Policy and advocacy DRAFT
Shaping the conditions for design to thrive.
Since 1944, the Design Council has worked alongside government as the dedicated champion of designers and the design industry.
Through our Design Economy research, we provide the evidence needed to influencing policy across every sector where design can create better outcomes for people, places, and the planet.
Top 5 policy asks
1
Endorse the Design Council's mission to upskill 1 million designers in green skills.
Adding an additional 73,000 green jobs and £10.3bn GVA to the economy annually by 2030.
2
Create Regional Design Growth and Skills Partnerships.
Promote local green growth and upskill designers, businesses and public sector organisations across every region of the UK.
3
Appoint a UK Chief Design Officer.
Ensuring design quality in government, design excellence and value across the UK, and advocacy for the globally renowned £97.4bn industry.
4
Introduce green tax incentives and strengthen pro-innovation green regulation.
Raising the bar on the UK's global leadership in regenerative design, getting to net zero faster and building a circular economy.
5
Introduce a National Design Review Framework.
Ensuring we build a lasting legacy out of the government's 1.5 million new homes and 150 Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
How we champion design
We don't just publish policy asks, we occupy the rooms where decisions are made.
The Design Council holds active seats across government advisory bodies, international organisations, and industry councils, using the Design Economy as a primary data resource to ensure design expertise shapes policy from the inside out.
We also mobilise our network of Design Council Experts — design pioneers who provide specialist evidence and insight that directly informs our advocacy work.
NET ZERO COUNCIL
Representing the design sector's role in delivering the UK's legally-binding climate commitments, advocating for design-led pathways to decarbonisation.
UK Government
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES COUNCIL
Ensuring design's economic contribution is recognised within the UK's broader creative industries strategy and investment decisions.
UK Government
BEDA
Active member of the Bureau of European Design Associations, shaping pan-European design policy and maintaining our influence post-Brexit.
International
WORLD DESIGN ORGANIZATION
Full member of the WDO, connecting UK design policy to global standards and amplifying British design expertise internationally.
International
Policy successes
Our advocacy is making a measurable difference, backed by the Design Economy, our national resource of data that tracks the industry's growth and value. Here are some of the most recent tangible outcomes our policy work has helped achieve.
Skills & Education
1
Minister for Creative Industries endorses our ambition to upskill 1 million designers.
Ian Murray MP gave the closing address at the World Design Congress 2025, endorsing the Design Council's mission to upskill 1 million designers in green skills by 2030 — a direct government signal of support for our flagship policy ask.
Skills & Education
2
Design thinking and sustainability included in the D&T curriculum review.
Following sustained lobbying including via our Blueprint for Renewal — co-signed by 20 design and education organisations — sustainability and design thinking have been incorporated into the upcoming Design and Technology curriculum.
Global Convening
3
World Design Congress brought government and industry together in London.
Hosted by the Design Council at the Barbican Centre in September 2025 the event attracted over 1,000 delegates and over 30 government ministers and officials, including a dedicated DBT networking breakfast connecting global design leaders with UK trade and investment partners.
Policy documents
We respond formally to government consultations, submit policy briefings to parliamentary committees, and write open letters to ministers — making the case for design at every opportunity.
Design and Placemaking Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) and National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)
CONSULTATION
Advocating for stronger policy alignment between planning, placemaking and design quality, reinforcing the role of design in delivering highquality, sustainable and inclusive development outcomes.
Post-16 Education Reform
CONSULTATION
Response to proposed reforms to ensure design skills, creativity and technical pathways are embedded within post16 education, supporting future growth across the creative and green economies.
Designs Framework
CONSULTATION
Response to government proposals to modernise and simplify the UK’s design protection system, advocating for reforms that strengthen protection while keeping the system affordable, accessible and fit for emerging technologies including digital and AIenabled design.
Powered By Design: A Blueprint for Economic Growth
BRIEFING
Sets out a clear, evidenced case for how design can drive UK economic growth, productivity and net zero, outlining five priority policy asks for government backed by Design Economy data.
Design for Neighbourhoods: A design agenda for the new government
REPORT
Advising the government on the design challenge of creating 1.5 million homes within the UK’s legally-binding climate commitments.
Designing for Net Zero Living
REPORT
Developed in partnership with Innovate UK, this showcases how user-focused design can empower businesses and individuals to drive the UK’s transition to net zero.
Blueprint for Renewal: Design and Technology Education
BRIEFING
Addressing the 67% decline in Design and Technology GCSE by prioritising design in the curriculum review and recruiting 2,0001 new teachers.
Mobilising design for the green economy
REPORT
Sets out how design can accelerate the UK’s transition to a green economy, calling for policy action to scale green skills, innovation and investment across the design sector.
Design for Planet
This is our mission and a call to action to put the planet at the heart of design.
Design Economy
Did you know that 10% of all UK exports are from the design economy? Find out more about how design powers the UK.
Resources
Explore resources for designers and non-designers to learn about how to design inclusively and for our planet.
Design Academy
Helping your organisation to design new solutions to the challenges you face.
Our book
Discover the designs, designers and Design Council initiatives that have shaped British design history over eight transformational decades.
Support us
As the UK’s national charity for design and its critical role in effecting change, we need your help.
Skills for Planet Training
Upskill your organisations with green design skills for the future.