The Design Council champions great design. As the UK Government’s advisor on design, we set the benchmark for promoting design nationwide. Our research and campaigns aim to show just how much intelligent, creative design can achieve.
Established by Winston Churchill’s wartime government in December 1944, our founding purpose was to elevate the UK’s industrial design standards in goods manufacturing to support Britain’s economic recovery. Over the years, we have responded to socio-economic trends and needs. Our mandate has evolved to encompass design’s role across the private, public and third sectors.
Our current goals aim to promote the use of design to:
- Stimulate business growth
- Transform public services
- Enhance places and cities
We deliver research to drive Design Council’s reputation and revenue. Examples of current projects include:
- A study which articulates the value of design to the UK economy, in partnership with Innovate UK, three of the research councils, a university and others.
- Leading Business by Design: ‘deep-dive’ sector studies covering high-value manufacturing industries, including automotive, aerospace and housing; and an accompanying cross-sector report
- Bristol & Bath by Design: a joint project between AHRC and Design Council, with UWE as the lead research partner.