This document provides an analysis by Danish Designers of the role of design in a globalized, knowledge-based economy. It discusses design as both a concept and a process, outlines challenges facing designers, and makes five recommendations. Key points include:
- Design has evolved from focusing on aesthetics and function to include innovative problem-solving methods and visualization of solutions.
- Globalization has increased focus on designers working internationally and educational programs adapting to changing markets.
- Recommendations are made to address problems identified, such as defining design and designer competencies and facilitating international work opportunities for Danish designers.
Design thinking and design management are related concepts but have important distinctions. Design thinking is a strategic framework that uses human-centered design processes to rethink products, services, and business models. Design management coordinates the skills, methods, and resources needed for design processes on operational, tactical and strategic levels. While related, design thinking focuses on leadership and vision, design management focuses on the common space between managers and designers and requires process coordination skills. Both are valuable but address different needs within an organization.
The Design Management series 6/7 : How design relates to your corporate strategy .
Choose Design competitive advantage .
External "design value you can see " in your marketing and R&D strategy ?
or Internal "design value you can't see " design as a core competency based on designers skills and changing your company 's Knowledge Capital ?
Article # 7 The Design Management series Epilogue and a story from real life Brigitte Borja de Mozota
Ā
This document discusses the role of design in addressing complex challenges and outlines an interview with Diana Arsovic Nielsen, Director of Regional Development at the Capital Region of Denmark, about how she has successfully embedded design thinking in large public sector organizations. Some key points:
- Design is increasingly recognized as a way to address interdisciplinary challenges related to sustainability, social issues, and more. Design thinking focuses on stakeholder engagement and collaboration.
- Nielsen combined her design training with a business degree to develop a language to discuss design solutions from a cost/benefit perspective. This allowed her to take on managerial roles focusing on innovation.
- To embed design, Nielsen learned organizations' processes and language. She facilitated design processes internally
This document discusses key challenges facing business leaders and how design can help address them. It summarizes the findings of a PwC survey that found the top concerns of CEOs are innovation, human capital, digital capabilities, competitive advantage, and customer experience. It then discusses each of these areas in more detail, focusing on innovation approaches like blue ocean strategy, disruptive innovation, and open innovation. It also covers human capital concepts from thinkers like Chris Argyris, Ikujiro Nonaka, and Henry Mintzberg. For digital capabilities, it emphasizes the importance of technological expertise. The document argues that addressing these challenges with design thinking can help companies capitalize on new opportunities.
Design has gradually taken on new roles over time in response to economic and societal changes. New design disciplines have emerged as the digital economy and focus on complexity have grown. Design management emerged in the 1970s and 1980s as companies recognized design's impact on competitive advantage and brand management. Academic research on design management started in the 1990s, showing design's economic effects and different roles in organizations. Models were developed to show design's strategic value in areas like innovation capacity, corporate culture, and transformation. Current focus is on giving designers more power to foster organizational transformation.
The socio economic impact of creative products and services developing the cr...Joana Cerejo
Ā
The socio-economic impact of creative products/services: developing the creative industries through design thinking.
Design thinking, although it has been growing in popularity, is still seen with some distrust, given that its impact is difficult to quantify and its benefits are subjective. This paper wants to address that distrust and contribute to clear it by providing some information about what it can do for companies by taking a look at creative products and services. First, we review the meaning of creative products and services, the concept of innovation, introduce design and some of its applications, as well as its economic impact and move to the meaning of design thinking. Second, we discuss the literature review and establish our findings. Finally, we end with our conclusions and contributions.
This document summarizes an interview study on communication in multidisciplinary design teams. 18 design professionals were interviewed about past projects. Their descriptions identified 3 common communication activities: 1) defining problems with clients, 2) generating ideas internally, and 3) presenting solutions to clients. The descriptions were clustered into 5 models based on communication flow and design approach. The most successful model featured shared leadership, early ideation, and team consensus on recommendations. It represented an innovative, learning-focused approach to well-defined problems.
The document is a doctoral dissertation titled "Beyond the Product - Enabling design services in small and medium sized enterprises" by Magnus Eneberg.
