Reports & Resources
Explore our work from previous projects.
Search our extensive back catalogue to learn more about what works in design, including emerging trends and practice, as well as policy position papers about how to increase its use.
Design Council's Response to NPPF
17 May 2018
On 5 March 2018, the Prime Minister announced a major overhaul to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The aim of these changes is to help planners, developers and councils build more homes, more quickly with the aim of...
Healthy placemaking report
10 April 2018
Design Council's Healthy Placemaking report explores the attitudes and behaviours of built environment practitioners towards healthy placemaking. The report makes a valuable contribution to the evidence base, highlighting for the...
Design in the Public Sector: Lessons from applying design approaches in the public sector
27 February 2018
This summary report is about what we’ve learnt from helping public sector staff to use design approaches. Design Council has run nine cohorts of our public sector programme since 2014, with local authorities and other public...
Design Council Support and Business Survival and Growth report
2 February 2018
Businesses supported by Design Council over a ten year period survive longer and grow faster than average UK businesses, according to independent research. This research, independently conducted by the Enterprise Research Centre...
Design programme was the catalyst that helped a 145-year-old business flourish
2 February 2018
Halifax based business James Heal had experienced flat sales before applying for Designing Demand in 2009 – a Design Council business support programme to help businesses grow using design. The 145-year-old manufacturing business...
Design helped Midlands transport business to double their turnover
2 February 2018
White Logistics, one of the UK’s leading providers of logistics, warehouse and storage solutions opened its doors to design experts back in 2010 and has never looked back. The family run business, based in Worcestershire has more...
Designing a Future Economy report
6 December 2017
Designing a Future Economy is Design Council’s 2017 report investigating the skills used in design, the link between these skills and productivity and innovation, and how they align with future demand for skills across the wider...
Transform Ageing: Exploring the challenge in Somerset
27 November 2017
Transform Ageing is a design-led programme to improve people’s experience of ageing. It brings together people in later life, social entrepreneurs and public sector leaders, to design and deliver solutions to the needs and...
Transform Ageing: Exploring the challenge in Cornwall
27 November 2017
Transform Ageing is a design-led programme to improve people’s experience of ageing. It brings together people in later life, social entrepreneurs and public sector leaders, to design and deliver solutions to the needs and...
Transform Ageing: Exploring the challenge in Torbay
27 November 2017
Transform Ageing is a design-led programme to improve people’s experience of ageing. It brings together people in later life, social entrepreneurs and public sector leaders, to design and deliver solutions to the needs and...
Transform Ageing: Exploring the challenge in North Devon
27 November 2017
Transform Ageing is a design-led programme to improve people’s experience of ageing. It brings together people in later life, social entrepreneurs and public sector leaders, to design and deliver solutions to the needs and...
Transform Ageing: An overview of 'Exploring the Challenge'
27 November 2017
What did we do? Transform Ageing is a pioneering programme taking a community and design led approach to improve people’s experience of ageing. Bringing together people in later life, social entrepreneurs and public sector...