Members’ Area

From receiving expert help and guidance to benchmarking your business’ performance, the Members’ Area is a gateway to resources, services and support specifically developed for those working in the field of design.

Some sections are exclusively accessible to DBA members, connecting you to the extensive range of benefits your membership provides.

DBA membership extends to everyone working within your business – all members of your team can register for their own password – ensuring the whole team benefits.

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DBA Member Forums

DBA Member Forums are the essential monthly meeting for senior leaders at DBA member businesses, offering exclusive access to insights and discussions that will impact you and the way you run your business. 

Exchange ideas and insights with your peers across the industry, hear the latest thinking from DBA Experts and industry-leading speakers, stay informed on critical industry issues, shape the DBA agenda, and, most importantly, be an active part of your design community.

One inclusive and friendly hour a month to engage with your industry at a level you won’t get access to anywhere else. 

Join us for our January DBA Member Forum | Monday 12 January | 1:30-2:30pm GMT | Online

We’re back with a bang for the first DBA Member Forum of 2026 and we have a brand new time – so make sure you update your diary and join us on Monday 12 January at 1:30-2:30pm GMT.

 

With the DBA In Focus benchmarking report showing the proportion of income from overseas clients has grown from an average of 20% to 36.5% in the past decade, there is clear opportunity for UK design abroad. As growth in our home market remains slow, there’s never been a better time to consider your positioning in a global context.

 

How can you leverage a breakthrough project in different markets? What should you be looking out for in your international contracts? How can you develop cultural fluency? And what signals that you’re ready to consider overseas expansion. I’ve invited four members representing a range of sectors of our industry working in different countries to share their experiences and perspectives so you too can grow your impact abroad. 

 

We’ll be joined by:

  • Juliet Layard-Liesching, Managing Director at Butterfly Cannon
  • Chris Hacking, Business Director at Forpeople 
  • Mark Hannant, Co-founder at Indigo
  • Kirsty Dias, Managing Director at PriestmanGoode

 

Further details about the Forum, along with your invite to join us online on Monday 12 January from 1:30pm GMT have been mailed to DBA members. Not yet a member? See below for details of how to join us. 

How do you attend?

Led by DBA Chief Executive Deborah Dawton, the Forums are held online from 1:30pm on the first Monday of each month and are exclusive to DBA members. 

Invitations to participate will be sent from Deborah. If you do not receive an invitation but feel that you should have, please contact Adam Fennelow to get added to the invite list. Reminders for the meeting will be sent 2 weeks before, followed by a reminder on the day of the meeting.

If you are not yet a DBA member but would like to participate in the Forums, get in touch with Adam to find out how to join the DBA and access the many benefits of membership. 

What can you expect?

Each one-hour meeting dives into a particular topic or issue affecting your business, your team or the industry as a whole. By taking part, you’ll have an unparalleled opportunity to:

  • Engage in conversations on global, national, and local issues impacting your business and the wider design industry, from policy shifts to emerging trends. 
  • Gain perspectives from high-profile speakers across various sectors to broaden your perspectives on current issues. 
  • Stay informed on the DBA’s conversations with government and contribute your feedback to deliver the change you need. 
  • Receive concise summaries and highlights from major industry events, helping you stay up-to-date. 
  • Connect with senior-level peers, sharing ideas and solutions that will change your business practices. 
  • Raise pertinent issues with the DBA senior team, ensuring your voice shapes the industry’s future. 

The meetings are conducted under Chatham House Rule and anonymised summaries of each Forum are shared the day after each meeting – browse the back catalogue. 

What have we covered?

In 2025 we were joined by Blair Enns as we focused on selling expertise, explored the growing impact of AI on the design industry and the ongoing tension between productivity and creativity in the workplace with Silicon Valley-based futurist Alex Soojung-Kim Pang. We’ve been taken through the latest Accenture Life Trends 2025 Report highlighting how people’s behaviours and attitudes are shifting in relation to the world around them, discussed the realities of free pitching and put design education in the spotlight. 

In other recent Forums we’ve discussed and shared resources to support DBA members in benchmarking financial performance, developing new business, what clients really want from agencies and the skills agencies desire most in their team, amongst a range of other topics. 

Guests who’ve contributed to Forum discussions include Richard Seymour, Co-Founder of Seymourpowell, Blair Enns, Founder of Win Without Pitching, Laura Newbold Breen, CEO of ACID, Garen Kouyoumjian, Associate Partner at McKinsey, John Gleason, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of A Better View Strategic Consulting, High-Stakes Leadership Mentor Sally Henderson, Executive Coach Laura Bartlett, and Head of Global Retail Environments at PUMA, Sigrid Brewka-Steeves, and American consultant David C. Baker amongst many others.