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Problem |
Response |
Result |
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Design Out Crime case studies
Published 12 May 2008
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Hot products like mobile phones, bikes and MP3 players are easy targets for criminals |
Design and businesses have worked together to produce innovative places, products and services that are anti-crime |
Opportunities for theft, violence or vandalism are removed, creating safer communities and commercial opportunities
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Designing Out Crime: Villiers High School
Published 01 April 2009
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Teenagers of 35 different nationalities had to use an empty tarmac space at Villiers High School in Southall each lunchtime and fights between them occurred often, with one person’s nose being broken in a fight every month on average |
Students pitched for £25,000 to fund a collaborative design project which would make their outside space somewhere suitable for all the different social groups in the school |
A regenerated space gives groups of students space of their own but allows staff to see what’s happening in every corner and more easily stop potential conflicts. There have been no broken noses since the new designs were installed
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Designing Out Crime: Hulme Park
Published 08 April 2009
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Hulme, one mile from Manchester city centre, was notorious for muggings, burglary, robbery and poor housing. As life there deteriorated during the 80s into a kind of living hell, it was decided that something had to be done |
A park is designed for Hulme by Landscape Projects in collaboration with groups of local people |
The park is secured by psychological rather than physical barriers which are designed in to a layout that allows different groups of users, like teenagers, bike riders, families or dog owners, to have their own space and feel proud of their contribution
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Designing Out Crime: Britannia Mills
Published 08 April 2009
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Developer Urban Splash wanted to create high-design apartments in industrial buildings in Manchester that were located away from other homes in parts of town that felt vulnerable at night |
To match style with substance they designed security measures into the new apartment complex in a subtle and innovative way |
Self-closing doors, automatic interior lighting, clever landscaping and other features created an apartment complex with few problems of burglary or vandalism that commanded a premium price
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Designing Out Crime: Parksafe Systems
Published 07 April 2009
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How could the chance of having your car stolen from a car park be reduced to zero with effective design? |
An innovative high tech sensor is designed in to every car parking space which detects whether the vehicle is moved |
A zero crime rate and the creation of a business with massive commercial potential
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Unpackaged
Transport and distribution
Published 12 February 2009
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We use packaging like it’s a never ending resource. Every person in the UK generates about 500kg of waste each year, 160kg of which is packaging waste that uses finite resources then ends up on landfill sites because not all of it can be recycled |
Unpackaged, a North London social enterprise helps people use less unnecessary packaging. It worked with designers to create a local organic grocery store which helps local customers shop in a new packaging free way |
60% of Unpackaged customers reuse their own packs when they return to the shop and about 1.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions are saved by the store each year compared to if it was selling the same groceries pre packed
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Finding a designer
Published 26 June 2008
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Ever wondered how to make your packs stand out on shelf or your website work better? |
You need a designer who understands your company values and aspirations, but you don't know how to find one |
We share some practical advice on how to find and work with a designer
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Design to overcome a downturn
Science and technology
Published 23 December 2008
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Knowing how to maintain competitive advantage in challenging economic times is difficult |
Design has always been used to combat challenging economic times |
Design can do many things for businesses including: delivering a professional image, bringing in new customers and changing buying habits
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Design for public services
Published 23 April 2008
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Public services don't always keep the users in mind |
Design tools can get to the bottom of what people really want |
Happier patients, healthier people, more innovative procurement
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Better business by design
Professional services
Published 17 April 2008
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What's the point in businesses spending on design? |
Design tools like brainstorming, prototyping and user-testing can make products and services more saleable |
Product, graphic, brand or service designs make businesses more effective and profitable
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McCain Oven Chips
Published 08 December 2008
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In the mid-2000s a surge in concerns over obesity and poor diets led to a backlash against chips. For market leader McCain Oven Chips, this led to falling sales and increasingly negative product connotations with consumers |
McCain Oven Chips’ natural ingredients and low-fat needed to be more clearly communicated through the design of product packaging if customer perceptions of the oven chip were to change |
