The Secret to Building a Successful Design Business – Design By Them

On why design keeps us coming back…

Nick: I initially got into design because I was fascinated by industrial design. I remember wanting to do it from year seven after reading an article about the industrial design movement and how it grew from a desire to make the beautiful, expensive objects of the craft movement accessible to more people. The idea of a career built around making beautiful things available, not just necessities, really captivated me.

What keeps me coming back now is the ability to reinterpret objects and recreate things. It feels like a privilege compared to a very structured job. Design constantly changes. You put a product into the world and you never really know which ones will land and which ones will not. That problem solving aspect, aiming for something that resonates and that people intuitively like, is addictive.

Sarah: The satisfaction comes when a product succeeds, not just for us, but for our team and the designers we work with. That shared success is a big driver. There are many other reasons, but we are also simply in too deep. We are not coming out now.

On childhood Lego and pulling things apart…

Nick: My parents always said I was fascinated with how things worked. I was constantly given a toy, immediately disassembling it and then putting it back together. That was a big part of my childhood.

I think designers like to understand how things work or to influence how they work. There is a streak of idealism in most of us because we are always trying to improve things. The status quo is rarely satisfying. Lego, pulling things apart and reassembling them, seeing how things work, all fed into how I think as a designer.

On coming in from architecture and floor plans…

Sarah: I came into design more from the architecture side. I was always drawing and I still love a floor plan. I can draw floor plans for hours. I am not an architect, but I love the thought process of making things function and fit.

I always wanted to do architecture and then I arrived at industrial design. I came at it from that other perspective, and now that is our customer base, which is a nice full circle. I was blown away by houses and mid century design first, then the furniture that came with that, although the furniture was not front of mind until later.

On UTS, teaching and putting Australian industrial design on the map…

Sarah: We both studied industrial design at the University of Technology Sydney and have kept a foot in education ever since. Part of why we started DesignByThem was to create recognition and understanding of Australian design. There has always been an educational undertone in what we do, trying to offer some insight into what Australian design might be. We are still grappling with that question.

Education is a big part of our brand. We give talks and stay involved with UTS. Industrial design in Australia is not widely understood. People know architecture, graphic design, interior design, but when we say industrial design we usually end up saying product design so people understand. Very few can immediately name a product they love by a specific industrial designer.

The industrial design world in Sydney, and Australia generally, is small. Many of our former students now have pieces in our collection. Some of our teachers have designed for us as well. There is a constant loop of collaboration between the university and the business.

On spotting the gap and founding DesignByThem…

Nick: We met at UTS and it was not as if we immediately decided to start a brand. We got along, we were both passionate about furniture, but neither of us arrived thinking we would be furniture designers. It was something we grew into. Furniture is one of the more expressive forms of industrial design compared to things like handheld devices.

As we approached graduation we looked around and noticed that most Australian designers were looking overseas. Australian design was not well represented at home. As idealistic students we asked where we would want to work and feel inspired, and we could not really find that place.

We saw a gap. Talented designers either tried to go it alone, which is a huge undertaking, or they worked with overseas companies. We were naive enough and ambitious enough to see that as an opportunity. Starting young helped because we were more open to risk and we could build slowly, make mistakes at a smaller scale and learn from them.

From the beginning the idea was that DesignByThem would not just be about us as designers. We wanted it to be a collective representing what we consider some of the best Australian design under one umbrella, curated but still eclectic and ambitious. We often act more as curators, helping shape briefs and guiding the designers we work with. Because Australian design has less legacy than some regions, we feel free to hold a wider range of expressions within the collection.

On royalties, collaboration and why supporting other designers feels best…

Sarah: Each project takes so much effort to get off the ground from a manufacturing point of view that we often forget who originally designed what. In the pipeline we are all just chasing a good outcome for the product. It becomes less about whether it was us or another designer and more about whether the design is strong.

There is something more rewarding about creating a brand that supports not only us but many other designers. The best invoices we pay are the royalties that go to other designers. We would happily pay those all day instead of logistics bills.

The collaborative aspect makes our work more meaningful. From the start we knew that if we wanted to do something substantial it could not just be about us. Projects blur together now. We get very involved after the design phase in ways that also shape the design, so it all feels like shared work.

