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"Complex problems demand innovative solutions..."

David Kester, Design Council Chief Executive

In this section you can find out about the ways design is making a difference in all areas of the UK. You can also share your views on current design, business and policy issues.

The Design Council is working towards real change in the following areas:

Driving competitiveness in industry

Improving innovation in public services

Design skills development

Can design help businesses survive today's tough economic climate?

  • Stage: The Design Council will soon publish case study evidence of how design has helped small businesses overcome tough market conditions
  • Addressing: Driving competitiveness in industry

How have other SMEs succeeded when times are tough?

In the middle of a recession, SMEs need all the help they can get to survive the tough times. Design can help them take advantage of new market opportunities.

Perspectives

Ian Pearson talking about Designing Demand

Ian Pearson

Minister for Science and Innovation

 

Quote: 'If we’re to remain a force to be reckoned with in the global market place, UK companies must continue to develop new high-value added products and services and that’s an even greater priority during challenging economic conditions, with the credit crunch, high fuel and food prices. Investment in design is a necessity, not a luxury, for start-ups, for companies seeking to grow, for SME’s, for multi-nationals. Design Council research shows that for every £100 spent by a business on design, it increases its turnover by £225. Indeed, companies that invest in design outperform their peers in pretty much every metric that you want to use – market share, growth, productivity, share price and profitability.'

This is a quote from a podcast of Ian Pearson speaking at a Designing Demand event.Listen to the rest of his speech.

More perspectives and the chance to contribute

A hospital bed

How can design help deliver better health services?

  • Stage: The Design Council is demonstrating how design can help hospitals stay clean and individual people manage their own healthy active lifestyles
  • Addressing: Driving competitiveness in industry, Improving innovation in public services

What can design do to help improve our nation's health?

Bad health is putting pressure on us and on our health system. We think that design can help find ways to motivate people to lead more active lifestyles and to manage their health more effectively.

High-level skills for higher value

What skills do designers need and how can they get them?

  • Stage: We're working on the Good Design Practice campaign to improve design industry skills
  • Addressing: Design skills development

How can we help designers get the right skills?

British design is the best in the world. But we need to take action now to make sure it stays that way.

What stops small companies using design?

  • Stage: We have launched a programme called Designing Demand to help SMEs increase profit, sales and market share using design
  • Addressing: Driving competitiveness in industry, Design skills development

How can design make sense for smaller businesses?

The share prices of design-led companies out-performed key FTSE indices by 200% over ten years, but SMEs don't always understand the value design can add to their business

Note: This project is part of The Cox Review of Creativity in Business

Designing Demand logo

Can design help in the fight against crime?

  • Stage: We are part of the new Design and Technology Alliance, a group of experts in design, consumer affairs and crime. With them we will establish new ways for good design to tackle crime.
  • Addressing: Improving innovation in public services

Why is crime an issue for design?

Crime has fallen over the last decade but new crime challenges have emerged as society, and technology, have evolved.

Hot products like these are likely to be the targets of criminals
Lessons from Europe

Can universities bring business studies and creativity closer together?

  • Stage: We have been looking at international examples of best practice
  • Addressing: Driving competitiveness in industry, Design skills development

Why is this an issue for design?

Designers need to help decide what kind of centres should be set up to enable multidisciplinary groups of designers, scientists, anthropologists, economists and others to drive innovation

What other issues are there?



Emerging economiesWhat's the threat from emerging economies? 

Creative EconomyWhy is everyone talking about the creative economy? 

Science and innovationDesigning more competitive science and innovation

School designCan design make schools more sustainable?  

UK InnovationWhat makes the UK an innovation nation?

Design and healthCan we create better public services using design?

Dott 07 logoCan we use design to improve how people live?