Following a packaging redesign and marketing activity, sales increased and product penetration reached a record 28.2 per cent of UK households in 2007
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HMV Group
Published 08 December 2008
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The way people are discovering and consuming music, film and entertainment content is changing. Specialist music and home entertainment stores are having to adapt to a new landscape, which includes downloading, growing online sales, supermarket incursion |
HMV realised that it had to revitalise its core offer, and to engage more effectively with its customers if it was to remain part of this dramatically changing environment |
HMV piloted a new generation store in Dudley Merry Hill and s sales increase by 25 per cent following the refit. This convinced HMV to commence a phased roll out of the design across the chain, and to introduce key elements in all new stores
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Ian Macleod Distillers
Published 08 December 2008
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Whisky volume sales are falling, due in large part to the diminishing appeal of the dominant blended Scotch category and a failure to attract younger drinkers |
In order to attract a new generation to whisky drinking, Ian Macleod Distillers worked with design group Navyblue to create Smokehead, a new product with contemporary, bold packaging that would stand out from traditional whisky branding |
Since its launch in 2006, Smokehead has gained worldwide distribution contracts and sales of the product have doubled from year one to year three
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Dott 07: New Work
Published 19 June 2009
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Working in a very small business can be difficult. So can working people help each other solve the practical everyday problems? |
Six micro businesses in the North East got together to share their experiences and develop solutions to common problems |
The businesses now work together to create services that make organising meetings easier, finding staff more successful, and presenting more effective pitches. A ‘Facebook for small businesses’ got a positive response
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Dott 07: Our New School
Published 19 June 2009
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Schools are often isolated from their community and don’t always provide a space that’s conducive to different sorts of learning and includes facilities for different community groups |
An in-school design laboratory was set up to help all members of the community that use Walker Technology College in Newcastle discover what they need from new buildings |
Students, teachers, designers and the community of Walker Tech worked together to produce a brief for architects called ‘Dear Architect’. It includes drawings, photographs and illustrated scenarios to bring the school’s ideas to life
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Dott 07: Move Me
Published 08 June 2009
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How can people from a small rural community – where public transport is infrequent and expensive and not everybody owns a car – get where they need to go without the need for new cars and roads? |
Research found that under-utilised transport could be used in smarter ways for journeys such as school runs |
A lift exchange programme and improved access to information about current public transport provision is making the most of the available transport in the village of Scremerston
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Thistle Hotels
Published 08 December 2008
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Hotel groups operating in the mid-market are feeling the pinch from budget brands, luxury venues and new entrants. With a poor image amongst consumers, Thistle Hotels needed to spruce up its act in order to remain competitive in the sector |
Design consultancy Navyblue created a whole new corporate face for the hotel group, refreshing everything from its primary logo to signage, in-room materials and publications |
The £138 million refurbishment and rebrand is still in progress, to be completed in 2009, but early results are ‘extremely positive’ with a ‘growing sector of new customers’
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Castle Rock Brewery
Published 08 December 2008
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Beer drinking in pubs is in long-term decline, causing a rapid number of pub closures. Exacerbated by the credit crunch, the smoking ban and cheap alcoholic drinks at the supermarkets, this trend is a real threat to Castle Rock Brewery |
The brewery decided to improve its image by using design to focus its portfolio of brands and strengthen its main corporate identity |
In the year since the rebrand Castle Rock’s growth rates have doubled and its brewery is running at full capacity, with demand currently outstripping supply
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Dott 07: Low Carb Lane
Published 19 June 2009
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Leading a lifestyle with low environmental impact is a great intention, but can low income households afford it? |
Asking residents in an average street in the North East what they really think about energy efficiency revealed that other social and financial problems are more pressing concerns |
A blueprint for energy saving with an investment service called SaverBox and an energy reduction service called NESCO was developed by working with local people
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Aga
Industrial and manufacturing
Published 17 August 2007
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Aga and Rayburn were widely recognised brands, but the company wasn’t exploiting them as well as it could |
Aga joins the Designing Demand programme and works with designers to look in depth at its two brands |
New ranges are launched and Aga sees profits rising by 14 per cent, exports up 38 per cent and cookware sales rise from £2million to around £7million in four years
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