How a Strong Client Services Team Elevates Your Design Potential

Let's talk about something that doesn't get nearly enough credit in design studios: a really good client services team.

I'm not talking about someone who just answers emails and books meetings. I'm talking about the kind of team that creates actual space for your designers to do their best work. The kind that means your creative director isn't spending half their day managing client expectations or decoding vague feedback.

If you've ever thought "we need another designer" when what you actually need is someone to handle everything around the design work, this one's for you.

What Happens When Designers Are Also Client Managers

Here's what I see all the time: talented designers spending huge chunks of their day on calls, writing follow-up emails, chasing approvals, managing scope creep, and trying to translate "can you make it pop more?" into something they can actually action.

It's exhausting. And it's expensive, because those are hours they're not spending on the work you actually hired them to do.

A strong client services team changes that equation completely. They become the buffer, the translator, the organiser. They let your designers be designers.

What This Actually Looks Like in Practice

They handle the communication so your designers don't have to. Every back-and-forth with a client, every status update, every "just checking in" email. That's all managed by someone whose job is communication, not creation. Your designers get clear, actionable briefs instead of messy threads and last-minute panic calls.

They're really good at getting useful feedback. Not all feedback is created equal, and not all clients know how to give it. Client services teams know how to dig deeper, ask the right questions, and translate "I don't like it" into something your designers can actually work with. Less guessing, more doing.

They figure out what actually needs to happen first. When everything feels urgent, nothing is. A good client services team assesses what's genuinely time-sensitive, what can wait, and what needs the most attention right now. Your designers stop firefighting and start focusing on work that actually moves the needle.

They build the relationships that make projects easier. Trust takes time, and someone needs to be building it consistently with your clients. When that's handled well, clients are more patient, more collaborative, and way less likely to derail a project with constant changes. Your designers get the breathing room they need to do great work.

They spot opportunities your designers might miss. Because they're in regular contact with clients, they hear about upcoming projects, shifting priorities, and new needs before anyone else does. That means more work coming in and your design team getting to stretch into new areas instead of wondering where the next brief is coming from.

They balance workloads so no one burns out. A good client services team knows who's swamped, who's got capacity, and what's coming down the pipeline. They manage expectations on both sides so your designers aren't over-promised to clients and under-supported by the studio.

What This Actually Gets You

When client services and design work together properly, everything shifts. Projects run smoother because communication is clearer. Quality goes up because designers have time to actually think. Capacity increases because you're not losing half your team's hours to admin and client management. And clients? They're happier because someone's genuinely looking after them, not squeezing them in between design tasks.

It's not about adding headcount for the sake of it. It's about structuring your team so everyone's doing what they're actually good at.

Is Your Team Set Up Right?

If your designers are spending more time managing clients than designing, or if you're turning down work because you "don't have capacity" when really you just don't have the support structure, it's worth looking at how your team's built.

Sometimes the answer isn't hiring another designer. Sometimes it's hiring the right client services person who makes your existing team twice as effective.

I'd genuinely love to hear how your studio's currently set up and whether this is something you've thought about. If you're trying to figure out whether you need to expand your client services team or restructure what you've already got, let's talk. I work with studios navigating this exact question all the time.

Looking to build or strengthen your client services team? Let's have a conversation about what would actually make a difference for your studio.

Creative Industry Trends 2025: What's Shaping London's Design Market

The UK’s creative industry is booming, driven by exciting digital innovations and a surge in demand. From virtual reality to AI-powered design, companies are looking for skilled creative talent to lead the way and deliver standout work that captures the imagination of clients and consumers.  

Since February 2020, the UK’s creative sector has grown by an impressive 9% - far outpacing the broader economy’s 1.6% growth. It's an incredibly exciting time to ride this creative wave, whether you're a creative professional, a business owner, or a specialist in design recruitment! 

Let’s dive into some key stats and trends that highlight where the buzz is strongest and what it means for jobs.   

Rising Demand for Creative Professionals  

The UK’s design economy is booming, and nowhere is this growth more evident than in London. From Architecture and Interior Design to Graphic and Digital Design, the demand for creative professionals is soaring. Between 2010 and 2019, the design economy grew at twice the rate of the UK economy, and all signs point to this momentum accelerating in 2025.   

Our 2024 Market Review and Salary Report highlights rising hiring and salary trends across key fields like Interior Design, Digital Design, Architecture, and Client Services. London, the epicentre of the UK’s design economy, hosts nearly 30% of design jobs and a third of all design businesses. As Deloitte forecasts 4.3 million creative jobs by 2030, there’s no better time to be part of this vibrant and rapidly expanding sector. If you’re looking for opportunities in design, London is calling! 