On treating business as another design problem…

Nick: Understanding the business side has been a big part of our success. We ask how we can bring some of those considerations into the design process earlier. There is a danger of knowing too much and overthinking logistics, so it can be refreshing when a designer comes in with a challenging idea that ignores those limitations and energises us.

We were very naive about running a business when we started. We had to apply design problem solving to business. We saw business through the lens of designers, sometimes to the horror of our business coaches. They would ask what mattered and we would say aesthetics, while they talked about cash flow. We had to learn that side, but design training helped us become better business people.

Sarah: We genuinely enjoy the business side. It is problem solving in a different medium. We are geeks for systems. We love a spreadsheet as much as a prototype. Most of our staff have design backgrounds, across operations, sales and brand. That shared mindset of curiosity and problem solving shapes how we handle the non glamorous parts of the company.

On how we find and collaborate with designers…

Nick: We find designers in many different ways and that has evolved as the brand has grown. One of our favourite things is visiting exhibitions or student shows, seeing a prototype and thinking there is something there that we could help develop and bring to market.

Sarah: Sometimes we approach a designer whose work we admire with a specific brief. That can be very effective because it is targeted. Other times designers take the initiative and send us work, and if we love it we may run with it.

We also end up in conversations at events where someone casually mentions an idea and it leads either to that project or to another one.

Nick: A surprising number of designers are quite conservative about putting themselves forward. Many wait to be discovered or approached. There’s nothing wrong with that approach, but your chances are quite low.

We always encourage designers to be proactive. Reach out to brands you want to work with. You have nothing to lose. Everyone is time poor, so placing your work directly in front of someone is never a bad thing.

On young designers, polish and missing knowledge…

Nick: There is definitely a generational shift. Students now are incredibly polished in skills and presentation. The universities are producing portfolios with renderings and visuals that are far beyond what we were producing at the same stage. The tools have improved and the visual literacy is very high.

Where things sometimes feel lighter is in practical knowledge. These are big generalisations, but there has been a shift toward concept and presentation, sometimes at the expense of deeper technical understanding. It is not universal, but we do notice that balance.

On AI, concepts and why IP is everything…

Nick: AI is absolutely affecting the landscape. One of the mistakes we see is designers outsourcing the concept. We do not want to receive thirty AI generated iterations of an idea and be asked to pick. We want the designer to decide which concept is strong, then refine and stand behind it.

The ability to produce huge volumes of images can create a temptation to skim the surface, rather than focus on one idea and hone it. Using AI tools internally to explore is fine, but at some point you have to curate the work yourself.

It is very obvious when someone sends through a batch of AI driven variations without having really thought through the concept. It feels like outsourcing the thinking. Our entire business is built on intellectual property. Designers need to remember that their real value lies in generating and developing IP, not just prompting a tool.

Sarah: In our own business we use AI in very dry ways. It helps behind the scenes in enterprise software, operations, account codes and other tasks we do not want to spend a whole week on. There are powerful ways to save time on complex but repetitive work.

Nick: That means we can spend more time on design, which is the ideal.

On sustainability, materials and designing for the full life cycle…

Nick: For us sustainability has always been like ergonomics and safety. It is not something you stick on at the end. It should be present at the beginning of the process.

We have always loved playing with new materials. Material research has been a core part of our R and D and sustainable materials are increasingly important. But they must fit into the full life cycle of the product. There is no point making something from a post consumer material if it dramatically shortens the life of the product or undermines serviceability. The net impact might be negative.

Sarah: You need a holistic view. Starting with a good material choice flows through shipping, flat packing, durability, weight and repair. Some sustainable materials are very heavy, which affects carbon and practicality. We both studied and taught sustainability at UTS, and that thinking is ingrained.

When we graduated, Material connection in New York felt like a gold mine. It was like being a chef discovering new ingredients. We are always searching for new materials, but we look at them through a sustainability lens as a baseline, not a special feature.

Nick: There is also a commercial reality. We want products that are built to last, so materials need to be properly tested and understood. We feel like we are on the cusp of a new age of material development and understanding, which is exciting.

