business Of design
6 MINS
Operating Principles in the Business of Design
Debprotim Roy, Founder, has been leading the studio for over 10 years, a tenure that comes with its own set of learnings. He gave a talk on what it actually takes to run a design studio successfully. Here are some of those operating principles that can define a studio's longevity.
There is a lot of conversation in the industry today about craft, taste, and the quality of work. While these are non-negotiables, there is another aspect of design that is arguably just as critical, especially for those looking to build independent careers or run studios.
That aspect is the process around the work, the business of design, that defines your longevity.
The business of design is a people business.
Design is rarely a solitary act of genius. It involves convincing stakeholders that what you are shipping is actually the right thing to ship. You will often get pulled into high-stakes tables and boardrooms. In those moments, craft matters less than your ability to navigate human dynamics.
People want to work with people they like and trust. If you don’t understand how to manage relationships alongside pixels, you won’t survive the market.
Here are the 10 operating principles that have kept Canvs around for over a decade.
There is a lot of conversation in the industry today about craft, taste, and the quality of work. While these are non-negotiables, there is another aspect of design that is arguably just as critical, especially for those looking to build independent careers or run studios.
That aspect is the process around the work, the business of design, that defines your longevity.
The business of design is a people business.
Design is rarely a solitary act of genius. It involves convincing stakeholders that what you are shipping is actually the right thing to ship. You will often get pulled into high-stakes tables and boardrooms. In those moments, craft matters less than your ability to navigate human dynamics.
People want to work with people they like and trust. If you don’t understand how to manage relationships alongside pixels, you won’t survive the market.
Here are the 10 operating principles that have kept Canvs around for over a decade.
"The business of design is a people business."
Keep your promises, show up
As a lead or a founder, you need to channel a bit of Dwight Schrute for his absolute reliability. You have to be the person who picks up the phone when it matters. It is easy to be present when timelines are relaxed; it is much harder to show up when things are difficult.
But that is where trust is built, and trust relies on being honest about your commitments. When you operate this way, you realise this isn't about honour, it is simply the most efficient way of living.
Be dependable. Never absent. Never late. Never falling short.
As a lead or a founder, you need to channel a bit of Dwight Schrute for his absolute reliability. You have to be the person who picks up the phone when it matters. It is easy to be present when timelines are relaxed; it is much harder to show up when things are difficult.
But that is where trust is built, and trust relies on being honest about your commitments. When you operate this way, you realise this isn't about honour, it is simply the most efficient way of living.
Be dependable. Never absent. Never late. Never falling short.
Have courage and conviction
Someone once told me, "Agencies can be statesmen or terrorists. You guys weren’t very statesmanly." He meant we were the ones shaking things up. Sometimes you get ushered into high-stakes boardrooms where the pressure is immense, and your decisions are challenged. You cannot be the person who just absorbs the pushback. You have to hold your own. People value conviction.
Most teams suffer from indecisiveness, so being the person in the room who has a clear opinion and can drive that opinion constructively towards results makes you highly useful.
Someone once told me, "Agencies can be statesmen or terrorists. You guys weren’t very statesmanly." He meant we were the ones shaking things up. Sometimes you get ushered into high-stakes boardrooms where the pressure is immense, and your decisions are challenged. You cannot be the person who just absorbs the pushback. You have to hold your own. People value conviction.
Most teams suffer from indecisiveness, so being the person in the room who has a clear opinion and can drive that opinion constructively towards results makes you highly useful.
Have knowledge, abilities, and answers
You are hired for your abilities, for having answers and shipping solutions. Nothing is a better moat in this business than simply knowing your stuff. When a client asks what’s happening in the industry, you shouldn’t be guessing.
You need to be the person in the room who knows what is going on. This knowledge is your leverage. It helps you be heard in product meetings and in annual contract negotiations.
You are hired for your abilities, for having answers and shipping solutions. Nothing is a better moat in this business than simply knowing your stuff. When a client asks what’s happening in the industry, you shouldn’t be guessing.
You need to be the person in the room who knows what is going on. This knowledge is your leverage. It helps you be heard in product meetings and in annual contract negotiations.
"Conflict, when constructive, always results in better answers. Don’t ever be afraid of the hard conversations."
"Conflict, when constructive, always results in better answers. Don’t ever be afraid of the hard conversations."
4. Be unreasonably effective at your thing
4. Be unreasonably effective at your thing
We live in a world with inflated self-worth, but the market demands results. Design and engineering are fields where a lot can be accomplished by an individual. You have to leverage that. There is no room for mediocrity here. Be unreasonably effective at what you do, or else the alpha doesn’t show. If you cannot, the pretence eventually won’t scale.
We live in a world with inflated self-worth, but the market demands results. Design and engineering are fields where a lot can be accomplished by an individual. You have to leverage that. There is no room for mediocrity here. Be unreasonably effective at what you do, or else the alpha doesn’t show. If you cannot, the pretence eventually won’t scale.
5. Learn to say yes
5. Learn to say yes
Most problems require work to solve. The instinct is often to push back, to list the blockers, but you need to focus on finding a way forward. If you have a basic understanding of how to go about it, be a part of the solution, people like problem solvers at work. The confidence of knowing you will find the answer is the first step.
