PureGoldsmiths
Goldsmiths is all about the freedom to experiment, to think differently, to be an individual. That's why our list of former students includes names like Antony Gormley, Julian Clary, Damien Hirst, Mary Quant, Bridget Riley, Vivienne Westwood, Graham Coxon, Malcolm McLaren.
We bring creative and unconventional approaches to all of our subjects, but everything we do is based on the highest academic standards of teaching and research. And we're part of the internationally respected University of London, so your degree will help you stand out from the crowd.
Creating Change through Ideas and Talent
Would you like to develop the potential of your business? to Be part of the exciting developments happening in the Thames Gateway? Goldsmiths, University of London is here to help you.
PureGoldsmiths, the College's commercial arm, connects businesses with what is available from Goldsmiths and the higher education community to help increase turnover and profitability. We help businesses develop by differentiating their offerings to enable them to compete more successfully in crowded markets.
We help businesses realise the full potential of their resources by developing their creative knowledge and capacity for change, and giving them a greater insight into current and developing markets.
PureGoldsmiths brings cutting-edge thought to businesses, based on rigorous research and market knowledge.
We provide:
• Contract research and consultancy
• Bespoke training
• Corporate brand and sub-brand development
• New product development
Regional activities
The challenge of regeneration in the Thames Gateway is an exciting opportunity to create an area sensitive to both business and community issues. Goldsmiths is immersed in the regeneration landscape of London, working closely with London First, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), the London Development Agency (LDA), and Think London. Goldsmiths recently launched a Media Focus Group at the LCCI to build a forum for the media industries and the wider business community to highlight the innovations and opportunities offered by new technologies and the Media industries.
Researching the digital consumer
Set-up in 2002, i2 Media Research is a spin-out from the Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths. i2 provides high quality commissioned research for high profile public and commercial organisations, including Ofcom, the Ofcom Consumer Panel, the Department for Trade and Industry, the Department for Culture Media and Sport, and Honda.
Using a wide range of research methods, spanning qualitative and quantitative techniques, i2 has developed a deep insight into consumer motivations and barriers to the adoption, use and enjoyment of a range of digital media products and services including television, the internet, mobile communications and virtual reality. The i2 team is also involved in several EU-funded projects looking at the future of media use.
International activities
The Chinese leadership programme is a particularly innovative example of how Goldsmiths is sharing its cultural and business expertise with communities outside the College. As China's economic role in the world has expanded over the last 20 years, various specialist short courses have been developed for different sectors of the Chinese business community. The current three-week programme focuses on gifted medical, business and arts students who are considered likely to be future leaders.
If you are looking for practical effective action to create growth and success for your business, talk to PureGoldsmiths. We offer you the opportunity to take advantage of new ways of thinking, and provide insight into the latest technologies.
PureGoldsmiths
Creativity and Design Programme
Our Creativity and Design programme helps manufacturers develop their products and services to offer additional value added features by improving both the performance of products, the information available to their clients over the business supply process and end user experience.
Creativity and Design programme
PureGoldsmiths have developed a Creativity and Design programme to help businesses become more innovative by providing them with tools and processes to help develop new design concepts and solve business problems.
The programme has been delivered to a number of sectors: Engineering, General Fabrication, Fashion Houses, Advertising and Interior Design. There are presently a number of ongoing projects as a result of these programmes where the Design team at Goldsmiths are helping businesses further develop their brand and look at create new ranges of products.
The programme focuses on passing new skills to the businesses that attend. We provide them with practical tools and processes to use when developing new products or solving business operational, and services problems. The programme is structured so that the first two days of the programme is spent at Goldsmiths, where the businesses are introduced to the tools and processes, and then asked to work through practical examples, business problems are resolved.
The benefits to a company by engaging and co-developing innovative business solutions with Goldsmiths' consultants are:
· Consultants from the academic body at Goldsmiths will bring rigor to the innovative developments in a company.
