Designing for success

Design auditor Peter Haythornthwaite says many small businesses think of designs as about fashion rather than innovation.

Although the benefits of clever design are easy to see for large companies such as Fisher & Paykel and Methven, smaller businesses often struggle to see how they can harness design's potential.

As one of the key players carrying out the design audits that are part of the Government's $12.5 million Better by Design initiative, design veteran Peter Haythornthwaite has been up to his elbows in the inner workings of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and is convinced there is a lot more they can do to be design smart.

However, he says, many SMEs are still confused about what design actually is.

"They have put design into a little box as being more of a fashion thing. Our job has been to introduce design to them in another context - as being about invention and innovation."

Haythornthwaite, who is the principal of design consultancy Equip, said good design strategy was about envisaging the future of a company.

"It anticipates a target market that may not be there yet, and addresses it clearly and cleverly.

"Businesses often need design to see what their products can become."

Kiwi businesses needed to understand the role design played in business better so they could out-manoeuvre their competitors and carve a niche in the international market.

"Good design creates superior products or services that lead to market success and operational efficiency, which, in turn, lead to commercial success."

So far, 15 companies have undergone the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise-funded design audits that assess vision, values, design team structure, products and brand proposition, with the aim of identifying ways they can use design to expand the business.

The list includes outdoor equipment and clothing company Macpac, hockey apparel company Obo, bedroom furniture maker Design Mobel, Phil and Ted's buggies and kayak manufacturer Current Craft Perception.

Haythornthwaite, who has had more than 20 years' experience as a designer, has twice been the president of the Designers Institute of New Zealand. He will be a presenter at a two-day design course for SMEs in Auckland in September.

The Design Education for Business programme is described by Haythornthwaite as a primer course for senior managers that would cut straight to the value design can add to a company's bottom line. It was created in collaboration with The Icehouse.

Attendees can follow it up with a master class where they will learn how to prepare a sound brief and manage design. It will enable them, if they are an SME, to be considered for a design audit.

Getting into design work

Although the design audit offers a "fast-track" into design enablement for many SMEs, not all would qualify.

To be considered, they must have proven themselves export-capable and have a minimum turnover of $3 million.

But Peter Haythornthwaite suggests a number of other steps small-business owners can take to start incorporating good design.

* Train yourself to become more design-conscious. Make a habit of looking for products, from the razor to the door handle, that are well-designed and appraise them. Identify what is good or bad about them and ask yourself questions of the shape, colour and ergonomics.

* Read books and magazines on design. Haythornthwaite recommends John Thakara's Winners! How Today's Successful Companies Innovate By Design as an easy read.

* Become an affiliate member of the DINZ and attend their meetings.

* Talk to professional designers. Ask them to interpret where the business is at. Perhaps embark on a trial project.

Haythornthwaite says although it is easy and encouraging to communicate with someone who thinks the same, this is not necessarily what a business-owner should look for in a designer.

"You need someone who will stretch your imagination, bring another perspective and break down your preconceived ideas.

"There is opportunity everywhere. It's how we interpret that into meaningful, valuable, inspirational products."

* More information on the Design Education for Business programme is at www.betterbydesign.org.nz/education.