Impact Report: Chapter 1

Over the years, Design Council has made significant strides forward in clarifying what design is and communicating the economic, social and environmental benefits it brings. This first chapter in our Making life better by design series looks at the vital work we have done to increase understanding of design and encourage its use across public, private and third sectors.

Communicating the value of design outlines key achievements including: the development of Design Council’s Double Diamond, widely recognised as one of the simplest visual descriptions of the design process; our ground-breaking research, including two world-first reports on the value of design and design skills to the UK economy; our storytelling work which has reached millions of people; and our important work to influence policy. Recognising that design is constantly evolving, we continue to ensure we are both promoting and evidencing to all sectors of the economy the latest that design can offer.

In this chapter you can find information on:

• Design Action Plan (2020)
• Designing A Future Economy (2017)
• Design Economy (2015 and 2018)
• Double Diamond and Framework for Innovation

Case study: Design Economy

As part of our flagship Design Economy 2018 research, Design Council commissioned BOP Consulting to develop seven case studies to sit alongside the economic analysis and survey, bringing to life how some firms are using design. We chose firms leading or changing their sector in some way, with the aim to bring to life how some firms are using design, illustrating how design is being applied to new and increasingly complex environments.