Policy

Design has a key role to play in boosting competitiveness by making the most of Britain's ideas and technologies. And it can help generate public value by making services meet users' needs in cost-effective ways.

Our evidence about design's value has shaped government strategies on innovation, manufacturing and enterprise - and we're also cited as the inspiration for national policies abroad including China, Korea, Denmark and the US.

In this section you can find out how our knowledge and experience in design-led innovation is helping to shape policy in health, communities, technology and public service reform, and how we're working towards a UK-wide design policy.

 

Debate

Design Council debate

Debate, comment and original articles from the Design Council.

Reviews and consultations

Cox Review front cover

We have enjoyed sustained success in getting design onto the UK's political agenda, from the Cox Review of Creativity in Business to the Innovation Nation white paper.

Design and Big Society

Nat Wei

In a major seminar series, hosted by the Institute for Government, the Design Council and NESTA, public service leaders will debate the challenges and opportunities of implementing Big Society public services.

Innovating through design in public services

In a period of public spending austerity design and the redesign of public services will be a key way to cut costs without affecting service quality. In a major seminar series, hosted by the LSE Public Policy Group and the Design Council public service leaders will debate the challenges and opportunities for redesigning public services.

Sustainability and design policy

The Design Council believes that to develop a sustainable, low-carbon economy we need to raise awareness about the opportunities offered by low carbon careers, enable consumers and businesses to change their behaviour and develop new business models and supply chains.

Technology and policy

Microscope

Britain needs design to extract more value from its science base. We have created a support programme testing a way to help academics commercialise their research.

Health and policy

Pearson Lloyd commode

Challenging issues in healthcare can be tackled with the fresh perspective of design. We've already shown how.

Public Services by Design

 

10 match-funded places available to ambitious public sector organisations.

Apply now

David Cameron speaking at Davos 2011

Our biggest ambitions have got to be for innovation. I don't believe for one moment we need to be downbeat about this in Europe. It was British scientists who unravelled the genome, who helped design the iPod, who invented the world wide web. Where is the world's capital for high quality industrial design? Not the US, not Asia - Europe. We've got the raw material of good ideas - let's get better at exploiting them

The Design Council offers support programmes for businesses and innovators

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