On greenwashing, regulation and how far Australia has to go…

Nick: We have always been wary of using sustainability purely as a marketing tool. There is a lot of greenwashing in the market. We do many things behind the scenes that we do not talk about publicly because they are simply part of how we design.

Design for disassembly, repairability and serviceability are some of the most important moves a designer can make, yet those details are often invisible and not glamorous. They are also where a lot of environmental benefit sits.

Sarah: The mindset has changed, but slower than I expected. When we started out it felt like sustainability was a very hot topic and I assumed we would be further along by now. In Australia it still often feels tacked on rather than fundamental. Europe is far ahead in many ways, particularly in carbon accounting.

Nick: Some companies we work with do carbon counts across the board and that is encouraging. In Australia many brands are not calculating accurately yet. I think legislation and economic drivers are crucial. There are businesses here trying hard, but without clear regulation they can even be at a disadvantage. Once large corporations properly mandate change it will push the standard forward.

Incentives and penalties both have a role. People and politicians can be reluctant to rock the boat, but meaningful progress needs structural support.

On working with architects and learning from their clients…

Sarah: We work closely with architects and interior designers and we take their feedback seriously. The name DesignByThem was always about acknowledging that we are not in a box pretending we know exactly what people want. Our customers and collaborators are part of the process.

We run surveys and we host an annual event called Show and Tell. The premise is that we show what we are thinking, but we really want people to tell us what they think. That feedback loop is invaluable. We want to feel approachable as a brand and genuinely listen to what people need.

We share ideas early, both within our team and with clients, to see whether something sticks intuitively. Otherwise you can invest too much time in the wrong direction.

Colour is a good example. We love colour and we want clients to feel confident using it, but committing containers of stock to specific colours is risky, so we listen carefully, not only to what people say but also to what the data tells us. We are big lovers of data. Sales show what people truly love. That informs which colours we keep, which products are working and where the gaps are.

Nick: We offer standard colours that we hope suit most clients, and we also do custom colour work. We track those requests to see what people are asking for that we are not yet offering, then feed that back into our design team.

We are lucky to work in an Australian context where architecture and interiors, especially workplace and hospitality, are world class. It becomes a loop. Their work informs ours and our products in their spaces can influence their work.

On how our furniture lives in real spaces…

Nick: As the collection has grown we have been able to provide more pieces across more categories for a single project. Some projects use modular pieces extensively, others focus on one or two key items. It depends on the brief.

Sarah: I probably shouldn’t say this, but we love seeing our products mixed with those of other brands. A recent residential project came through that made us really happy because the house featured several Australian brands living together. That suggests the client has chosen pieces with stories behind them.

We do not want to create a rigid, single brand look. It is nice to see products work well in an eclectic space. When other designers and brands also do well in the same project it feels healthy for the local design ecosystem.

On Australian craft, limitation and looking beyond local manufacturing…

Sarah: When I think of Australian craft in a manufacturing sense, the word that comes to mind is limitation, which is terrible to say. The manufacturing industry here is strong in its way, but very specialised and limited in scope. If we only used what is available locally it would be very hard.

Some designers work beautifully within those limits, and there is real craft in that. We also love a new ingredient and the challenge of a new material or manufacturing method. That often means working beyond the local industry.

Limitations can create unique outcomes. Our Butter range would not have its shape and form if we had not been restricted to the road sign material that was available to us at the time. Those constraints pushed us into something distinctive.

Nick: At the same time we decided that we did not want to be tied to one manufacturing base. The design outcome was our priority. We wanted to make things wherever it made the most sense for quality, method and supply chain.

We have ambitions to be a global brand. That means thinking about supply, shipping and access in a broader way. We manufacture in places like Japan, Italy, China and Australia, choosing the best makers for each product.

Accessibility is another factor. We do not want to only sell pieces above a certain high price point. Working globally helps us balance quality, price and reach.

On turning furniture design from second job into a real career…

Nick: One thing we have always disliked is the idea that furniture design is a second job. For a long time the model was that you made your money doing something else, then designed furniture on the side.