· Businesses have access to World Authorities in a given specialism
· Goldsmiths provide a dedicated resource to focus on a business solution
· The resulting developments will give the company sector/industry visibility
· Additional funding streams for innovation through collaborations with Goldsmiths
· There are additional spin-off ideas in addition to original focus
· Our consultants provide an unbiased view
· Freedom to Challenge & unconstrained feedback.
Benefits generated through this programme:
· Improved people productivity
· Improved concept to market times
· Increased value per employee
· Increased turnover
· New Market development
· Brand and product development
Leading to:
· Safeguarded jobs
· Creation of new jobs
· Businesses retained
· Businesses expanded.
SEMINARS
What is the aim of the seminars?
Present to businesses the latest developments in creativity and design and how it is impacting on the business world, society and the local, national and global markets. This will be an opportunity for businesses to gain insight into the work being carried out in universities to support their growth and ability to compete in the fierce markets we see today. The focus will be on how design can enable businesses to tape into new trends and markets through the introduction of new thinking and processes.
The seminars will also introduce the services available through Goldsmiths, MAS and our partner organisations and the new Creativity and Design programme delivered in conjunction with MAS. There will be an opportunity for MAS to make a presentation to introduce their core services and the wider initiative, with a view to recruiting clients to the wider initiative.
How do we do it?
The programme of seminars will be cross sectoral, delivered at various venues across London to support knowledge exchange activities with the partners from Knowledge East, Exchange and the London Centre for Arts and Creative Enterprise.
What are the outcomes?
Businesses will be made aware of the new opportunities available to them to enable them to consider diversification and the potential for developing new products services and markets. Businesses will also be made aware of the growing specialist support within the higher education sector and given information on how to tap into this resource.
This will be the first stage in the programme but will also have a function of recruiting new clients to the programme and the wider MAS initiative.
FORMAT
A member of Goldsmiths Design team, with case studies will present two sides a story; the research driven thoughts and conclusions, and the industry view point.
Seminars would run for approx. 90 minutes including question and answer sessions, followed by networking for an hour to provide businesses with an opportunity to meet academics and other businesses to discuss the material presented.
VENUES
Central university locations across London
OBJECTIVES
· Recruitment of new businesses to the MAS programme
· Promote the new Creativity & Design programme and the MAS services
· Engage with the business community
· Develop a dialogue with business to share experience
· Provide insight to where Creativity and Design going
· Promote the use of creative and design led practice in business culture
· Promote the business services available in across the knowledge transfer initiatives
WORKSHOPS - Process & Methods
What is the aim of the workshops?
These workshops are designed to introduce new creativity and design tools, maps and processes to support the businesses when problem solving and innovating. As manufacturers face increased competition in the market place from overseas suppliers, there is a need to change the way they operate to moving their services up the value chain.
The workshops are designed to help businesses analyse the opportunities available to their businesses through repositioning their business and changing the way they do things. Companies taking part in the programme will be asked to re-evaluate their business, current markets, clients and the products and services they offer through the use of new tools and processes. Our aim is to enable businesses to identify incremental and major step-change options within a structured process, helping them raise their profile in their sector as an innovative leader.
On returning to their businesses they will then be asked use the tools and processes to challenge how they do things, evaluate the capacity for change and begin research options for development.
These tools most importantly can help a business strategise short-term and long-term projects, identifying incremental improvements which can be taken to market and show returns within a given period. As this process provides a structured set of outcomes, the businesses are also able to build this into their operational and marketing strategies.
How do we do it?
Owners and key decision makers from businesses will attend a two day course. Over the two days they will work with each other through a series of practical hands on exercises using the Creativity and Design tools developed by the Goldsmiths design team. They will use these tools to provide solutions and innovation strategies based on given case studies.
Workshops can run on various levels cross sectoral, focused on specific sector and also company focused. The later two workshops allow the workshops to focus in on specific and common themes when working in the break out groups. The aim of the exercises is to give the clients an insight into how creativity and design can be applied to their businesses.
What are the outcomes?
We aim to empower the clients with new skills through the practical demonstration of the Creativity and Design tools will give the clients a feel for the way they can be used to help them develop their businesses. They are then asked to return to their businesses and start to apply the tools and processes to solve their own challenges in their business and look at how they can innovate the way they do business.
