Seven Habits of Profitable Design Firms
| LATEST EVENTS | LOCATION | HOST/REGISTRATION | FEE* |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 23, 2008 | New York, NY | AIGA GAIN Conference | call |
| October 17, 2003 | Calgary, AB | GDC Alberta South | SOLD OUT |
*Discount packages for non-profits, and travel subsidies available. Additional discounts available for groups over three people. If you refer at least four registrants to one of our seminars, we'll give you a complimentary registration to a seminar of your choice. Call (613) 728-6777 for details.
All prices, offerings, and dates subject to change without notice.
To register for a seminar given by our own organization, register online or call (613) 728-6777.
Seminar Description
This event begins with an informative and entertaining presentation by David Berman, sharing knowledge he has gained in running successful creative agencies for over three decades. The presentation will be followed by an optional round-table seminar where participants will be challenged to share and solve tricky problems that arise with clients, with employees and with suppliers. If you are looking for more ways for your creative organization to prosper, spending time with David is bound to open your eyes to new ways of fulfilling your business objectives. You'll become more valuable to your co-workers by equipping yourself with new ideas, while having the opportunity to share your toughest problems with David and the other participants. The benefits will be improved results, a stronger organization and reduction of personal stress. Participants are encouraged to arrive distracted by a difficult business problem. When we host this seminar, each participant receives a free, comprehensive manual of the material covered that is approximately 75 pages long.
What's Wrong
Caught up in the tight-deadline reality of day-to-day operations, most design firms struggle to find time to deal with what is important in addition what is urgent. Design firms are not typically run by Harvard Business School grads: their leaders chose their roles because of a passion for the profession, rather than having sought out the most profitable choice of work. Thus, design firm leaders typically learn how to conduct business by the seat of their pants: without a business plan.
"A great way to get back in 'planning mode' for reassessing a design firm that needs new life and refocus."
- Seminar attendee, Calgary
What Makes This Seminar Unique
David's mix of design, business management, professional, and public speaking experience results in fresh approaches to classic problems: business advice in vocabulary that anyone can understand. The hands-on seminar portion of the event gives you the opportunity to walk away with solutions to some of your most challenging business problems, and spend some time brainstorming with "the competition" in a venue that is refreshing and revitalizing.
What You Will Learn
You will gain general and specific advice on how to run your design agency in more profitable, more satisfying and less stressful ways. You may also go away with the value of knowing what you are doing right, as well as what can be improved.
Benefits to You
By participating in this event, you will make yourself more valuable to your firm, the people you work with, your clients, and yourself. Your firm can prosper, your people can achieve more with less, and your clients can be more pleased with your deliverables.
Benefits to your Organization
- Improved results by doing things better
- More effective use of time and other resources
- Previous unrealistic goals become within your reach
- More resilient, sustainable and durable approach to business
- Stronger team, with higher morale
- Higher profits
Goals
At the end of this event, you will:
- Know how to solve some problems that you haven't yet been able to get a handle on
- Have a clearer vision for your organization
- Make valuable business contacts with others in the industry
Prerequisites
Be involved or interested in managing a creative firm or agency.
About the Expert Speaker
David Berman has over 20 years of experience in graphic design and strategic communications. David brings both graphic design and information technology expertise to his Web work. He trained at University of Waterloo in computer science and at Carleton University in psychology and typography. He has worked extensively in the adaptation of printed materials for electronic distribution, including Web design, plain writing and graphic design. He is also the architect of project management software applications.
David has been a partner in several design firms spanning three decades, including Herrera Berman Communications, arguably Ottawa's most experienced design agencies.
He served as the first elected president of the Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario, drafting the association's constitution and Rules of Professional Conduct, and authored Ontario's accreditation examination on professional responsibility. At present, he is vice-president/ethics of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, and was made a Fellow in 1999, the second youngest in Canadian history. David has recently become a National Professional Member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS). David has been featured in the Financial Post, Marketing, and Applied Arts magazines.
Who Should Attend
This seminar is targeted to all design and agency executives, designers, project managers, production coordinators, strategists, and financial controllers:
- People who run design firms or agencies
- People who coordinate designers and production staff
- People who are involved in the finances or financing of design firms or agencies
- People who hire graphic designers
Language: English
Duration: 2-hour presentation, followed by 1 to 3-hour seminar
This seminar is also available customized and on-site for your organization. Please ask for more details.
If you would like to be notified via e-mail of when new instances of this seminar are scheduled, fill out a form to subscribe to our Events E-Newsletter.
Reviewed June 14, 2007
