EDUCATIONAL INFLUENCE OF BUSINESS PRACTICES ON THE SAUDI ARABIAN DESIGN ECOSYSTEM

Saudi Arabia's design ecosystem has expanded rapidly with many early career designers starting their own studios and companies. Despite their creativity and technical expertise, these early career designers face a number of challenges in developing their businesses. This paper, part of larger PhD project, explores the key challenges early career designers face across various geographical regions of Saudi Arabia (i.e., Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Jazan, and Tabuk/Yanbu) in the development of their design start-up company. The paper focuses on the skills and knowledge required for effective design start-ups in Saudi Arabia, including marketing, business development, and client relationships. While conventional design education often prioritises technical skills, many “soft” skills needed to run a successful design firm are potentially overlooked. This research aims to address this gap by examining the major challenges faced by designers in the Saudi Arabia design ecosystem whilst identifying the key skills needed to flourish. The main objective of this research is to examine what early career designers believe are the essential skills for developing a successful design business. To gather insights, the research conducted semi-structured interviews with novice designers in five cities across Saudi Arabia. Participants were asked about the skills and knowledge they felt were necessary for business growth, specifically focusing on the question, "What knowledge/ skills do you need to achieve a successful business?" A thematical analysis of the data identified common trends across different regions and different design disciplines.