Examples of the improvements:
· Introduction of new product ranges using existing plant
· Introduction of new materials to improve and change products
· Development of new products for existing markets
· Development of new markets through new products
FORMAT
Workshops will be delivered by two members of the Goldsmiths Design team. Up to 25 clients can take part in these workshops, delivered in an open plan environment with breakout areas for group working.
VENUES
The workshops can be delivered in various venues across London depending on the sectoral focus and the partners we include in the delivery
OBJECTIVES
· Promote the use of creativity and design in businesses
· Introduce the tools, maps, and processes developed by Goldsmiths
· Provide businesses with practical ways to improve their business
· Establish Goldsmiths as a market leader in innovation development
· Develop relationships with key personnel within businesses
· Develop the foundations for future work with businesses.
BUSINESS DIAGNOSTICS
What is the aim of the Diagnostic?
A day is spent with the client, carrying out a site visit and an in depth scoping exercise to map out the potential for innovation and establish future aims for the company. The diagnostic is developed with the client, designed to highlight the potential routes and opportunities for innovation a company can consider. Once the diagnostic has been drawn up, with prioritised action points key development projects can be identified and progressed.
The aim of the day is to identify quick wins which can help the business improve is profitability or market share and also long-term strategic goals.
How do we do it?
Time is spent with the client with a site visit to gain knowledge of the current working practices and business activities. A member of the Goldsmiths Design team will then work with the client's business development/R&D team to identify places for innovation and discuss how this might be approached. By the end of the day the client will have the basis of a change programme.
What are the outcomes?
The business is viewed from a totally new prospective, our job is to act as a creative catalyst to bring new knowledge to the table and look at areas such as:
· New ways of using their existing machinery to create new products
· The introduction of new materials and how this might change products
· Testing the assumptions the business strategy is built on
· Appraising the branding and marketing strategy of the business
· Identifying gaps and opportunities for capitalisation
· Drawing up a list of suggested future actions
There are immediate benefits to the business as a result of carrying out a diagnostic, for example work carried out with a alternative therapy oil manufacturer and a curtain manufacturer a weakness in the company branding was identified which was rectified immediately changing their website and brochure content. Introducing new design processes have also helped businesses to shorten their concept to market lead times.
OBJECTIVES
· Apply the Creativity and Design tools and processes to the business
· Develop a foundation for innovation within the business
· Co-develop an innovation action plan with the Business Development/R&D team
· Identify so quick wins to help business improve short-term
· Identify some long-term projects for innovation
· Develop an action plan
During the Creativity and design programme the diagnostic will have uncovered a number of areas for development. The aim of this next stage is to bring about tangible benefits with a project which focuses on optimising opportunities available to the business.
This stage of the programme completely customised, offering range of services to suit a clients particular business needs.
INNOVATION DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
What is the aim of the projects?
As a result of using the Creativity and Design tools and the discussions with the Goldsmiths Design team, there may be specific projects identified requiring specialist support from Goldsmiths. To cater for this there are various packages of support available to businesses to take projects forward.
Support can be offered in a number of ways depending on the requirements of the business, making use of a combination of resources available: Design consultant, students, specialist equipment and the wider higher education community.
Examples of work undertaken:
· Development of design and innovation strategy
· Brand and Design Management system introduction
· New products design and development
· Adoption of new technologies and training to improve innovation process
· Market analysis
How do we do it?
This service has been designed to dovetail the support we offer in the workshops and diagnostics. Projects can be about a feasibility study or the development of new products and services, depending on the client's needs.
A consultant from the Goldsmiths Design team takes an area of development forward, recruiting the appropriate range of collaborators from Goldsmiths and the partners we work with. As appropriate there will be a combination of both academic and student support and access to new technologies available to Goldsmiths to deliver on the brief form the client.
Projects are delivered in various ways with maximum input from the client to capitalise on the resources across the two organisations, and maximise on knowledge transfer to the company.
