Against a backdrop of news disproportionately full of business headlines, this month felt like the perfect opportunity to bring a client perspective to this podcast.

And who better to guide us through todays challenging landscape than John Gleason.

Having worked at Proctor and Gamble for 20 years before setting up his strategic consultancy, A Better View, John advises both clients and agencies on how to deliver better, more relevant, more valued (and valuable) solutions.

In this episode we explore the current state of design as a discipline and John shares insights from The Future of... - the conference he co-organised and co-hosted last month, bringing together design leaders to discuss whether design is declining, facing diminishing influence, or just struggling to communicate its business value.

We take a candid look at the pressures design professionals are experiencing, with John offering data-driven observations about design's role in modern organisations and practical advice for agencies and design teams to remain relevant and impactful.

John's recommended read is Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up by Jerry Colonna - listen in to find out how to win a copy.

Also mentioned in this episode:

Design Business Association Experts

Further reading:

• The Business of Design by Roger Martin

• Change by Design by Tim Brown (former IDEO CEO)

• Reimagining Design, Unlocking Strategic Innovation by Kevin Bethune

• Non-Linear: Navigating Design with Curiosity and Conviction by Kevin Bethune

Further listening:

• Strategic Counsel Creative Series Episode 1: How Agencies Need to Evolve to Remain Relevant
• 20% The Marketing Procurement Podcast: 8 Things Every Agency Says

Want to know more about client listening? Get in touch.