Initiatives can change the face of direct mail as well

I read with interest your news story Design Council Initiatives Launch (DW 14 November) in which it is announced that the venerable design dinosaur is about to help out businesses across the UK by making them more design aware through demonstrations by as-yet-unnamed designers.

These will focus on making design principles central to the participants’ business processes. And the choice of design areas for the three-pronged attack on design illiteracy? Manufacturing and household appliances, science and technology and environmentally sustainable design.

I would suggest that we should be focusing more on how companies can incorporate design into their everyday marketing needs.

Take a look at direct marketing creative work, for example. For a marketing discipline that is hailed by many to be the most cost-effective, accountable and successful part of their brand communications, creative standards are often low, bordering on laughable.

So Design Council, let’s add another category to your initiative, bring DM into the design camp and show DM clients that design can make a great campaign even better and serve up improved return on investment. Then industry will see that DM is not a design also-ran, but the front runner in accountable ‘go to market strategies.’

Graham Dodridge

Joint managing and creative director

Gyro Group

London SW10

graham.dodridge@gyrogroup.com