Case studies

As a technology start-up, Ceres Power needed to secure funding to sustain research and product development. The Designing Demand programme helped Ceres focus on routes to market beyond domestic heat and form key development partnerships. Read more

Aga and Rayburn were widely recognised brands, but the company wasn’t exploiting them as well as it could. Aga joined the Designing Demand programme to work with designers to look in depth at its two brands and after launching new ranges profits rose by 14% and exports by 38%.
 

Rapha took a cohesive design approach encompassing all its products and marketing materials to communicate a passion for cycling. Business grew from start-up to a £900,000 business in less than three years.

Guinness's visitor centre struggles to cope with more than double the number of visitors it was originally designed for. Guinness decides to revamp the centre and employs Imagination to drive the direction of the design.

Anglepoise, once synonymous with precision engineering and quality, was struggling to stand out in the overcrowded mid-range lighting market. Its owners decided to relocate, redesign and reinvent the business.

Increasing high street retail transactions by redesigning the customer experience

De Post, the Belgian post office, faced increased competition in the European postal market. UK design agency Fitch:London was appointed to re-invent the Belgian post office concept and 87% of the Belgian public prefer the new look post offices. Read more
 

Poole-based partitioning company Invotek needed to respond to changing environmental regulations. Designers and suppliers collaborated to create new, more sustainable products and Invotek launched Strawboard, which is on track for a return on investment of £1million
 

A £10,500 investment in completely new look for packaged salads enabled Vitacress salads to stand out on the shelf and sales expectations increase by 40% in a year.

As the nation gets less active, health conditions such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and joint problems are putting pressure on our health and our health service. Working with residents of an estate in Kent, designers developed a new way of helping people stay healthy by organising and motivating themselves to do the activities they like. Read more
 

In Bolton, 29 people are newly diagnosed with diabetes every week... can design help them? Read more

Competitors mimicking a waste management company’s logo and brand, giving it a bad reputation. A new name and colour scheme with new attitude, humour and directness gave Serious** 75% more business.

How do you keep a company at the top of its game when product throughput is deliberately slow? Capitalise on your design strengths says Vitsoe.

Why can’t kitchen utensils be designed to be easy to use by people with arthritis? Extensive user research and innovative design helps OXO goodgrips create comfortable tools for all.

UK shower company Aqualisa partnered with designers Seymour Powell to do user research and better understand their market's needs. Their new Quartz shower out-sells any other Aqualisa product and secured the company significant growth with a turnover of £40million.
 

How could three friends build a business to help them realise their dream of ‘making every day a bit healthier’? Using creative thinking, the trio set up Innocent Drinks, a business that aimed to be ‘a fast growing company that acts responsibly’
 

Sheffield-based Taylor's Eye Witness was facing a growing threat from cut-price competitors in the Far East before it redesigned its brand, products and packaging. Read more

Challs was having problems getting its cleaning products noticed by supermarket buyers. Rebranding, repositioing and repackaging after working with Designing Demand helped Challs increase sales by 35% immediately.