Let’s get over the first hurdle – the term ‘competitors’ should never be used in the creative industry, and even though I used it in the title and the first line of this article, I won’t use it again. I’ll refer to other agencies as ‘other agencies.’ Original, right?

So should you collaborate with other agencies?

Yes, of course. We do it all the time. The successful agencies are doing it and any agency who wants to develop and grow should follow suit. Here are the seven occasions and reasons why collaboration is wise. If this doesn’t convince you, nothing will.

1. Learn until you retire

And never retire if you love doing something. There is no reason to stop learning your craft. Everyone should be open to learning something new from any source and you never know when a useful crumb of information will add a crucial touch to a design or campaign. ‘Learning something’ sounds off actually, it’s too tangible. We’re creatives. Inspiration and ideas are better words to use. Inspiration is commonly gained from enjoying the work of peers. When one designer notices a great design pop up on Twitter, retweet it and express respect. The better their work is, the better yours becomes. It’s not exactly collaboration, but an open sense of sharing and support. It takes first position in this list because, if adhered to, it sets the ideal tone for future collaboration.

2. Never stop mentoring

The other side of learning is teaching or mentoring. This suggests a more structured form of learning than expressed within the first point. It’s not inspiration per se. It’s strategic and more deliberate. For obvious reasons, mentoring is just as important, even more important, than learning. Depending on the sizes of two agencies or the stature of two designers (and their ambitions too) a student-mentor type relationship could develop. It’s common to think of these relationships as only beneficial for the student. It’s not the case. It’s recommended that every person who wants to develop spend roughly a third of their time with mentors, a third with their equals and the final third with students, always striving to maintain this balance no matter how successful you become. This is a tried and tested method of reaching the top of your game and staying there.

3. Sharing assets, future partnerships

Some creative agencies have a specific niche that they put more attention into or an aspect they are better at than others. Even full-service creative agencies are known for being experts in one particular area. It’s natural. Some are known for being web design experts. Some for branding. Some for having gaming or technological expertise. If we at Bonne Marque happened to be approached by a company wanting their brand reimagined, a new website and game development, we will partner with an agency focused on game development for that aspect of the project. The outcome will be tremendous. It doesn’t take long to see how this can be a mutually extraordinary partnership. It could lead onto bigger things too, with more official partnerships down the line.

4. A hand with talent

No one knows what the future will bring – share and shape the world together. It wouldn’t be unnatural within an excellent relationship between two agencies for one agency to recommend a graphic designer to another. Imagine receiving this message from another agency: “Hey, we came across this guy who is absolutely incredible. He’s a graphic designer. You told us last week that you’re after one and we think he could be your man. Check him out. Normally we’d have taken him on but we haven’t got any openings at the moment. Let us know how you get on. Would be great to help out.”

Why not?

5. New heights, together

Anything beneficial for the industry is similarly beneficial for the individual agencies within. As well as founding Bonne Marque, I’m also a judge for the CSS Design Awards. To me, a non-ego approach towards all other agencies is completely natural. The prestige of my position demands that I rates my own work as critically as I would other designers. Even when my own design is up for an award, I’ll look at it with fresh eyes and be fair. This attitude is fundamental to the idea of raising other agencies to improve the overall industry. We’re all in this together.

6. Being the greatest

We all want to be the best. Think about what that means. It means being the best in an industry that’s full of absolute class-acts. Let’s strive to be the best of a group of absolute masters. That has to be the greatest badge of honour. This means we have to learn from one another, share valuable assets and be open to partnerships and help make our industry as strong as possible. Let’s redefine its reputation and start a revolution. The agency that wins awards and find themselves on top is suddenly in a position a thousand times more valuable.

7. It works

Do it because collaboration works. It works for you, for others, for the industry. Go for it. We all talk about improvement and development all the time. We read inspirational quotes about making a difference. At least 100 show up on my Twitter feed every afternoon. Within this article is how we improve an industry and ourselves. Creating partnerships with other agencies is both forward-thinking and mutually beneficial. Let’s grow the industry strong and stand right at the top.