British Heart Foundation launches design roster

Hat-Trick Design has been named as the lead consultancy and is joined by B&W Studio, NB Studio, Marc & Anna, Magpie Studio, Neon Creative, Wheatcroft & Co, Academy Design and Partners SMR. Independent brand consultant Jan Casey helped the BHF construct the roster, using a method she implemented at Land Securities as a consultant to its roster formation in 2004.

Casey was approached in summer 2009 by the BHF and asked to put together a roster that could ensure high-standard, cost-effective design was brought to bear. The method proposed ensures that BHF design manager Louise Kyme will co-ordinate briefs and send them out to the appropriate rostered consultancy.

Bimonthly meetings with all of the consultancies will give any groups working on projects the chance to present workin-progress to roster colleagues. Kyme says, ’[The process] encourages consultancies to think about other projects people are working on and say what’s workingwell.

There’s a feeling of support among consultancies and it’s a collaborative effort, plus we learn what we could do better as a client.’ The consultancies will also contribute to training workshops for BHF project mangers and have already met with the charity to talk about best practice in commissioning design and understanding the creative process.

It is hoped that the same managers will better understand the strengths of each consultancy. Casey says, ’This is a first for a charity. No one is in isolation and they’ll also want to raise the bar and show excellent work in front of their peers as a consequential effect.’

A list of recommended groups was provided to Kyme by Casey, who says this ’wasn’t much bigger then the final list’. Casey adds that she ’looked for the gaps’ in design knowledge to make the recommendations. Some of the groups, such as Hat-Trick, had worked with the charity before.