Design Commission: About

The Design Commission is composed of parliamentarians from all parties and leading representatives from business, industry and the public sector. Its purpose is to explore, through research, how design can drive economic and social improvement, and how government and business can better understand the importance of design.

 

The Commission will carry out investigations and inquiries to identify opportunities and obstacles. Recognising that the UK has been a world-leader in design for many years, it will contribute to the understanding of how to maintain a leading position in the future, and how the considerable skills of the design sector can support development in other areas.

 

The Commission intends to demonstrate to government the value of design input at the highest level, as well as contributing to and augmenting the debate around national design policy. The Commission will not be time-limited in this task. 

 

There is currently a need for more strategic thinking to link design, policy and politics more consistently. The strength of the Commission will be in bringing the variety of ideas and considerable experience of its members to bear in thinking about policy, society and the economy; in establishing new frontiers where design thinking can contribute; and in using the cumulative weight of its members' standing to gather support and encourage receptiveness from government.

 

The Commission will convene every two to three months. The task of the Members will be the identification of areas and topics for scrutiny through a research inquiry, following a select committee format of evidence-gathering and report publication. Inquiries will be conducted by a review panel, appointed by the Commission, composed of Commission members and co-opted independent experts (both Parliamentarians and external figures). Each inquiry will result in a publication, to be launched in Parliament. Each inquiry, and other subjects where appropriate, will be bolstered by relevant Parliamentary activity. The secretariat to the Commission will be provided by Policy Connect.