Making life better by design: Design Council’s story of impact brings together statistics and stories evidencing how design has contributed to three major areas of the economy – business innovation, places and public services – achieving societal and environmental benefits along the way.

Charting our successes over the last year and the last 15 years when we launched the Double Diamond, this impact report allows us to showcase the immediate impact of particular programmes alongside the legacy of our longer-term work, such as helping to create successful new places or redesign new public services. Our story of impact also outlines Design Council’s significant success in explaining what design is and championing its use, inspiring and enabling people across the world to embed design in their work. 

Design is constantly evolving. So is Design Council. Our story of impact shows how we test, learn, and iterate to strengthen our expertise, build on our success, and respond to immediate and future challenges. 

This report is being published during the coronavirus pandemic, as the design sector – like other sectors of the economy – faces unparalleled pressure. This impact report shows the power of design to confront big, complex societal challenges. Its findings provide valuable insight into, and inspiration around, the role of design in helping our society recover from the coronavirus crisis: in rebuilding our economy, strengthening our communities, and nurturing our environment over the years ahead.