this video:

Alexandra and I recently had the opportunity to join the Designers Network Group in Denver, Colorado for cocktails and conversation.  We both enjoyed this chance to connect and take part in the evening’s discussion with this terrific group of ladies.  It got me thinking how fortunate they are to be members of this peer group, which prompted me to talk to other designers around the country and learn about their peer groups.  I came away from this with one clear message; there are tremendous benefits for interior designers involved with professional peer groups. 

1. Peer Support

Kathy Martin-Friesz, Owner, Martinique Interiors, Inc. says she “enjoys the peer support and having a place to openly discuss challenges in a confidential setting.”  Being able to take challenges and concerns to a group of peers is invaluable to any business owner.  For Interior Designers, a peer group offers you a group of other designers who have been there, have probably faced a similar situation and can offer their support.  Gail Doby, Chief Vision Officer of Design Success University and an interior designer with more than twenty years experience says, “if we are having a challenge with an issue, we can discuss it as a group and offer suggestions, resources or moral support.” 

2. Shared Resources

Maybe you’re looking for a good electrician, maybe it’s a skilled masonry to install the stone on a fireplace you’ve just designed, or possibly a local artist who does fantastic murals.  Who better to ask than a group of local interior designers that you trust.  Most likely, at least one of them will have a terrific resource to share with you.  A resource you can feel secure about because you know the members of your peer group have the same high standards that you do.  Gail Doby puts it well.  “It is important for us to believe that we’re not an island out here and that we should be able to call some of our competitors. If you’re a friendly competitor and you help each other it’s not going to hurt your business, it will actually help you.”

3. Continuing Education, Guidance & Advice

Whether it is learning about a new service available in the industry, or having a guest speaker attend your meeting, peer groups offer many opportunities to learn about the design industry and the business of design.  However, another great opportunity for continuing education with peer groups is the opportunity to learn from other designers with more experience.  Ivie Parker, partner at PSI Design Studio shares “we’ve met designers who’ve had their own business for many years and can help offer guidance and advice on both business decisions and design questions.”  A peer group offers you the advantage of learning from other’s mistakes and finding out what their best practices are for just about any situation you face with your design business.

4. Referrals & Networking

One benefit shared over and over is the opportunity for referrals and networking.  While designers do occasionally compete for jobs with other members of their peer group, more often they “actually get business from other designers and refer out when we’re busy or if the project is not their expertise,” says Ivie Parker.  There is also tremendous value in networking with other designers and talking about your local industry.  You never know what new trade secrets you will learn about.  And when those times come that you do compete for a particular job, Gail Doby reminds us that “everyone knows that it is about making a connection with a client and that ultimately, we will all get our share.”

5. Fun & Camaraderie

While this might not directly impact your bottom line, it is one of the greatest benefits of a peer group.  It’s always fun to discuss your business with a group that truly understands you and cares about you…why else would mothers everywhere subject themselves to the noise and commotion of a play group for toddlers!   Knowing that you can always rely on your peer group for support and help is wonderful, “the good wine and good friendships are invaluable too!” says Kathy Martin-Friesz.

If this doesn’t make you want to join a peer group, then I don’t know what would.  Honestly, just being a part of The Designers Network for an evening was enough to make me want to join as a permanent member…unfortunately; they probably aren’t taking non-designers at this time.  If you are part of a peer group, we would love to join your group for a night of cocktails and conversation.  Please contact Alexandra Gibson at alexandra@gibsondesignmanagement.com to see if we’ll be in a neighborhood near you!”

In honor of the upcoming “Run for the Roses” on May 2nd, may we recommend this fine martini.  It will definitely wake you up.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 oz Bookers
• 3/4 Grand Marnier
• 1-1/2 oz Godiva dark coffee
• Whipped cream
• Cinnamon and nutmeg
• Ice

Preparation:

1. Sugar the rim.  If you’re bold, you can flame the sugar.  Google this if you dare.
2. Combine Bookers, Grand Marnier, and the coffee over ice in a cocktail shaker.
3. Shake well and pour into a cocktail glass.
4. Garnish with whipped cream, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
5. Enjoy!

This is the first part of a multi-part series of lessons learned from Inc. Magazine’s GrowCo conference. These lessons have been translated and applied to the interior design industry for relevance.

Ram Charan

Dr. Ram Charan, author of Execution and Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty and former Harvard Business School faculty member, gave a thorough and complete explanation of the current economic climate to kick off this year’s Inc. Magazine GrowCo conference. While one hour may not have been much time to explain a labyrinth-like fiasco, there were several important takeaways. To build a good foundation, we must answer the question “What got us here?”

Charan argues that several missteps resulted in the concoction of this downturn soup:

- The Banking Act of 1933 (also referred to as the Glass-Steagall Act), amongst other things, separated commercial and investment banks as a public interest measure. This provision in the act was repealed in November 1999. While the repeal of the Act was well-received at the time, many economists argue that the repeal contributed to the global financial crisis of 2008-2009.

- As an economy, we became overleveraged. For many years, interest rates were close to zero and there was too much liquidity.

- A major risk shift occurred when mortgage companies began bundling loans and selling them instead of keeping the loans in-house. This shifted risk from lenders to investors.

- Rating agencies did not do due diligence to uphold a high level of rating integrity.

Charan however argued that we will not see a depression. He theorized that government agencies are putting appropriate circuit breakers in place to prevent a massive plummet.

As small companies, Charan promoted the following importances:

1. CASH IS KING. Cash is the lifeblood of any business. You must have cash on hand to weather the storm. If you do not have enough cash now, seriously consider opening a line of credit or decreasing costs to increase cash.
2. Grow in the areas that you can generate cash. While long-term goals are important, think about the areas of your business that are actually currently generating revenue. Concentrate on growing these areas.
3. Focus. Don’t try to do too many things. You remember what they say about “Jack of all Trades, Master of None”. Don’t be Jack, be the Master. Focus on the core competencies of your business and grow those areas. Don’t try to do it all yourself.

After the economic refresher course, Charan turned his presentation to our psychology. He encouraged the attendees to keep the dominant psychology and to keep a positive attitude. “Inspire people”, he said.

One of the greatest takeaways from Charan’s presentation will be of utmost importance moving forward.

Don’t succumb to dropping pricing. ADD VALUE.

Think of areas that you can, for little cost, add a great amount of value for your clients. Remember that times will be better. If you have lowered your prices, it is much harder to raise them again.

The final important takeaway from Charan’s presentation was to not be myopic. Pay attention to what your clients want. Are you listening to them? Do they want more dedicated communication and a higher level of service? If so, how can you provide that for them? In your next team meeting, I encourage you to dedicate ten minutes to ask your team, “Did anybody see any change on the outside in the last week?” Look for the game changers.