Design Council Magazine issue 1

Can creativity transform the UK economy? Globalisation is a controversial, complex process but, says Hester Abrams, the message is simple: innovate or fail. And without design, it's much harder to turn creativity into innovative products or services.

'Imagine Coca-Cola without a logo. Imagine Apple's iMac as a grey rectangular box. Imagine Nike without its TV adverts. Design is intrinsically linked to the bottom line.'

Are the emerging economies a real threat? Very soon, referring to Brazil, Russia, India and China as emerging economies will seem plain daft. Paul Simpson examines a tectonic shift that will change the world.

The bottom line on nine of the world's most significant emerging economies.

Think you don't use design every day? Think again.

Innovative design relies on teamwork, not technology, and the guts to risk failure. Vici MacDonald presents ten great teams that thought outside the box.

Can cities like Singapore reinvent themselves?

If innovation's so vital, why aren't we better at it? In 1976, when Steve Jobs asked Atari to invest in his personal computer, they told him to get out. Such cautionary tales may explain why more companies don't innovate more often and more profitably.

The fact that business and design misunderstand each other isn't an amusing quirk, it's a failing that is costing the UK millions. Experts from both worlds discuss how business can make the most of design.

The T-shaped designer sounds like another hunk of American business jargon but, says Rhymer Rigby, if designers, educators and business leaders don't pay heed to it, the UK could lose a crucial competitive edge.

How simple ideas can save lives on Taiwan's roads, make street lighting energy efficient in France and convince Brazilian children they really must go to the library.

Vital statistics that prove the power of design.

Six companies that designed their way to the top.