The dissertation explores how design services can enable organizational learning and change processes in small and medium enterprises to help strengthen their innovation capabilities. The research involved interviews and workshops with design consultancies as well as observations of shared activities between design students and company participants.
The research found that design consultancies are changing their organizations and skills to offer broader strategic services. Design methods were found to be integrative, collaborative, and exploratory in a way that can contribute to innovation and change. Shared activities resulted in new knowledge, experiences, and outcomes characterized as business and organizational development when
Design thinking and design management are related concepts but have important distinctions. Design thinking is a strategic framework that uses human-centered design processes to rethink products, services, and business models. Design management coordinates the skills, methods, and resources needed for design processes on operational, tactical and strategic levels. While related, design thinking focuses on leadership and vision, design management focuses on the common space between managers and designers and requires process coordination skills. Both are valuable but address different needs within an organization.
The Design Management series 6/7 : How design relates to your corporate strategy .
Choose Design competitive advantage .
External "design value you can see " in your marketing and R&D strategy ?
or Internal "design value you can't see " design as a core competency based on designers skills and changing your company 's Knowledge Capital ?
Article # 7 The Design Management series Epilogue and a story from real life Brigitte Borja de Mozota
Ā
This document discusses the role of design in addressing complex challenges and outlines an interview with Diana Arsovic Nielsen, Director of Regional Development at the Capital Region of Denmark, about how she has successfully embedded design thinking in large public sector organizations. Some key points:
- Design is increasingly recognized as a way to address interdisciplinary challenges related to sustainability, social issues, and more. Design thinking focuses on stakeholder engagement and collaboration.
- Nielsen combined her design training with a business degree to develop a language to discuss design solutions from a cost/benefit perspective. This allowed her to take on managerial roles focusing on innovation.
- To embed design, Nielsen learned organizations' processes and language. She facilitated design processes internally
This document discusses key challenges facing business leaders and how design can help address them. It summarizes the findings of a PwC survey that found the top concerns of CEOs are innovation, human capital, digital capabilities, competitive advantage, and customer experience. It then discusses each of these areas in more detail, focusing on innovation approaches like blue ocean strategy, disruptive innovation, and open innovation. It also covers human capital concepts from thinkers like Chris Argyris, Ikujiro Nonaka, and Henry Mintzberg. For digital capabilities, it emphasizes the importance of technological expertise. The document argues that addressing these challenges with design thinking can help companies capitalize on new opportunities.
Design has gradually taken on new roles over time in response to economic and societal changes. New design disciplines have emerged as the digital economy and focus on complexity have grown. Design management emerged in the 1970s and 1980s as companies recognized design's impact on competitive advantage and brand management. Academic research on design management started in the 1990s, showing design's economic effects and different roles in organizations. Models were developed to show design's strategic value in areas like innovation capacity, corporate culture, and transformation. Current focus is on giving designers more power to foster organizational transformation.
The socio economic impact of creative products and services developing the cr...Joana Cerejo
Ā
The socio-economic impact of creative products/services: developing the creative industries through design thinking.
Design thinking, although it has been growing in popularity, is still seen with some distrust, given that its impact is difficult to quantify and its benefits are subjective. This paper wants to address that distrust and contribute to clear it by providing some information about what it can do for companies by taking a look at creative products and services. First, we review the meaning of creative products and services, the concept of innovation, introduce design and some of its applications, as well as its economic impact and move to the meaning of design thinking. Second, we discuss the literature review and establish our findings. Finally, we end with our conclusions and contributions.
This document summarizes an interview study on communication in multidisciplinary design teams. 18 design professionals were interviewed about past projects. Their descriptions identified 3 common communication activities: 1) defining problems with clients, 2) generating ideas internally, and 3) presenting solutions to clients. The descriptions were clustered into 5 models based on communication flow and design approach. The most successful model featured shared leadership, early ideation, and team consensus on recommendations. It represented an innovative, learning-focused approach to well-defined problems.
The document is a doctoral dissertation titled "Beyond the Product - Enabling design services in small and medium sized enterprises" by Magnus Eneberg.
