The Insider Archive
The Insider: Product Design and Merchandising - 'It's a Good Time to be a Designer in Philadelphia'
Innovation Matters, Volume 1, Issue 13 - April 9, 2008
Innovation Philadelphia's new study Creative Footprint, has uncovered particular strengths within the following industry sectors: Software Development; Communications and Marketing; Architecture, Engineering and Planning; Graphic and Visual Arts and Multimedia Design; Product Design and Merchandising; and Information Technology. Innovation Matters is taking an in-depth look at the big six, and here is what we've found about product design and merchandising.
The Philadelphia Region's product design and merchandising industry sector's economic impact on the Philadelphia Region is $2.7 billion annually. This creative industry sector employs nearly 26,000 workers with average annual wages of $51,600. Product design and merchandising firms comprise nearly 8% of all creative industry employment in the Philadelphia Region.
The product design and merchandising industry sector ranges from the design of medical, commercial and consumer products to the design and layout of a department store. The Philadelphia Region's product design and merchandising industry - defined in Creative Footprint as all industries/occupations relating to the design, production and display of products, packaging materials and exhibits - houses impressive highly-skilled employees. Employment growth in recent years sets the stage to claim Philadelphia's reputation as a hub for product design and merchandising.
Notable Assets
Product design and merchandising professionals in the region say that the colleges and universities specializing in design are a key asset of this industry in the Philadelphia Region. Roberta Gruber, Director of the Fashion and Design & Merchandising Department at the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design at Drexel University, notes that the Philadelphia Region has "excellent design schools and hungry talent."
Peter Bressler, founder of Philadelphia full service product design firm Bresslergroup, agreed that there are a large number of schools that graduate product design and merchandising professionals.
Bressler also said that the Philadelphia Region is an easy accessible city, with many modes of transportation available to visit clients. "We are able to service a number of clients in the region, as well as out of the country."
The size of the Philadelphia Region is also an asset to product design and merchandising professionals. "A smaller city [such as Philadelphia] is easier to manage...and New Yorkers are coming to our area. [The Philadelphia Region] has always been a nice, comfortable place to live in," Gruber says. Bressler agrees, adding Philadelphia is now associated with prestigious product design firms. "It is interesting, we find that clients went to larger companies [in larger cities] and were dissatisfied, then came to us."
Industry Growth
Creative Footprint reports that hundreds of self-employed professionals within the creative industry are product design and merchandising professionals. In addition, 14.9% of minority- and female-owned creative businesses in the Philadelphia Region are in product design and merchandising industry.
For a young professional breaking into the product design and merchandising industry, Bressler advises to do "whatever you can to get your foot in the door." He suggests working for a few months for little or no pay to prove your skills to a company and then try to get hired. Dr. Joseph H. Hancock, II, Assistant Professor at the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design at Drexel University notes that networking is key within the industry.
The industry has grown tremendously within the Philadelphia Region over the years. "From when I started in the industry until now is a phenomenal difference," Bressler says. "When I first started, there were only two [product design] firms in the region. Now there are 25 or more, all different sizes." He also says that there have been vast improvements in the depth of talent within the region and awareness of the talent within the Philadelphia Region.
There has also been growth in the trends of product design and merchandising. "During the last five years, you have seen a strong emphasis in branding in order to have product differentiation," says Hancock. He notes that future of product design will rely heavily on branding.
The Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the Product Development and Management Association is a group dedicated to sharing knowledge of best practices and building a professional community of people and organizations that have a stake in the researching, establishing, and promoting of best practices in the broad areas of Product and Services Development and Management. The organization meets throughout the year and provides participants with the opportunity to learn new ideas and approaches from world-class product and service development organizations and network with other product development professionals.
A Creative Industry Sector on the Rise
The product design and merchandising industry is on rise throughout the US. The International Design Excellence Awards program is the premier international competition honoring design excellence in products, ecodesign, interaction design, packaging, strategy, research and concepts. Entries are invited from designers, students and companies worldwide. Winning entries will receive press coverage in BusinessWeek magazine and businessweek.com as well as in hundreds of newspapers and networks.
"Philadelphia is evolving and changing as the city becomes more and more populated," Gruber says. "The greatest hurdle is understanding the customer base." She notes that the customer base will change as the city evolves and there may be a higher taste level which in turn can lead to more expensive items. "It is a good time to be a designer in Philadelphia, for any product," she says.
The findings in Creative Footprint illustrate the enormous potential of the for-profit, creative economy. In particular, the product design and merchandising industry sector holds tremendous potential in forming a new identity for the Philadelphia Region. Made a reality, this industry will offer economic benefits in the form of new jobs and new businesses and will increase the region's competitiveness across the nation. This new identity will make the region a destination for all businesses thirsty for creative talent.
Tell us what you think.