Most problems require work to solve. The instinct is often to push back, to list the blockers, but you need to focus on finding a way forward. If you have a basic understanding of how to go about it, be a part of the solution, people like problem solvers at work. The confidence of knowing you will find the answer is the first step.
6. Get stuff done
All words and no work get you fired. You can talk all you want, but you have to deliver at some point. The real challenge in India is execution. People struggle to just get the job done. If you want to be here for the long run, you have to stick the course and deliver. It is the best thing about this field, when you deliver results, you can ask for a premium, simply because most people don’t.
All words and no work get you fired. You can talk all you want, but you have to deliver at some point. The real challenge in India is execution. People struggle to just get the job done. If you want to be here for the long run, you have to stick the course and deliver. It is the best thing about this field, when you deliver results, you can ask for a premium, simply because most people don’t.
"If you have a basic understanding of how to go about it, be a part of the solution, people like problem solvers at work."
"If you have a basic understanding of how to go about it, be a part of the solution, people like problem solvers at work."
7. Work with the whole chain of command
Speak with those who make decisions. Work with those who ship with their hands. You have to keep the management interested. Management appreciates operators; technical staff appreciates speaking chops.
You can spend hours working with the product team, but if the people driving the strategy forget you, it limits how far you can go. You have to keep those conversations going. You have to be in the good books of the whole chain.
Speak with those who make decisions. Work with those who ship with their hands. You have to keep the management interested. Management appreciates operators; technical staff appreciates speaking chops.
You can spend hours working with the product team, but if the people driving the strategy forget you, it limits how far you can go. You have to keep those conversations going. You have to be in the good books of the whole chain.
8. Learn to talk and explain your work
Being able to sell your design is just as critical as the craft itself. If you cannot explain the potential of your work, it rarely gets shipped the way you intended. It is easy to fall for the idea of the silent genius, but in reality, you need to defend your choices and convince stakeholders.
You will notice some of the best designers are irrationally brilliant at talking and so clear in their delivery that you are almost envious of their clarity. You need that visual vocabulary. When you can articulate your design decisions effectively, you do justice to your own work. Almost always, the person who can pitch the work is the person who gets retained.
Being able to sell your design is just as critical as the craft itself. If you cannot explain the potential of your work, it rarely gets shipped the way you intended. It is easy to fall for the idea of the silent genius, but in reality, you need to defend your choices and convince stakeholders.
You will notice some of the best designers are irrationally brilliant at talking and so clear in their delivery that you are almost envious of their clarity. You need that visual vocabulary. When you can articulate your design decisions effectively, you do justice to your own work. Almost always, the person who can pitch the work is the person who gets retained.
"Speak with those who make decisions. Work with those who ship with their hands."
"Speak with those who make decisions. Work with those who ship with their hands."
9. Be nice
We are all humans, and naturally, we gravitate towards nice people. No one actively wants to do business with those who make the process harder than it needs to be. Clients are constantly asking themselves, "Do I actually like this association?" It is a massive variable in decision-making. Even if you are the best at what you do, if the dynamic feels like a struggle, people will eventually choose the person who is perhaps slightly less skilled but significantly easier to talk to.
Being nice is a competitive advantage. When you are pleasant to work with, it buys you goodwill when things inevitably get stressful. It is always better to hedge your bets and be nice.
We are all humans, and naturally, we gravitate towards nice people. No one actively wants to do business with those who make the process harder than it needs to be. Clients are constantly asking themselves, "Do I actually like this association?" It is a massive variable in decision-making. Even if you are the best at what you do, if the dynamic feels like a struggle, people will eventually choose the person who is perhaps slightly less skilled but significantly easier to talk to.
Being nice is a competitive advantage. When you are pleasant to work with, it buys you goodwill when things inevitably get stressful. It is always better to hedge your bets and be nice.
10. Your relationship is your product
In the business of design, the design itself is not always the final product.
When you are building someone else’s vision, you don’t control all the parts of the product. It is often a mix of opinions, engineering constraints, and shared decisions. In the lack of such control, you have to focus on the one north star, your relationship with your client.
The real product you are shipping is the client experience. It is the ultimate yardstick to measure your success because a good client experience implies you are good at the craft, good as a human being, and effective in your delivery.
In the business of design, the design itself is not always the final product.
When you are building someone else’s vision, you don’t control all the parts of the product. It is often a mix of opinions, engineering constraints, and shared decisions. In the lack of such control, you have to focus on the one north star, your relationship with your client.
The real product you are shipping is the client experience. It is the ultimate yardstick to measure your success because a good client experience implies you are good at the craft, good as a human being, and effective in your delivery.
"In the business of design, your relationship with your client is your north star."
"In the business of design, your relationship with your client is your north star."
Ultimately, this isn’t as complicated as we often make it out to be. The business of design runs on trust and competence. If you are confident in what you bring to the table and you genuinely know your craft, you are already halfway there. It is a tightrope walk, you need enough confidence to sell your vision, but enough humility to own your mistakes. But if you stick to the basics, show up, and treat people well, you will be fine.
You got this.
Ultimately, this isn’t as complicated as we often make it out to be. The business of design runs on trust and competence. If you are confident in what you bring to the table and you genuinely know your craft, you are already halfway there. It is a tightrope walk, you need enough confidence to sell your vision, but enough humility to own your mistakes. But if you stick to the basics, show up, and treat people well, you will be fine.
You got this.