Our focus is on design and designers. We want furniture and product design to be viable careers, not hobbies. That means doing everything we can to make products commercially viable and pay meaningful royalties. Choosing the best manufacturing option for each piece is part of that. If a product is not viable it does nothing for the designer.

Sarah: There’s an interesting story behind that. We once produced a letterbox in Australia and another company copied it overseas at a lower cost, essentially taking away both our market and the designer’s royalty. It was a wake up call.

We decided from then on that we would prioritise designers first and manufacturing location second. We go where the best manufacturing is so we can bring the best product to market and properly support the people who design it.

On educating the public and putting designers behind products…

Nick: Many people do not realise that a specific person is behind a product. We will talk about the designer of a chair or a light and to us that is normal, but for some of our friends outside the industry it is a new idea.

They may not see that buying a copy takes money away from a person, not just a company. Original design is a craft and a career that someone has committed to. Putting the designer in the foreground humanises the product and increases its perceived value.

We try to be as transparent as we can and to invite feedback. Design can drift into elitism if you are not careful. We want people to feel comfortable engaging with it, to feel they can walk into a showroom without intimidation.

Our talks and events are not meant to be purely industry gatherings. We hope people from the general public come along and get some insight or inspiration. On the website and through our emails we talk about materiality, sustainability and the stories behind products so people can build a deeper understanding.

On how products, brands and spaces work together…

Nick: Products, brands and spaces all work at different levels. People connect with a product, but they also connect with what a brand stands for, or with the ethos of an architecture or interior practice.

We experience spaces differently because we are designers. We will sit in a new restaurant and run our hands under the tables, look closely at fixtures and analyse details while our friends just say that the space feels great. That difference in perception is interesting.

Sarah: Architecture probably prompts that curiosity more often. Someone might walk into a building with no background in design and feel absolutely blown away. Furniture has a quieter presence. People are often consumed first by the space and only then notice the pieces within it.

Nick: When architecture, interiors and furniture all work well together the effect is powerful. I have seen beautiful spaces let down by poor furniture choices and great furniture trapped in awkward spaces. You know you’ve nailed it when people just walk in and say “wow.”

Sarah: Even if they cannot explain why.

Nick: For Sarah and I, the products are a representation of us, the brand and everything we do. They really are a physical manifestation of what we believe in.

Sarah: Wow. You should write that down.

On their Smart Design Studio workspace and why setting matters…

Sarah: Our office and showroom are in an industrial building redesigned by Smart Design Studio. It is a beautiful, light filled space and it definitely influences how we work.

It brings the team together and allows us to see our products in a setting that reflects the standards we care about.

Nick: I feel so privileged to walk in there every day. If we are serious about design, it makes sense to work in a space that is also serious about design.

Sarah: A well considered building changes how you feel and how you show up. It is similar to getting properly dressed in the morning even if you work from home. The space puts you in a different mindset.

Nick: There is also something inspiring about working inside a project by a studio as accomplished as Smart Design. The experience for visitors starts from the outside. When people see the building they can tell that the people inside care about design.

Sarah: The space is airy and casual rather than staged and opulent. Natural light makes it a pleasant place to work and a natural environment for a showroom.

On what they have learned and why they still love coming to work…

Nick: This journey has turned out nothing like I imagined, which is neither good nor bad, just different.

Sarah: Looking back at our early projections always makes me laugh.

Nick: What has stayed consistent is the core idea. The end goal is roughly what we always wanted, it has just taken longer and followed a far less linear path than we expected. The business has evolved and so have we.

It has been incredibly rewarding and also challenging. Knowing what I know now, I would probably have to think a bit longer before starting something similar again, but I still feel very privileged to do what I do. We like challenges and we like problem solving, and that has kept us going.

Sarah: Passion has given the business longevity. If you want to start something of your own you need that passion. At the beginning especially, you need to be so excited by the work that you don’t really want to do anything else, because it will demand that level of commitment.

Nick: I am lucky because there has not been a day when I have not wanted to come into work. That does not mean every day is easy, but it is still surprising to realise how much we enjoy it. Sometimes we look at each other and say that we design furniture for a living, we run a business around it, we support a growing team and we still have fun. That feels like a real privilege.