The dissertation explores how design services can enable organizational learning and change processes in small and medium enterprises to help strengthen their innovation capabilities. The research involved interviews and workshops with design consultancies as well as observations of shared activities between design students and company participants.
The research found that design consultancies are changing their organizations and skills to offer broader strategic services. Design methods were found to be integrative, collaborative, and exploratory in a way that can contribute to innovation and change. Shared activities resulted in new knowledge, experiences, and outcomes characterized as business and organizational development when
This is the Second out of Seven Articles
co -written by
Steinar Valade-Amland and myself
on
Design Thinking, Design Management
and how to coordinate both strategically .
If you miss number 1/7 send me an email bbm@designence.com and I will send it to you .
The application of design thinking methodology on research practices a mind m...Joana Cerejo
Ā
The difficult task of innovation is a key facet of Research & Development institutions. Innovation is also closely related with processes oriented to achieve solutions in design. We propose to research new emerging design methods and provide an overview of design thinking tools that can be applied in an early stage of the R&D research process in order to produce meaningful results. This research presents a set of experimental guidelines and an analysis method for the application of these tools. The establishment of coherent guidelines for the design thinking process is a very complex task, due to its interdisciplinary requirements, that convey many diverse mindsets. The main focus of this study is creating an analysis toolkit that enables non-specialist and specialist users to perform high-quality design production.
The Evolution of Design Thinking Edoardo Stecca 848179Edoardo Stecca
Ā
This document provides an overview of design thinking and its evolution from product design to an organizational approach. It begins by defining traditional product design and noting how design thinking has expanded beyond physical objects. The document then examines how design thinking can be applied within business organizations, using examples like Thomas Edison who took a design thinking approach to developing an entire industry around the light bulb. It discusses how design thinking focuses on understanding user needs and fosters innovation through cross-functional teamwork and experimentation. The document aims to analyze how design thinking impacts organizational structure, culture and flexibility compared to traditional models.
This document summarizes an article about how design thinking can help lead social innovation. It discusses three case studies where public managers applied design approaches to tackle social issues. In Lewisham, UK, design helped redefine how an organization dealt with homelessness. In Odense, Denmark, design transformed services for mentally handicapped adults. In Adelaide, Australia, design radically redesigned interventions for at-risk families. The document explores how design thinking makes problems visible, allows new perspectives, and focuses on concrete changes. It discusses the challenges of gaining support for design approaches and documenting long-term impact.
The document provides an overview of the fundamentals of graphic design. It discusses graphic design as a discipline that takes ideas and presents them visually through print or electronic media. It also defines what graphic designers do and some of the environments they can work in, such as different company structures and creative teams. Additionally, it examines some of the influences and elements that shape graphic design, including technology, typography, branding, and various artistic movements.
Innovating User Value: The Interrelations of Business Model Innovation, Desig...Jan Schmiedgen
Ā
This document is a thesis submitted by Jan Schmiedgen to the Department of Corporate Management & Economics at the Chair of Innovation, Technology & Entrepreneurship. The thesis examines the interrelations between business model innovation, design thinking, and the production of meaning in relation to innovating user value. It argues that design and business model innovation cannot be viewed separately when discussing innovation of value for the customer. The thesis aims to uncover the links between design and strategic innovation through the lens of customer value. It will do this by critiquing prevailing understandings of strategy and innovation, examining design's undervalued contributions, analyzing the concept of perceived user value, and arguing that service design and business model innovation discourses intersect when
This document provides an introduction and overview to the book "Interior Design: Conceptual Basis" by Anthony Sully. It discusses the conceptual basis of interior design and how it is taught versus how it is practiced professionally. It notes tensions between academia and the profession, and explores new related fields that have emerged. The foreword praises the book for encouraging deeper conceptual thinking in design. The preface further outlines gaps between education and practice, and new developments in related fields like service design.
Design thinking and design management can help organizations address strategic challenges by doing the "right projects" and doing projects "right". Design thinking inspires innovation through a human-centered approach, while design management enables the process and ensures strategies are implemented effectively. However, many organizations do not utilize design strategically due to uncertainties about its value and how to apply it. Integrating design thinking and management can help organizations achieve outcomes that benefit customers, business goals, and society.
