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Design Economy 2018

The Design Council's 2018 report into the scale and economic value of design to the UK, and it's role in business.

  • Credits: The Design Council
  • Value: Economic
  • Type: Research report
  • Published: 2018
  • Audience: Policymakers

Designing a Future Economy

Design Council's 2017 report on the economic value of design skills to the UK, including their role in productivity and innovation.

  • Credits: The Design Council
  • Value: Economic
  • Type: Research Report
  • Published: 2017
  • Audience: Policymakers

Creatures

An EU Horizon 2020 funded research project into the role creative practices can play in fostering social and environmental sustainability.

  • Credits: EU Horizon
  • Value: Environmental
  • Type: Related Project
  • Published: 2020
  • Audience: Designers, Architects

Viral Design

The Distributed Design Platform's latest book, exploring how those working in the maker movement have adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Credits: Distributed Design Platform
  • Value: Social, Environmental
  • Type: Book
  • Published: 2021
  • Audience: Designers, Architects

How to Buy Design

A practical guide for businesses and public sector organisations on how to procure design services and support, by the Design Business Association.

  • Credits: Design Business Association
  • Value: Economic
  • Type: Online Guide
  • Published: 2021
  • Audience: Business

Social Value Toolkit for Architecture

A toolkit for architects looking to demonstrate the social value of architecture on people and communities.

  • Credits: RIBA
  • Value: Social
  • Type: Toolkit
  • Published: 2020
  • Audience: Designers, Architects

Interrogating the Value of Design Research for Change

A report that explores the types of value currently being created by UK-based academic design research.

  • Credits: Conerney, L., Mazzarella, F., and Rodgers, P.
  • Value: Social, Environmental
  • Type: Research Report
  • Published: 2020
  • Audience: Researchers, Academics

The Fashion Transparency Index

Fashion Revolution's 2021 report and rankings of 250 of the world's largest fashion brands, based on their reported social and environmental impacts.

  • Credits: Fashion Revolution
  • Value: Social, Environmental
  • Type: Related Project
  • Published: 2021
  • Audience: Designers, Architects

Moving Beyond Financial Value

A report that explores current literature and debates on assessing social, environmental and economic value.

  • Credits: Mission Oriented Innovation Network (Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose), and the Design Council
  • Value: Economic, Social, Environmental
  • Type: Research Report
  • Published: 2020
  • Audience: Researchers, Academics

Step-Up: The Small Business Design Management Toolkit

A practical guide for small businesses
who want to start commissioning design, developed by PDR.

  • Credits: PDR
  • Value: Economic
  • Type: Toolkit
  • Published: 2018
  • Audience: Business

The Business Value of Design

McKinsey's 2018 report on the business value of design.

  • Credits: McKinsey
  • Value: Economic
  • Type: Research Report
  • Published: 2018
  • Audience: Policymakers

Construction Innovation Hub Value Toolkit

Construction Innovation Hub's toolkit to support values-led decision making in the construction industry. Still in development.

  • Credits: UK Construction Innovation Hub
  • Value: Economic, Social, Environmental
  • Type: Live Project
  • Published: 2021
  • Audience: Designers, Architects

Design and Economics Unconference

Design and Economics is a programme of activities pulling together various threads around how design and economics connect, conflict, and shape each other. The website hosts session recordings from the first unconference which took place in April 2021.

  • Credits: Mark Simpkins, Simon Gough, Paul Sternberg, Sally Brazier, Victoria Hands, Jim Coleman, Joanna Boehnert, Tanvi Yardi, Kas Moreno Madrigal, Leonardo Gentili and Zarida Zaman.
  • Value: Economic, Social, Environmental
  • Type: Related Project
  • Published: 2021
  • Audience: Designers, Architects

Design Value: The role of design in innovation

A report exploring the value of design to innovation in companies, produced as part of the Value of Design project funded by AHRC.

  • Credits: Cooper, R., Hernandez, R. and Murphy, E. et al.
  • Value: Economic
  • Type: Research Report
  • Published: 2021
  • Audience: Researchers, Academics

Understanding Design Intensive Innovation

Our 2017 literature review of the role and value of design-intensive innovation.

  • Credits: The Design Council
  • Value: Economic
  • Type: Research Report
  • Published: 2017
  • Audience: Policymakers

Build Back Creatively

A practical toolkit helping local authorities to support creative economics post-COVID 19.

  • Credits: The Audience Agency
  • Value: Economic, Social, Environmental
  • Type: Toolkit
  • Published: 2021
  • Audience: Designers, Architects

Design Emergency

An ongoing research project showcasing
how designers globally are helping us to
build a better future.

  • Credits: Antonelli, P. & Rawsthorn, A.
  • Value: Social, Environmental
  • Type: Related Project
  • Published: 2020
  • Audience: Designers, Architects

Design Challenges of the Future

A series of six reports exploring how UK design research can help to address some
of today's most pressing challenges.

  • Credits: AHRC
  • Value: Economic, Social, Environmental
  • Type: Research report
  • Published: 2020
  • Audience: Researchers, Academics

The Creative Hub Leaders Toolkit

British Council's practical guide for those leading or developing creative hubs.

  • Credits: British Council
  • Value: Economic
  • Type: Toolkit
  • Published: 2020
  • Audience: Business, Public Sector

National Themes Outcomes and Measures Framework

A national framework and guide for measuring social value for those working with and within the public sector.

  • Credits: UK Social Value Taskforce
  • Value: Social
  • Type: Toolkit
  • Published: 2019
  • Audience: Public Sector

Creative Green Tools

Julie's Bicycle's online toolkit for organisations in the creative industries to assess the environmental impact of their work.

  • Credits: Julie's Bicycle
  • Value: Environmental
  • Type: Toolkit
  • Published: 2019
  • Audience: Public Sector

Framework for Defining Social Value

UK Green Building Council's practical toolkit for architects, developers and other placemakers who want to assess the social value and impact of their work.

  • Credits: UK Green Building Council
  • Value: Social
  • Type: Toolkit
  • Published: 2021
  • Audience: Designers, Architects

Design Driven Innovation: Why It Matters for SME Competitiveness

Focusing on Ireland, a report that outlines the value of design to innovation for SME's.

  • Credit: Northern & Western Regional Assembly
  • Value: Economic
  • Type: Research Report
  • Published: 2015
  • Audience: Policymakers

The Creative Hubkit

British Council's handbook and toolkit for setting-up a new creative hub, containing templates, activities and case-studies.

  • Credit: British Council
  • Value: Economic
  • Type: Toolkit
  • Published: 2015
  • Audience: Business