6 February 2018 marked the 100-year anniversary of the Representation of the People Act 1918, which for the first time granted some women the right to vote in the UK.

To mark this anniversary Design Council featured a series of ‘Leading Women’ over twelve months who have each made invaluable contributions to shape the world that we live in today.

Our Leading Women in Design series hears a wide range of voices and recognise achievements within the design economy through interviews, features and articles as part of a wider discussion about diversity and talent in design.

We published a new article in this series every month in 2018 - sign up to our newsletter and be sure to follow us on Twitter to be the first to hear about our latest releases.

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The series

Morag Myerscough
Morag Myerscough

Video: Morag Myerscough – The bright and bold Royal Designer for Industry Morag’s work straddles a space that includes designers, artists and architects. Her work is characterised by colourful boldness with a strong graphic design signature, often using big type or lettering and geometric elements. In this video, we find out about Morag’s work, which straddles a space that includes designers, artists and architects.

Feature — 30/10/2018
Sarah Jones
Sarah Jones

Sarah Jones-Morris: A landscape architect on a mission to cure our cities through design In the next article in our Leading Women in Design series, Sarah discusses her passion for striving to create healthier cities, how street trees have a huge impact on our health, and muses on why Vitruvius is still relevant today. In the next article in our Leading Women in Design series, Sarah discusses her passion for striving to create healthier cities.

Feature — 10/09/2018
Cany Ash
Cany Ash

Cany Ash: urban storyteller and architectural entrepreneur Cany discusses why women need to take ‘just’ and ‘only’ out of their vocabulary, and how diversity is in fact about ‘interculturalism’ as opposed to ‘multiculturalism’. Why women need to take ‘just’ and ‘only’ out of their vocabulary, and the difference between ‘multiculturalism’ and ‘interculturalism’.

Feature — 15/08/2018
Elsie Owusu
Elsie Owusu

Video: Elsie Owusu – Founding Chair of the Society of Black Architects Elsie is a specialist conservation architect, interior and urban designer, and founder of her own architects practice. Elsie believes that the diversity of the people living in London should be reflected in the architecture industry. For change to occur, the image of the architect has to change,... Elsie is a specialist conservation architect, interior and urban designer, and founder of her own architects practice.

Feature — 23/07/2018

Sadie Morgan
Sadie Morgan

Video: Sadie Morgan – The youngest president of the Architectural Association Sadie Morgan is a founding director at award winning architecture practice dRMM. Sitting in the communal gardens at Trafalgar Place, Sadie reflects on how her upbringing in a commune has impacted the way she approaches design, and how public and communal spaces were key to the development of this... In our fourth Leading Women in Design story, we spoke to Sadie Morgan, founding director at award winning architecture practice dRMM.

Feature — 23/05/2018
Jane
Jane

Jane Ni Dhulchaointigh: The female designer fixing our lives Jane Ni Dhulchaointigh is the Irish mastermind behind Sugru – ‘the most exciting product since Sellotape’. Over a cup of tea in her company’s HQ in Hackney, east London, she shares her thoughts on reimagining education systems, diversity in design, dishwashers and funky clothes. In our fourth Leading Women in Design story, we spoke to Jane Ni Dhulchaointigh, inventor of 'the most exciting product since Sellotape...

Feature — 25/04/2018
Rachel Skinner
Rachel Skinner

Rachel Skinner: ‘Best Woman Civil Engineer’ awardee 2017 In the third article in our Leading Women in Design series, Rachel Skinner gives us her view on what design means to her, and what engineering is doing to break down barriers and promote real opportunities for all. In our third Leading Women in Design article, Rachel Skinner tells us what engineering is doing to promote real opportunities for all.

Feature — 09/03/2018

Sarah Weir OBE: Design Council's first female CEO In the second article in our Leading Women in Design series, Design Council CEO Sarah Weir reflects on her experiences of diversity throughout her varied career. In the second Leading Women in Design article, Sarah Weir reflects on her experiences of diversity throughout her varied career.

Feature — 06/02/2018
Jo Ascott
Jo Ascott

Jo Arscott: Britain's first black female Creative Director In the first article in our Leading Women in Design series, Jo Arscott talks diversity in design and tells us what design means to her. In the first article in our Leading Women in Design series, Jo Arscott talks diversity in design and tells us what design means to her.

Feature — 31/01/2018