Prescott's Design Blog

Reading the Creative Review blog, as I often do, I came across a great article that is ripe for debate. In short, what is the ideal number of workers at a design firm? 5? 20? 100? Well, Neville Brody and Erik Spiekermann, two of the UK’s most influential figures, say it’s twelve. They agree on that figure.

The argument is pretty simple: 12 provides enough flexibility to remain small and nimble and free of corporate shackles, but still provides enough room to specialise and divide skills for max effectiveness.

It means you are big enough to take on major projects but small enough to stay in control: any larger and you have to start taking on the kind of work that you’d rather not do just to way the bills.

I tend to agree. If you asked me (until very recently) what size design firm I’d want to work at, I’d probably say “medium sized, something between 10 and 20.” In my case, it has less to do with attracting fancy clients and more to do with team dynamics — at that size, chances are you’d have some younger designers in addition to the more senior folks, who are likely the partners/principals. At the same time, an increase in size increases the likelihood that you’ll be working with dedicated copywriters, production managers, and even administrative assistants — all of whom are luxuries to work with when they allow you to worry less, and design more.

The trouble is that in my experience the 12-person design firm is vanishing! In my perpetual job search, I’ve only come across a handful of these independent, general purpose agencies. Instead, it seems the industry is being dominated by one-person shops and mega-global agencies who boast about their Dubai office.

To date, the best design job I ever had was within a group of 9, within a much larger institution (a university). I’ve worked with success in London alongside my tutor, Damian, thus creating an impromptu agency of two. But with an earlier role in New York, the smallness of my four-person marketing firm employer proved to be a death blow. I’ve worked freelance at large agencies, and I can testify that they aren’t that great. Yes, you get bagels on Fridays, but after you’ve sucked down your third cup of that plastic dehydrated coffee, you begin to wonder where the real creative vision is actually coming from.

So what’s the ideal size, and how are we going to get [back] there? If everyone seems to be starting a one-person agency (myself included), maybe 12 of these ‘agencies’ should team up?

What’s your ideal size? And why?

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