Policy

We advise government, run programmes and undertake research into the role of design in developing and delivering public services and policy.

In business, design is often used for competitive advantage. Leading international companies like Virgin and Samsung owe much of their success on design-led innovations which focus on customers and differentiate their products, services and ways of working.

The potential of design as a tool for public sector innovation is less familiar. But by focussing on the needs of users design can generate innovative new approaches to the development and delivery of public services and policy.

Design for Public Good

Download our new report, Design for Public Good, looking at how design can deliver better public services and improve policy making.

What we're doing

Find out about the role we see for design in government and the key areas we're focussing on in our policy work.

Government reports

We work with Government to show how design can improve everyday life and help meet the challenges of the future, contributing and responding to Government reports and reviews.

Education and skills

We champion the role of design in schools, support skills development for the sector and drive new design research in higher education.

Design strategy for Europe

The European Commission vice-president has announced a set of policy recommendations to ensure design is at the heart of driving innovation in the European economies.

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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