Dow continues to wow
Dow Design is a company that knows good design and how to sell it, proven in its sustained success across its 21-odd-year history and the loyalty and longevity of its clients.
Dow Design is a company that knows good design and how to sell it, proven in its sustained success across its 21-odd-year history and the loyalty and longevity of its clients. Founder Annie Dow and her co-pilots reveal how Dow maintains its relevancy and continues to be a leader in its field, consistently producing exquisite design solutions.
In terms of business, the Darwinian theory of “survival of the fittest” often applies. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there and the design industry in particular has a lot of competition. But sitting down with Dow Design founder Annie Dow creative director Donna McCort and group account director Simon Wedde it quickly becomes apparent as to why Dow remains ahead of the game.
McCort says Dow’s method is pragmatic and involves a solid foundation of research to ensure results are carried through. The Dow team take an ‘outside view in’ approach, using a research method dubbed ‘discovery’ which becomes a rock solid foundation on which to build the brand identity or solution. “A key part of us adding value is not just following orders but to be thinking and bringing something to the table. Discovery is an audit of our clients’ brand, service or product and a look at the consumers’ point of view and where it sits in its environment.
We find out what their competitors are doing and throughout the process of that analysis, we might uncover something that’s not in the brief. So if you do that sort of thinking up front rather than following, you achieve much more powerful design.” Dow group account director Simon Wedde says being pragmatic also extends to the way the company operates.
He says it doesn’t get tied up or lost in branding and design jargon, but remains transparent without pushing any kind of ego. “That’s another observation I’ve made as a newcomer, is the openness. You won’t get any arrogance here. We are completely open to listening.
We will come back with an opinion, but with an opinion that is informed from our design perspective,” he says. “As soon as you start thinking you know or start assuming, that’s when it gets you into trouble.”
“AND THAT IS THE MOST SATISFYING, OUR CLIENTS’ SALES RESULTS. DESIGN IS NOT JUST ABOUT LOOKING GOOD, IT IS ABOUT BEING EFFECTIVE, TRULY POWERFUL AND POTENT IN THE MARKET”
— Annie Dow
Lasting Relationships
And the evidence of the efficiency of Dow’s procedure is clear, with founder Annie Dow pointing out that average client tenure is 10-plus years, with some clients like Fonterra Brands sticking with Dow since its inception. “Dow really delivers, from a sales level and a business level as well.
Coupled with the experienced team building close relationships, hence the longevity of some of the relationships of 10, 15, 20 years,” she says. The company also has a point of difference, it is led by two women, with Annie Dow leading from a business perspective and McCort from a creative perspective, which the team believe is another contributor to its success.
Dow’s lead of the agency is particularly impressive given she is one of the few in her particular design field heading a successful company in a male-dominated environment. “I am very aware of that and that’s something I’m really proud of,” she says. “We’ve been going a long time, we’ve got a really solid reputation. Having said that it is nice to have a balance with someone like Simon [Wedde] … it is good to have that balance of the male and female genders and everyone offers something different.” Design is also an inherent skill, she says, so it can’t be said that females are better than males or vice versa but the female eye can in some situations offer something different. “You’re either a great design thinker or you’re not and our male designers are just as good as our females,” she says. “But I do feel that the female design eye can slightly have more empathy in some design spaces than perhaps the males.”
Dow also takes its craft seriously, resulting in the exquisite execution of its designs, which Wedde says is due to being staffed by very senior and experienced creative thinkers and production staff “…and we are also extremely fussy and critical. This is Donna’s experience and great eye and also Annie’s philosophy that she has instilled in Dow that ‘good enough is not good enough’, it is reflected in her own personal taste and style,” he says. Annie Dow says it takes courage to do things differently and stand out from the crowd. “We pride ourselves on that. We’re bold, and we challenge category norms on many occasions, but only when we need to. Not just for the sake of it.” She says Dow keeps its eye on the prize, designing with purpose and with the simple knowledge that great design solutions sell “And that is the most satisfying, our clients’ sales results. Design is not just about looking good, it is about being effective, truly powerful and potent in the market”. And after a prosperous two decades Dow Design is showing no signs of slowing down yet, with the team saying it looks forward to another 21 years of success with its clients.