Growing Competition for Creative Talent   

When you’re looking to hire someone for a design, digital or creative strategy role, you’re likely to find competition for good talent is rather tough. And the fact is, it’s not going to get easier in 2025. Whilst there is strong revenue growth evident for creative economy businesses, profitability is getting squeezed by increases in salaries and pay rates, as companies race to snap up skilled talent.  

The challenge for employers is to demonstrate why their business is a great place to work – by articulating their employee value proposition (EVP). Companies with strong EVPs will cover the essentials of attracting talent, like a competitive base salary. But it’s just as important to emphasise other factors that make your company an attractive place to work. Flexible work arrangements, for example, have become increasingly valued by candidates in recent years – and we see no sign of that desire abating! 

Creative professionals are also flocking to roles that offer autonomy and opportunities to work on inspiring projects and innovations. The most sought-after candidates want to work for companies that provide genuine career development and invest in their people for mutual growth. With that said, as an employer, you can differentiate by offering clear career growth paths and support for upskilling.  

Investing in training and development may become increasingly essential rather than optional for employers in the creative industries, as there are warning signs of a dwindling pool of fresh graduate talent. The number of students taking Design and Technology (D&T) at GCSE has halved over the last decade, indicating that fewer young people are gaining foundational skills in creative disciplines.  

AI Everywhere? 

Generative artificial intelligence is by far the biggest headline story in several industries, particularly creative fields like design and digital. From graphic design, and 2D design to video and coding, AI has upped the ante for creative work. Now, the challenge is to see who can do the most interesting stuff with it! 

Can we expect AI to replace many design jobs? Whilst it’s too early to make that call, we’ve seen numerous examples of gen AI lifting productivity for designers in multiple disciplines. Considering that the rate of AI adoption has at least doubled over the past five years, demand for designers shows no signs of slowing down.  

 In 2025, we could expect human skills and talent to come at an even higher premium, as AI use becomes increasingly mainstream. Professionals with a strong grounding in design disciplines will be highly sought after for their ability to combine creativity with strategic thinking.  

Sensory Experiences 

In 2025, we may firmly find ourselves in the realm of the senses, at least when it comes to design innovations. More interior design and architecture projects will involve creating multi-sensory spaces that blend digital and physical experiences. As Dentsu highlights, there’s a growing demand for immersive sensory activations, where elements like touch, sound, light, scent, and gesture converge to captivate audiences.  

Engaging senses all five senses requires design and creative professionals with a multi-disciplinary mindset, who can meld the digital with the experiential.  

Industries such as hospitality, retail, and cultural institutions are hunting for new ways to engage consumers with a multi-sensorial feast of sound, colour, light, touch and scent.  From hotels incorporating haptic feedback into guest rooms to museums designing exhibits with interactive light and sound, the emphasis is on creating environments that stimulate and inspire – and look amazing on social ! 

Nostalgia Vibes 

From the aesthetics of nostalgia (90’s fashion revival, music on vinyl, vintage cameras) to the growing desire to disconnect from digital technologies (at least once in a while), nostalgia will be a powerful force for creative professionals and consumers alike in 2025.  

For built environment professionals (interior designers, architects), nostalgia will inspire the creation of spaces that evoke the vibes and memories of a bygone era – whether it be brutalism or mid-century modernism.  

On the digital front, graphic designers will draw on forgotten visuals like the pixelated, DIY look of early MySpace pages or the grainy, low-res charm of flip phone photography. By remixing these tiny slices of history, brands can be sure to capture attention with a playful feel. 

The Rising Tide for Creative Recruiters 

With creative sectors set for a bumper year in 2025, people with a background in recruitment for creative sectors are going to see their boats lifted by the same tide. 

As the creative sectors continue to expand, recruiters with experience in or passion for these industries will be instrumental. After all, creative businesses need help in identifying the talent that brings these trends to life. If that sounds like your kind of thing, we’d love to chat with you about our internal opportunities. Please feel free to send us a message to introduce yourself and pop your CV over to us! 

Connect with the Creative Recruitment Specialists 

Ready to add a team member or two, or planning your next career move for 2025? Twenty One Twelve’s creative and design recruitment specialists can help you get sorted with a solution or role that’s right for you.  

Contact us today for support in growing your team or finding your next role.  We’d love to chat with you!