Inspiring new ways to do business

Insight: Inspiring new ways to do business

By gathering insights from around the world, we help share best and next practice in design and innovation. In turn we use this to inform national policies for government, the public sector and industry.

Business and the public sector need detailed information on design-led innovation to help them re-think what they do, recharge the economy and re-invent services.

We generate evidence about the value of design as well as new thinking on how best to use it - and we work to create change by sharing both with business, government, education and designers.

Through partnerships, we strengthen the place of design in the UK's strategies for economic recovery and renewal by influencing government policies. And through conferences, research and our own projects we keep decision makers, educators and innovators connected with the latest information and know-how. 

 

Public services: revolution or evolution?

What does the Big Society agenda mean for public services?

Find out how a major new seminar series we're running with the Institute for Government and Nesta is discussing how design thinking and techniques could help deliver the Big Society vision. Tell us how you think designers can and should be involved in public service revolution.

And read what The Guardian and the SOLACE Foundation have to say about how service design is helping public sector clients transform their services.

Sharing business best practice

When the old ideas stop working, business must find new ones. The innovative business model used by U.S. underpants company PACT was one of the case studies we brought to an international audience of business leaders at our Big Rethink conference with The Economist in March 2010.

Cognitive Media scribing at the Big Rethink Conference

Designing national policy

We're making sure design is influencing government policy, and we all know that government policy is affecting design.

In this section we explain how our knowledge and experience in design-led innovation is helping to shape policy in sustainability, public sector procurement and science and technology, and how we're working towards a UK-wide design policy.

We also discuss how the latest government policies, from the Budget to Big Society, are affecting the design industry.

Research on design industry and design use

Design Industry Research 2010 

Our latest research presents a comprehensive picture of the UK design industry and of how UK businesses use design.  

Design Council work

Helping Britain use design to build a stronger economy and improve everyday life

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