The timing of this programme has been designed to deliver customised projects to businesses as part of live projects from second year degree students, led by one consultant from the design team.
What are the outcomes?
A project provides a business with consultants who bring specialist skills to compliment their staff, to co-create business solutions with the aim improve the business through innovation and development. The results of a project may be the clarification of the opportunity open to a company or supporting the development of new products and service.
Example:
We are presently in the middle of developing five window dressing concepts for Cope Timmins a curtain manufacturer. If successful, these concepts will bring innovation to the curtain industry, giving Cope Timmins a niche market.
OBJECTIVES
· Co-develop business solutions
· Deliver dedicated specialist consultancy
· Help a business make a step change in their development
· Provide a business with intelligence and resources to capitalise on an opportunity
· Help them develop new products and services
CUTOMISED WORKSHOPS - Process & Methods
The Creativity and Design workshop can be developed to cater for a specific business to train a range of staff providing them with a common platform to work with. These workshops can be designed to focus on the current issues and look to guide the group through the tools and processes within the areas of focus.
The workshops can also be used to build strong collaborative working relationships between clients, account handlers and production staff within a supply chain; an example being that of the relationship between an advertising agency and a client.
The aim of theses workshops is to encourage client retention through building unique working relationships, were all key members of the creative process are brought into a workshop to learn the same ideation techniques. This provides clear channels of discussion and an opportunity for a greater level of input from all members of the team, when developing campaign concepts.
BRAND DEVELOPMENT, MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTANCY
What is the aim of this service?
Goldsmiths offer a service to support businesses going through the crucial stage of brand development, to ensure that at each stage of the process is given due diligence.
This service can be very supportive of businesses that do not have design specialists within the business team or companies with pressure staffing commitments. Much like Interim Management services, Goldsmiths offer senior level design consultants to businesses to support them through key stages in their company development where design and creativity is a key factor.
The brand of a company is increasingly becoming more important especially in product based businesses. During the creation and development of a company brand, a tremendous amount of energy, funding and time is given to ensure the best results are achieved. The initial brand concept is the foundation on which a business builds its reputation and market identity.
The process of developing a new brand is usually very labour intensive, during the process of gathering market intelligence from the clients, stakeholders and a competitor analysis, and in the stages that follow when forming the new concept. It is surprising that at such a key stage of a business's development it is generally left to a single design consultancy to provide a company with the ultimate solution. There is a high degree of dependence given to the design consultancy in this process, and depending on the consultant's performance the company may get a successful or poor result.
How do we help?
A member of Goldsmiths Design consultancy works with the company to help them create an effective brand development brief through a facilitation processes, during which assumptions are challenging. The Goldsmiths consultant then works alongside the company staff as a design expert, supporting them during the discussions with the Design consultant.
The aim of the Goldsmiths consultant is to maximise the potential in the process, challenge weaknesses in the solutions offered and ensure good value for money.
What are the outcomes?
Businesses develop brands with an aim of reflecting their business offer, ethics, culture and USP's. It is then used to build a profile within their chosen markets and acts as an anchor point to all marketing, promotional, sales and customer relations activities; a brand which effectively reflects a business is therefore essential.
OBJECTIVES
· Develop a brand which helps a business punch above it's weight in the market place
· Maximise value of the business proposition to clients
· Ensure the full range of the business offer is represented in the brand and marketing materials.
· Ensure the brand and marketing strategy is focused on current opportunities
STRATEGIC RESEARCH
What is the aim of Strategic Research?
The Creativity and Design workshops and Diagnostic uncover a range of questions for a business investigate feeding into the marketing, R&D and operational areas of a business.
Businesses do not always have the resources to carry out specialist research into areas such as market trends, materials development and new technologies. There are areas of research Goldsmiths can undertake on behalf of clients using consultants from areas such as Design, Digital Labs, Sociology, Anthropology and Media, to support the building of new business, marketing and product and services development strategies.
How do we do it?
As part of the Diagnostic process areas of research are identified. One of the main areas of activity at Goldsmiths is contract research. Having agreed an area focus of research a key academic with expertise will spend time drawing out relevant information to inform the business of the current position.
