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Published on July 20, 2007

Deputy managing director Paravi Wongchirachai yesterday said people commonly believed that good creative works were often doomed as commercial property.

Designers and business people adopt different stances. Business people feel many creative works are not practical in a business sense, while designers often think business people never understand why they are passionate about expressing themselves.

However, Paravi said there were increasing examples around the world that showed there were balancing points between making high profits and creating great works of art. These are not limited to the world of fashion, but instead include other business areas, such as advertising, consumer-electronic products, furniture, houses and films. Moreover, many successful companies have a blend of artistic passion and great business strategy.

The UK is prominent among countries with businesses that are able to combine creative and business talents, and its success is being watched closely around the world, Paravi said.

Managing director Chaiyong Ratana-angoon said the UK understood the importance of blending creative design and business management more than two decades ago and has built up a knowledge-management base from around the world, aimed at producing successful enterprises at home.

The UK government even set up a "creative economic policy" to sustain businesses depending on creativity with help ranging from design and business management to measures supporting design work and business performance.

Creative businesses have now become the UK's fastest-growing industry, generating income of more than Bt38.4 trillion a year.

To give a clearer picture of the UK's success, the TCDC has joined the British Council and UK Trade and Investment to present an exhibition called "Love and Money - The Best of British Design Now", from today to September 16 at the TCDC Centre in The Emporium Tower. It features projects by 20 companies, ranging from architecture to product design, graphic and computer design, fashion design, animation and structural engineering.

Chaiyong hopes the exhibition will be a first step in stimulating the government, business people and designers to work together to help Thailand become prominent in creative industries.

Nitida Asawanipont

The Nation