The UK Design Council has recently launched its new strategy for years 2020-24. The fact that most of the strategy was developed before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, proves that design is crucial element of our lives in any circumstances. Design Council's mission is to make life better by design, by creating better places, products and processes, while improving performance.
The design principles included in the strategy encourage to design:
- deeply - addressing the root causes, not the symptoms;
- disruptively - challenging the status quo;
- collaboratively - making connections and partnerships to achieve goals together;
- democratically - empowering communities.
Thanks to Design Council's pioneering research, we know how much design is worth to UK's economy. The value of the design economy grew 52% between 2009 and 2016; to reach 73% of what the financial services and insurance industry generated in 2016. Making the economic case for design and showing its impact on the financial indicators has always been crucial for greater adoption of design. Over the next four years, Design Council will focus its efforts on three more socially oriented goals, and very rightly so.
- Improving health and well-being;
- Enabling sustainable living;
- Increasing design skills.
We look forward to contribute to achieving Design Council's ambitions for design in the UK especially in the field of new design skills for SMEs and sharing the latest design practices for social and environmental impact.
