Leading design industry research

Our research on the UK design industry, on how UK businesses use design and on how the UK's design capability compares to that in other nations, presents a comprehensive picture that compares UK abilities now against how we worked in the past.

Expect more on how we're expanding the UK research forum to include new international partners such as MIT and about new research projects on the economic value of design.

Design Industry Research 2010

Design Industry Research illustration

In autumn 2009 the Design Council conducted its second comprehensive survey of the UK design industry.

The survey, published in March 2010, covered 2,200 design businesses including in-house design teams, design consultancies and freelance designers working across communications, digital & multimedia, interior & exhibition, product & industrial, fashion and service design disciplines. Design businesses were asked about the profile and size of their businesses, their clients and the competition they face, their business practices and the education, training and skills of their employees.

Design Industry Research 2005

Research from 2005 on the design sector's scope and economic significance, how its consultancies, freelances and in-house teams do business, and what education, training and skills its designers have.

 

How businesses use design

Thrive

Our business research shows the positive impact of design on practically every measure of business performance, including market share, growth, productivity, share price and competitiveness.

Company spending on design

Company spending on design front cover

Company spending on design is the most comprehensive attempt yet to understand how - and how much - UK companies spend on design. The exploratory survey, conducted by the University of Cambridge and supported by the Design Council, uses an inclusive model of design that categorises spending by purpose rather than by a strict definition of design. This original study demonstrates that design spending can be captured in the creation of products and services; the promotion or communication of offerings, and the development of corporate identity.

Design Council Research Briefings

Design Council Briefings

Briefing papers on the impact of design on businesses and public services, written by the Design Council research team as well as expert authors.

Value of design factfinder

Launched in June 2006, the Value of Design Factfinder shows the positive impact of design on practically every measure of business performance, including market share, growth, productivity, share price and competitiveness.

International design research

International Design Scoreboard front cover

A two year project aimed at comparing design capabilities across nations and at comprehensively capturing how much UK firms spend on design has produced preliminary results and suggestions of how to make future research more reliable.

Design Index

Design Index

The share prices of companies which invest in design performed up to three times better than the FTSE 100 Index over nearly two years in the run-up to December 2004.

Design to overcome a downturn

When times are tough and revenues are falling there may be a temptation for business to cut ‘discretionary’ budgets - money allocated to activities such as design, perhaps.

But design is a powerful tool in a downturn.

Our research shows that more than half of the UK’s businesses:

 

  • are looking to design their way out of downturn
    Over half (54%) of the firms in our survey thought design would contribute to a large or great extent in helping maintain their competitive edge in the current economic climate.

  • think design is more important now
    Similarly, 53% thought that design had become more important in helping the firm to achieve its business objectives over the last three years.

  • think design is integral to the economic performance of the UK
    The same number agreed or strongly agreed that design is integral to the country’s future economic performance.


Read more about this research and about how Swatch, MacDonalds and HMV have used design and have overcome downturns in their markets

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