Get on board DBA now or get left behind in business

Its Election time. Every five years there’s a decision to make and now is the moment to vote for our industry. The time for abstinence.

I was one of the handful of folk who bothered to take an hour out of my year to attend the Design Business Association’s AGM last week, and hear first hand how the organisation that represents us is doing. AGM’s aren’t big crowd pullers, and I’m no serial attender, but they do register an important watermark in an organisation’s progress.

The low turn-out of design business leaders would indicate that many of them are content to sit in their warm offices bleating on ‘that nothing ever happens’ and commentating on these pages about their problems, rather than grasping the opportunity. It’s time to ignore them.

My take is that this is a pivotal moment in the direction of travel for our business. And the direction is up. Why the tipping point for the DBA? The catalytic factors are confidence, value and trust.

The context is emerging confidence in the design marketplace. Combine that with the proof of value that is growing membership; capitalise on, and this is the key factor, the ambition of enlightened leadership at the DBA and Design Council that trusts in partnership.

The corner has been turned. Enterprising businesses will seize this moment to enable the DBA/ Design Council partnership to build the critical mass required, that will have the clout to deliver the shift in perception we all crave for the design sector.

Businesses that are already DBA members should be congratulated for committing themselves to champion for change. Those that aren’t should get on board now or get left behind. Don’t wait until next year’s AGM to tell the DBA executive what it can do for you. Joining now is the way to directly affect the future success of our business.

It’s time to decide.

Julian Grice

Managing director

The Team

London SE1