This document discusses co-design and its use in the PROUD (People, Researchers and Organisations Using Design for innovation and co-creation) project. It defines co-design as a methodology that enables people affected by a designed outcome to participate in designing solutions. The PROUD project aimed to employ design to drive innovation, economic transformation, and sustainable development through multi-sector partnerships. It explored approaches to co-design that foster creative knowledge exchange and developed principles to guide co-design processes in different contexts.
Case Law Analysis - Intellectual PropertyIn this unit, you will .docxcowinhelen
Ā
This document provides guidance for a case law analysis assignment on intellectual property. It outlines the purpose of the assignment, which is to have students read and analyze a real court decision on intellectual property law. Students are instructed to summarize the key details of the case, including the parties involved, background, specific legal disagreement, and the court's ruling. They are also asked to evaluate concepts like dissenting opinions and whether they agree with the decision. The analysis should be no more than two pages and follow APA style guidelines.
Best Practices for Interdisciplinary Design.Arturo Pelayo
Ā
This document discusses the benefits of anchoring interaction design in the best practices of instructional design. It argues that instructional design has a strong theoretical foundation from various fields that can help address challenges in areas like cross-cultural design. The document also discusses trends in outsourcing and how instructional design principles can help with intercultural communication issues that arise. Overall, the document advocates for the use of instructional design methodologies and standards to help advance fields like interaction design.
This document announces a symposium on experimentation and transformation in business and society. It notes that organizations need more agile and experimental approaches to deal with increasing pace of change. The event will explore how design-led experimentation can enable transformation, through keynotes and workshops on topics like X labs, policy innovation, and measuring impact. Participants will discuss challenges and opportunities to design more experimental organizations of the future. The one-day symposium in Copenhagen will include panels, conversations, and networking for business and policy leaders.
The document summarizes key ideas from a two-day conference called Local Public Design that was organized to discuss public innovation through design. Ten illuminating ideas on transforming public policy emerged from workshops where hundreds of participants shared and discussed concrete examples. The summary provides four rules established to inspire constructive discussion: 1) Everyone must participate, 2) Everyone is a producer, 3) Everyone must document, and 4) Everyone is a volunteer. It also lists 12 inspiring case studies of design applied to public policy from around the world.
This document discusses the debate between practice and theory in communications design. It argues that the conventional approach focuses too much on practice over theory, producing commodified outcomes for clients. However, design would benefit from more exploration and research outside commercial constraints. This would allow for new discoveries in visual languages, materials and mediums. While practice serves client needs, design also plays an important role in disseminating information to society. The document examines how views shifted after World War II towards more invisible, commercial design and away from the theoretical cultural contributions of early 20th century movements. It suggests design education also reflects a bias towards practice over exploration and theory.
Design thinking is a complex concept that has no single agreed upon definition. It can refer to both the cognitive processes of designers ("designerly thinking") and the use of design methods by non-designers to address problems ("design thinking"). While design thinking aims to provide a framework for innovation, some argue it risks oversimplifying design or being used ineffectively by those without sufficient skills. For design thinking to achieve its potential, closer collaboration is needed between fields like management, design, and innovation research.
1) The document discusses the need for design thinking to be incorporated into decision making processes to address problems caused by population growth and environmental pressures.
2) It argues that design thinking, which focuses on invention and synthesis, can complement scientific thinking by generating new solutions.
3) The author proposes that properly prepared designers could make substantial contributions to decision making processes that are currently dominated by political and economic views.
Design thinking is complementary to scientific thinking and could provide valuable contributions to decision making processes that are currently dominated by political and economic views. Design thinking involves invention and synthesis, focusing on creating new patterns and concepts, rather than analysis and discovery. The paper argues that as problems have increased due to issues like population growth and environmental impacts, creative solutions are needed. It presents design thinking as a way to complement scientific thinking in advising high-level decision makers.