What are the outcomes?
Businesses are provided with an up-to-date high level report on the given subject to inform of future decisions for the company. The aim would be to prove or disprove the benefits of beginning a change process within the business such as an innovation programme.
OBJECTIVES
· Add new specialists to the businesses team
· Provide client with new insight into specialist fields
· Confirm gaps in market and opportunities
· Build a case for innovation and development with risks identified
· Provide high quality intelligence
OUTWARD BOUND INNOVATION EXPERIENCE
Team Building & Development
What is the aim of the outward bound programme?
Time spent with members of the Goldsmiths Design team, aimed at businesses that wish to develop better working relationships and the skills of their employees.
Structured to bring a team within one department or cross departmental working teams together providing them with new tools and processes to help them problem solve and develop innovation strategies with a common platform.
The aim the outward bound courses are to create a design space where members of a team with differing talents, skills and knowledge can join a process which enables them to make a full contribution to a development process, which can focus on problems facing the company, or the need to create innovative products and services.
How do we do it?
Clients are taken to an off site location and asked to work through practical exercises designed to focus on the aims and objectives of the company. These may range from developing the future innovation strategy for the business to focusing on new product development.
The day will focus on breaking down departmental silos and look towards developing a practical and inclusive way for all work colleagues to collaborate and generate the best results.
What are the outcomes?
Build effective working relationships between individuals with differing skills and knowledge, enabling all members of a business team to make a positive contribution to a company's intellectual wealth. Ensure that all opportunities available to the business are considered through a structure process.
FORMAT
Workshops will be delivered by two members of the Goldsmiths Design team. Up to 25 clients can take part in these workshops, delivered in an open plan environment with breakout areas for group working.
VENUES
The courses will be delivered off the client's company site at venues across London, where sectoral fit is appropriate they would be hosted by one of the KT partners.
OBJECTIVES
· Establish a sound culture for creativity and design within a company
· Develop an effective working team
· Identify opportunities for development
· Begin the process of developing innovation strategy
KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER PARTNERSHIPS (KTP)
What is the aim of KTPs?
The Innovation Development Projects are short interventions between Goldsmiths and the client business, designed to provide businesses with quick returns on investment. For long-term strategic development a far more structured approach is required. The KTP programme is one of the most successful initiatives launched by the DTI and has run for over thirty years. It provides support from both a consultant from the academic body of Goldsmiths and a Research Fellow, dedicated to a business development project for two years.
How do we do it?
There are very strict criteria attached to KTP's in that the project needs to be a major strategic step in the business, developing new capacity, with tangible benefits. We would envisage using a KTP to deliver a substantial project which required high degrees of research and development. The Research Fellow would work full-time for the company with weekly meetings with the Goldsmiths consultant for two years.
What are the outcomes?
There are many case studies of companies who have taken part in a KTP. This collaboration between a business and a university means they have access to the latest research and knowledge from a given area of focus which fits with their project. In some cases, specific research can be funded by a Research Council to compliment the project. The ambition therefore is to realise some real world benefits from a major piece of business higher education co-development.
OBJECTIVES
· Co-develop business solutions
· Deliver sustained dedicated specialist consultancy
· Help a business develop a new area of business
· Provide a business with intelligence and resources to capitalise on an opportunity
· Increase the capacity of a business
KNOWLEDGE CATALYST
What is the aim of a Knowledge Catalyst?
This scheme runs along the same lines as a KTP but is designed for shorter interventions ranging from 3 - 15 months. The work is still carried out by a graduate and supported by an academic with a relevant area of research expertise to support the project.
KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER FELLOWSHIP SCHEME
What is the aim of Knowledge Transfer Fellowships?
This scheme provides funds to support knowledge transfer between an academic and a business. The scheme gives businesses access to World class research and funds an academic to work with the company up to three years to improve the business and develop new capacity.
PureGoldsmiths
Goldsmiths, University of London
New Cross, London SE14 6NW
Telephone: 020 7919 7692
