Better By Design: Towards European Design Policy

A key concern for the London Design Festival this year has been to keep innovating, to stay ahead of the 80 or so city design festivals that have sprung up across the globe since LDF began. This reflects a more general concern in the design, innovation, and manufacturing worlds, around how to stay ahead of the curve as developing countries – our global competitors – upskill, as they of course are bound to do. This necessarily requires innovation, and design is increasingly recognised as fundamental to any innovation activity. 

 

In launching ‘Innovation Union’ last October, the European Commission clearly stated that design is a key driver for innovation and industrial success, and have followed up this general commitment with some more design-focussed policy development work in the shape of the EDII: the European Design and Innovation Initiative. Christine Simon from the EC hopped over the channel from Brussels to come and discuss the Commission's work in this area.

Kare Kristiansen from the Danish Design Centre, Gavin Cawood from Design Wales, and Marianne Guldbrandsen from the Design Council discussed the international landscape for design policy, and what individual countries (such as Denmark, and the UK) can and are doing to respond to this perceived role for design.