Rethinking KĆ„llered ā From Big Box to a Reuse Hub: A Transformation Journey ...SirmaDuztepeliler
Ā
"Rethinking KĆ„llered ā From Big Box to a Reuse Hub: A Transformation Journey Toward Sustainability"
The booklet of my masterās thesis at the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology. (Gothenburg, Sweden)
This thesis explores the transformation of the vacated (2023) IKEA store in KĆ„llered, Sweden, into a "Reuse Hub" addressing various user types. The project aims to create a model for circular and sustainable economic practices that promote resource efficiency, waste reduction, and a shift in societal overconsumption patterns.
Reuse, though crucial in the circular economy, is one of the least studied areas. Most materials with reuse potential, especially in the construction sector, are recycled (downcycled), causing a greater loss of resources and energy. My project addresses barriers to reuse, such as difficult access to materials, storage, and logistics issues.
Aims:
ā¢ Enhancing Access to Reclaimed Materials: Creating a hub for reclaimed construction materials for both institutional and individual needs.
ā¢ Promoting Circular Economy: Showcasing the potential and variety of reusable materials and how they can drive a circular economy.
ā¢ Fostering Community Engagement: Developing spaces for social interaction around reuse-focused stores and workshops.
ā¢ Raising Awareness: Transforming a former consumerist symbol into a center for circular practices.
Highlights:
ā¢ The project emphasizes cross-sector collaboration with producers and wholesalers to repurpose surplus materials before they enter the recycling phase.
ā¢ This project can serve as a prototype for reusing many idle commercial buildings in different scales and sizes.
ā¢ The findings indicate that transforming large vacant properties can support sustainable practices and present an economically attractive business model with high social returns at the same time.
ā¢ It highlights the potential of how sustainable practices in the construction sector can drive societal change.
This is the Second out of Seven Articles
co -written by
Steinar Valade-Amland and myself
on
Design Thinking, Design Management
and how to coordinate both strategically .
If you miss number 1/7 send me an email bbm@designence.com and I will send it to you .
The application of design thinking methodology on research practices a mind m...Joana Cerejo
Ā
The difficult task of innovation is a key facet of Research & Development institutions. Innovation is also closely related with processes oriented to achieve solutions in design. We propose to research new emerging design methods and provide an overview of design thinking tools that can be applied in an early stage of the R&D research process in order to produce meaningful results. This research presents a set of experimental guidelines and an analysis method for the application of these tools. The establishment of coherent guidelines for the design thinking process is a very complex task, due to its interdisciplinary requirements, that convey many diverse mindsets. The main focus of this study is creating an analysis toolkit that enables non-specialist and specialist users to perform high-quality design production.
The Evolution of Design Thinking Edoardo Stecca 848179Edoardo Stecca
Ā
This document provides an overview of design thinking and its evolution from product design to an organizational approach. It begins by defining traditional product design and noting how design thinking has expanded beyond physical objects. The document then examines how design thinking can be applied within business organizations, using examples like Thomas Edison who took a design thinking approach to developing an entire industry around the light bulb. It discusses how design thinking focuses on understanding user needs and fosters innovation through cross-functional teamwork and experimentation. The document aims to analyze how design thinking impacts organizational structure, culture and flexibility compared to traditional models.
This document summarizes an article about how design thinking can help lead social innovation. It discusses three case studies where public managers applied design approaches to tackle social issues. In Lewisham, UK, design helped redefine how an organization dealt with homelessness. In Odense, Denmark, design transformed services for mentally handicapped adults. In Adelaide, Australia, design radically redesigned interventions for at-risk families. The document explores how design thinking makes problems visible, allows new perspectives, and focuses on concrete changes. It discusses the challenges of gaining support for design approaches and documenting long-term impact.
The document provides an overview of the fundamentals of graphic design. It discusses graphic design as a discipline that takes ideas and presents them visually through print or electronic media. It also defines what graphic designers do and some of the environments they can work in, such as different company structures and creative teams. Additionally, it examines some of the influences and elements that shape graphic design, including technology, typography, branding, and various artistic movements.
