Priscila Lena Farias / Anna Calvera Marcos da Costa ... - Blucher

Contributions of design: a tool to improve business performance
ject commissioned. Each particular case, according to product
category and the task developed, will have an optimal moment
to begin to measure its results, which may correspond to either
its upward curve or its peak. Design requires a certain period of
time for the development of strategic solutions. Similarly, these
solutions require a degree of implementation time for the results
to become visible and really successful.
In many cases, the incorporation of design occurs as a
result of a generational change in company management
Generational change in company management – especially in
the case of family owned companies – tends to favor the commissioning
of design services. Younger executives are inclined
to be less tradition minded and more open to change. “There
was a generational conflict in the company and we realized that
something had to change,” explained Jonathan Dayan, Director
of Tonel Privado, upon referring to his preliminary thoughts
about contacting Fontana Diseño to restructure the company
identity.
Design studios are in general structurally small and
flexible, which enables them to adapt to the particular
needs of each project.
The capacity of adaptation of a design team to different company
demands, represents a strength that favors the pertinence of the
results of the projects carried out. Many studios choose a small
and flexible structure, and associate with other teams according
to the needs of each commission they receive. Not all companies
need the same designer, in the same way as not all projects are
solved with the same team. In the cases studied, a scale of micro
and small studios was identified (no case had over 17 employees).
Moreover, the benefits of association between professionals
from different design disciplines was verified.
Designer fees tend to represent a very small amount in
relation to the investment required for the development
of an entire project
As seen in the cases analyzed, the task of a design team is complex
and has a strategic basis. Contracting professionals to meet
these challenges logically represents a corporate investment.
Nevertheless, the fees corresponding to the design team represent
a very small proportion of the entire investment demanded
by the project. On this matter, Carlos Díaz, Director of SigloXXI,
commented: “It was expensive, but I value every cent we put into
it.” Meanwhile, Guido Reizner, Sales Manager of Muresco, stated:
“Insofar as investment is concerned, Vanina’s collection costs
Muresco the same as any other collection, except for the royalties.
But truth to say this difference is recovered in the price.”
The designer transfers methodological habits to the
company, which represent a rarely recognized yet very
significant contribution
In their interaction with design professionals, companies tend
to acquire, at times unconsciously, a working methodology inherent
to design disciplines. A designer’s systemic behavior
tends to be transferred spontaneously both to the client and
the areas with which they interact. This transference is almost
never appreciated, and much less considered in the fees paid
to the design team, yet it becomes installed as an intangible
company asset. As Beatriz Galán explains: “It is natural that it
should be difficult to assess the value of this new articulating
design knowledge, which develops between implicit and explicit
knowledge. The value of investment in design is quantifiable in
the degree to which it can be considered an asset.” Naturally,
when the design team forms part of the company, the transference
is greater and this knowledge is absorbed in a far deeper
and verifiable sense.
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