China is where the manufacturing is， so represents the biggest opportunities for us. As a design company， I think it’s important to be responsive to changes in the marketplace. We do a lot of work in product design and consumer goods such as washing machines， radiators， water-saving devices etc， but also in transport， including aviation， rail and passenger shipping. In fact， we’ve been working in the Chinese market for a few years already with Sifang Locomotive， with whom we have a long-term contract.What we try and do with every one of our clients is to design something that is specific to them， their brand， their culture and we will be doing the same for our Chinese customers. As the consumer industries grow in China， it’ll become increasingly important for Chinese companies to be competitive against imports. Design is one of the ways in which you can do this. At Priestmangoode， we use design as strategic tool to transform businesses and help them gain competitive advantage， both in internal markets as well as internationally. Design isn’t just about aesthetics， it’s about creating better products and services， better use of resources and increased efficiency for businesses that will encourage growth and profits.Creativity is everything， it’s at the heart of our business. As designers， it’s crucial to start each project with fresh， original ideas. We start each one of our projects by brainstorming in the studio. Once we have a number of ideas， we start to look at other work， to see what already exists in the marketplace， and do background research into the feasibility of our ideas.For instance， last year we developed a manifesto to improve efficiency in hospitals and primary care facilities. The ideas were quite radical for the healthcare industry and were drawn from our extensive experience designing luxury aircraft and budget hotel interiors. We started by drawing up a list of 10 design ideas that could improve efficiency in hospitals as well as provide patients with a better experience. Once the initial points were defined， we looked at other designers’ work in this sector and consulted with healthcare specialists to ensure that our ideas were valid and implementable.We’ve been working in China since 2009， when we won a long-term contract with Sifang Locomotive to develop high speed trains in China and around the world.Working in China is very different to the rest of the world. Entering the Chinese market is a longterm project， a process of relationship building and cultural understanding and it’s crucial to be sensitive to the differences between our countries. Forming relationships on a personal level before you become business associates is essential.This cultural understanding takes time， but is incredibly rewarding and inspiring. One of the things we found is that the Chinese work creatively through very different design and development processes and I know we can learn a lot from them. The development process in China is a multi-track approach， developing many solutions simultaneously and picking the best option once they are quite far developed. This approach often results in a speedier resolution to the development process and often a better product or service in the end. We are looking at how a combination of this and our more Western approach could benefit the design process.One of the challenges we found was communication. Working on large scale projects like we are with Sifang， where so many people are involved， it’s imperative to have good communications and to be involved in every step of the process. Since we started working with them， we’ve had teams out in Qingdao on a regular basis， as well as had designers from Sifang working with us in our London studio. We’ve also just opened our first overseas office in Qingdao， to support our ongoing contract with Sifang， as well as provide us with a base to develop our activities in China.I first visited China in 1985， after I graduated from the Royal College of Art. The country is so different now， they may as well be different places en- tirely. China has developed very quickly since then.I think the important thing to remember is that the creative industries in China are still very young. There are some very talented Chinese designers and architects emerging， and I think the Olympics in Beijing in 2008 were a brilliant showcase of how the creative industries are developing and where they’re heading. I think it’s a very exciting time for China.The trick will be for companies to understand that creativity and original design is paramount to successfully compete against imports as well as operate in the global marketplace.For companies in the creative industries I think there are two main points to remember. The first is to always use the strength of your cultural heritage and local/regional/national identity， it’s a useful tool in differentiating oneself from competitors in today’s homogenized market. The second is to never underestimate the power of branding: it’s one of the best， most powerful business tools. Good branding can be the reason a company succeeds or fails.As for cultivating the talent pool for the industry， there are two things I would suggest. The first is to encourage art and design teaching for children and youths. There’s a programme in the UK called The Saturday Club， chaired by Sir John Sorrell， who also founded the London Design Festival. It’s a great endeavor that allows youths to go to their local college on Saturdays for art and design classes. They also organise studio visits with leading artists and designers. I recently held one of these master-classes in our London studio. It was a great experience; we had about 20 teenagers working on developing design solutions around the notion of eating on public transport. Young people are incredibly creative， and it’s important to nurture that and to demonstrate that creativity can be a valid career option.I also think governments can help enable links between designers and industry. It’s crucial for designers to have understanding of manufacturing processes and to establish links with industry， but this can sometimes be difficult without external help. This is already starting to happen: the local government in Qingdao has been incredibly supportive of our work there and instrumental in us setting up our new office out there.