Innovating User Value: The Interrelations of Business Model Innovation, Desig...Jan Schmiedgen
Ā
This document is a thesis submitted by Jan Schmiedgen to the Department of Corporate Management & Economics at the Chair of Innovation, Technology & Entrepreneurship. The thesis examines the interrelations between business model innovation, design thinking, and the production of meaning in relation to innovating user value. It argues that design and business model innovation cannot be viewed separately when discussing innovation of value for the customer. The thesis aims to uncover the links between design and strategic innovation through the lens of customer value. It will do this by critiquing prevailing understandings of strategy and innovation, examining design's undervalued contributions, analyzing the concept of perceived user value, and arguing that service design and business model innovation discourses intersect when
This document provides an introduction and overview to the book "Interior Design: Conceptual Basis" by Anthony Sully. It discusses the conceptual basis of interior design and how it is taught versus how it is practiced professionally. It notes tensions between academia and the profession, and explores new related fields that have emerged. The foreword praises the book for encouraging deeper conceptual thinking in design. The preface further outlines gaps between education and practice, and new developments in related fields like service design.
Design thinking and design management can help organizations address strategic challenges by doing the "right projects" and doing projects "right". Design thinking inspires innovation through a human-centered approach, while design management enables the process and ensures strategies are implemented effectively. However, many organizations do not utilize design strategically due to uncertainties about its value and how to apply it. Integrating design thinking and management can help organizations achieve outcomes that benefit customers, business goals, and society.
This document discusses co-design and its use in the PROUD (People, Researchers and Organisations Using Design for innovation and co-creation) project. It defines co-design as a methodology that enables people affected by a designed outcome to participate in designing solutions. The PROUD project aimed to employ design to drive innovation, economic transformation, and sustainable development through multi-sector partnerships. It explored approaches to co-design that foster creative knowledge exchange and developed principles to guide co-design processes in different contexts.
Case Law Analysis - Intellectual PropertyIn this unit, you will .docxcowinhelen
Ā
This document provides guidance for a case law analysis assignment on intellectual property. It outlines the purpose of the assignment, which is to have students read and analyze a real court decision on intellectual property law. Students are instructed to summarize the key details of the case, including the parties involved, background, specific legal disagreement, and the court's ruling. They are also asked to evaluate concepts like dissenting opinions and whether they agree with the decision. The analysis should be no more than two pages and follow APA style guidelines.
Best Practices for Interdisciplinary Design.Arturo Pelayo
Ā
This document discusses the benefits of anchoring interaction design in the best practices of instructional design. It argues that instructional design has a strong theoretical foundation from various fields that can help address challenges in areas like cross-cultural design. The document also discusses trends in outsourcing and how instructional design principles can help with intercultural communication issues that arise. Overall, the document advocates for the use of instructional design methodologies and standards to help advance fields like interaction design.
This document announces a symposium on experimentation and transformation in business and society. It notes that organizations need more agile and experimental approaches to deal with increasing pace of change. The event will explore how design-led experimentation can enable transformation, through keynotes and workshops on topics like X labs, policy innovation, and measuring impact. Participants will discuss challenges and opportunities to design more experimental organizations of the future. The one-day symposium in Copenhagen will include panels, conversations, and networking for business and policy leaders.
The document summarizes key ideas from a two-day conference called Local Public Design that was organized to discuss public innovation through design. Ten illuminating ideas on transforming public policy emerged from workshops where hundreds of participants shared and discussed concrete examples. The summary provides four rules established to inspire constructive discussion: 1) Everyone must participate, 2) Everyone is a producer, 3) Everyone must document, and 4) Everyone is a volunteer. It also lists 12 inspiring case studies of design applied to public policy from around the world.
This document discusses the debate between practice and theory in communications design. It argues that the conventional approach focuses too much on practice over theory, producing commodified outcomes for clients. However, design would benefit from more exploration and research outside commercial constraints. This would allow for new discoveries in visual languages, materials and mediums. While practice serves client needs, design also plays an important role in disseminating information to society. The document examines how views shifted after World War II towards more invisible, commercial design and away from the theoretical cultural contributions of early 20th century movements. It suggests design education also reflects a bias towards practice over exploration and theory.
Design thinking is a complex concept that has no single agreed upon definition. It can refer to both the cognitive processes of designers ("designerly thinking") and the use of design methods by non-designers to address problems ("design thinking"). While design thinking aims to provide a framework for innovation, some argue it risks oversimplifying design or being used ineffectively by those without sufficient skills. For design thinking to achieve its potential, closer collaboration is needed between fields like management, design, and innovation research.
