The International Design Scoreboard reports on findings from a two year project to compare design capabilities across nations.
East Asian nations which have traditionally competed on price and low labour rates are now increasingly competing through design as well, according to the recently published International Design Scoreboard. The research, led by the University of Cambridge and supported by the Design Council, marks the first ever attempt to compare national design capabilities.
A total of 12 countries are assessed on a series of indicators, including numbers of design graduates, and the strength of the design consultancy sector. The results suggest that western nations are under increasing threat from emerging east Asian ‘powerhouses’ as they develop their design sectors, invest in national design promotion and produce skilled design graduates.
The report acknowledges that data is currently sparse and difficult to compare, meaning that any international comparison needs to be treated with care. In particular, no data was available for how much firms spend on design. To begin tackling this, the project team also worked with the Design Council on an exploratory survey of design spend in UK firms.
The report lays out a proposal for future work which will build on these findings, adding more countries and improving the robustness of the rankings.
Design For Economic Growth: Measuring the value of design
The Design Council, in association with the University of Cambridge, hosted an event which presented the International Design Scoreboard research, and gave attendees the opportunity to discuss opportunities for future collaboration.
Dr James Moultrie from the University of Cambridge discussed the background of the International Design Scoreboard and future plans for the research.
Mark Beatson, Senior Economist at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, gave a UK government response to the International Design Scoreboard. Mark argued that design is a driver for innovation but that more work is needed to measure its economic and social impact.
Charlotte Arwidi is a policy advisor at the European Commission’s enterprise and industry directorate. Charlotte discussed the European drive towards promoting design as an enabler of sustainable and user-centred innovation, including a recent international consultation on how to best support design at EU level.
Professor John Heskett of Hong Kong Polytechnic University provided an overview of the Chinese design industry. John also presented preliminary findings from research on how SMEs in the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta are using design.
Discussions
Afternoon discussions focussed on where better evidence is needed to increase design use and influence policymakers. Some commonly cited areas were:
- Microeconomic. How much design enhances performance and profitability among individual firms – especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
- Macroeconomic. How much design contributes to national economies.
- Social. How design can help respond to social challenges like tackling climate change and providing for ageing populations.
The group also supported raising awareness among:
- Governments: Increasing governments’ understanding of how investment in design helps businesses, public services and society.
- Individuals: Informing individuals about the benefits of design to their lives.
Discussion then focussed on how we can overcome challenges in gathering comparable international data. The suggestions included:
- Agreeing on a set of indicators of national design capabilities
- Standardising national survey questions on essential aspects of design
- Reaching a common understanding – although perhaps not definition – of what is meant by ‘design’
- Achieving funding increases for national design research
- Addressing the lack of comparable data available in the current Design Scoreboard, which meant the exclusion of countries including Germany, Italy, China and Brazil
- Building on existing frameworks, such as OECD innovation metrics
- Establish a small working group to guide future research
If you would like more information about the International Design Scoreboard, please contact the Design Council research team research@designcouncil.org.uk