66 / Opinion
www.sbid.org
Industry Voice
Every issue, we ask a topical question to our members. Here are your thoughts…
What would help your business compete more effectively on an international level?
Maurizio Pellizzoni Founder &
Creative Director MPD London
The world is becoming smaller, with a growing internationalisation of clients, trade and communication. So exploring new markets abroad is a natural step for a renowned interior designer from the UK.
To support the idea of an offshore expansion, UK professionals are lucky to have structures such as UKTI and SBID. They know how to promote British design as a global player and are very resourceful allies in the quest for key information and strategy towards new markets.
In addition, companies such as MPD that receive awards from SBID are naturally elevated to an international recognition and are, in fact, set apart from their competition both in their home country and abroad.
www.mpdlondon.co.uk Bruce Weil
Senior lighting designer The Lighting Design Studio
Personal recommendations provide the majority of our new business, which is why we treat all our projects with the utmost care and attention. It is broadcasting these recommendations to an international audience that is the key.
The web is truly worldwide, so our web presence and social media campaigns gives us an international platform and really do help. However, we are always looking for more opportunities to meet our international contacts in person.
We attend the big lighting trade fairs each year, Frankfurt and Euroluce, to see new products and meet clients, but we could always do with more international events and conferences.
www.thelightingdesign
studio.co.uk
Ruth Moser Textile designer Ruth Moser Design My business is still relatively small and new. However, I do have experience of international transport and custom formalities, having exhibited at trade fairs and exhibitions in Switzerland. It is a complex and time consuming task and can get very expensive. My suggestion would be to make the procedure easier and less expensive, especially for small businesses. Also make the information on international transport more accessible.
There are other options like showing designs and products with the British European Design Group (BEDG) which could reduce costs as they organise group shows with several designers at, for example, Maison & Objet and ICCF New York.
I recently secured a license contract with an American company to have my designs used for iPad and iPhone cases. As these cases are produced and printed in America, I have to pay customs every time a batch gets shipped to England. This makes the prices here not very competitive. Could there be a special arrangement with customs and excise to reduce the costs for new businesses?
www.ruthmoser
design.co.uk
Harriet Anstruther Harriet Anstruther Studio I was recently invited to write a piece for the Parliamentary Yearbook on ‘Excellence in Property’. I refer to this because competing effectively in all areas on an
international level means aiming for excellence and exceeding expectations whenever possible.
All countries and cultures have their own particular nuances and it is imperative to start any job with good research, particularly on the client, the property and the location.
If someone is hiring you to work on a property abroad, they must feel you have done your homework and are up to the inevitable challenges found working on an international level. This particularly applies to rules and regulations.
So as well as bringing a unique creative service to a client, you should be able to understand and work with internationally recognised codes of practice provided by organisations like RIBA and SBID.
www.harrietan
struther.com
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