1) The document discusses the need for design thinking to be incorporated into decision making processes to address problems caused by population growth and environmental pressures.
2) It argues that design thinking, which focuses on invention and synthesis, can complement scientific thinking by generating new solutions.
3) The author proposes that properly prepared designers could make substantial contributions to decision making processes that are currently dominated by political and economic views.
Design thinking is complementary to scientific thinking and could provide valuable contributions to decision making processes that are currently dominated by political and economic views. Design thinking involves invention and synthesis, focusing on creating new patterns and concepts, rather than analysis and discovery. The paper argues that as problems have increased due to issues like population growth and environmental impacts, creative solutions are needed. It presents design thinking as a way to complement scientific thinking in advising high-level decision makers.
Rethinking KĆ„llered ā From Big Box to a Reuse Hub: A Transformation Journey ...SirmaDuztepeliler
Ā
"Rethinking KĆ„llered ā From Big Box to a Reuse Hub: A Transformation Journey Toward Sustainability"
The booklet of my masterās thesis at the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology. (Gothenburg, Sweden)
This thesis explores the transformation of the vacated (2023) IKEA store in KĆ„llered, Sweden, into a "Reuse Hub" addressing various user types. The project aims to create a model for circular and sustainable economic practices that promote resource efficiency, waste reduction, and a shift in societal overconsumption patterns.
Reuse, though crucial in the circular economy, is one of the least studied areas. Most materials with reuse potential, especially in the construction sector, are recycled (downcycled), causing a greater loss of resources and energy. My project addresses barriers to reuse, such as difficult access to materials, storage, and logistics issues.
Aims:
ā¢ Enhancing Access to Reclaimed Materials: Creating a hub for reclaimed construction materials for both institutional and individual needs.
ā¢ Promoting Circular Economy: Showcasing the potential and variety of reusable materials and how they can drive a circular economy.
ā¢ Fostering Community Engagement: Developing spaces for social interaction around reuse-focused stores and workshops.
ā¢ Raising Awareness: Transforming a former consumerist symbol into a center for circular practices.
Highlights:
ā¢ The project emphasizes cross-sector collaboration with producers and wholesalers to repurpose surplus materials before they enter the recycling phase.
ā¢ This project can serve as a prototype for reusing many idle commercial buildings in different scales and sizes.
ā¢ The findings indicate that transforming large vacant properties can support sustainable practices and present an economically attractive business model with high social returns at the same time.
ā¢ It highlights the potential of how sustainable practices in the construction sector can drive societal change.
RPWORLD offers custom injection molding service to help customers develop products ramping up from prototypeing to end-use production. We can deliver your on-demand parts in as fast as 7 days.
My Fashion PPT is my presentation on fashion and TrendssMedhaRana1
Ā
This Presentation is in one way a guide to master the classic trends and become a timeless beauty. This will help the beginners who are out with the motto to excel and become a Pro Fashionista, this Presentation will provide them with easy but really useful ten ways to master the art of styles. Hope This Helps.
World trade center in kerala proposal- AR. DEEKSHITH MAROLI 724519251008 REPORTdeekshithmaroli666
Ā
World trade center live proposal in kerala.
Future of our nation is looking towards kerala..?
Yes, because the biggest sludge less port is going to open in kerala soon and also about the hidden massing growth of tourism, it , business sector
2. Danish Designersā analysis of
the role of design in a globalised and
knowledge-based economy as well as ļ¬ve
recommendations for the year 2007.
āThe increasingly vital
role of designā
In this updated version of the
organisationās political āmanifestoā
Danish Designers point out some of the
challenges that designers are facing
these years. Several conditions have
changed since the ļ¬rst edition was
published in 2005. A number of the
problems we listed ā and suggested
solutions to ā are now a thing of the
past, while new problems occur.Thus,
the work on professionalising the
industry as well as the communication
of designās potential has come to
fruition: We have seen the design
industry double its sales over the
past years, and it seems that the
design industry is met by a bigger
understanding for its role as a lever
in a globalised and knowledge-based
economy. Design has gone from being a
curiosity to becoming a pivotal force in
the knowledge society.
Design is developing, but there will still
be a need in years to come to deļ¬ne
and emphasize what design is and
what designers are able to do. However,
there is an increased focus on the
role of design within the experience
economy and in relation to user-driven
and user centered innovation.These
very relations occupy a central position
in this publication.
For decades Danish Designers has
worked internationally, but not until
this past decade have we seen that
globalisation is not merely a future
possibility for the individual designer
or a design ofļ¬ce; it is something we
relate to every single day, just as we
relate to whether or how the Danish
design educations gradually adapt
their educational offers to the changing
market conditions.
We will start with a short deļ¬nition
of our basic design conception, based
on a short summary of the historic
rooting of design and present position,
including new areas of work for
designers as well as a new use of the
design process.Then we will look
at the situation in Denmark, which
will include details on the design
educations, the design industry, the
communication of design in Denmark
and in industry, the importance of
public institutions and politicians for
the development of design as a lever.
In the following section we will
examine the possibilities and problems
for Danish designersā work in a global
context.
Finally we will suggest a number of
recommendations as an answer to the
problems pointed out in the previous.
3. The conception of design has been
discussed through many years, it has
been twisted and turned to a degree
that its meaning on the one hand has
been expanded to include any kind of
shaping and setting, and at the same
time the original meaning of the word
has had a renaissance.
The origin of the word is English, and
if you look up in Merriam-Webster
youāll soon realise that the word is not
exclusively connected to shaping; its
basic meaning is much more connected
to a conscious planning.
As an inevitable consequence of the
development and proliferation of
the concept of design, it has become
necessary to deal with design as a
phenomenon, designing and the
designerās approach to the two latter
separately.
Over the past years we have seen a
growing understanding that it is not
possible to have a meaningful design
political debate unless the three
concepts are described and related
to each other. Design as a concept
has undergone a development from
primarily representing an expression in
the cross ļ¬eld between the aesthetic and
the functional to gradually including the
methodical approach to the creation,
the uniqueness of the design process
as well as the conceptionās implicit
precision and focus (Latin: desegnare
= to mark; English: designate = to point
out/seize upon/focus) and the more
common use of the word in English: to
plan, to model, to form.
In the Danish design debate the
predominant issue has been design
as an innovation tool ā much more
so than design as a profession.The
position of design in the knowledge-
based economy is being thoroughly
documented.Yet, we reach an impasse
the moment we want to qualify
designing as a speciļ¬c competence, and
ā perhaps even more so āthe designer
as a professional ā as the prime
representative of design as a speciļ¬c
and articulate approach.
Our best explanation of design as
a concept would be that design is a
āvalue-adding, radical and undogmatic
statement or expression based on an
examination of what we are able to
acknowledge, as well as of unknown
factors inļ¬uencing the solution of the
problem in questionā.
Hence the following signiļ¬cance of
designing: āTo promote the integration
between and to exploit the value
of as many accessible, specialised
competences as possible and thereby
the creation of a value-adding, radical
and underground dogmatic statement
or expression based on an examination
of what we are able to acknowledge, as
well as of unknown factors inļ¬uencing
the solution of the problem in
question.ā (i.e.: of design). Conclusively:
not just designers represent the notion
of ādesigningā and thereby design.
The role of the designer becomes
ā based on the unique approaches to
problem solving, dialogue, analysis and
method, abstraction and visualisation
as well as the ability to shape
ā to initiate, encourage and create a
framework for, and by the means of
a professional response, to facilitate
dialogue and reciprocity between
other speciļ¬c competences in order
to āpromote integration between and
the utilisation of the value of as many
accessible, specialised competences
as possible, etc.ā ā in other words: to
design, but also, equally important,
make others design.
Consequently, if you should talk
about a speciļ¬c design competence it
must be that the designer ā based on
registration and analysis of a situation
ā uses his/her creative and innovative
capabilities to balance, visualise and
concretise the prioritisation of relevant
4. parameters in a given context and what
possible scenarios or solutions you
have to work with.
In addition we have one of the
designerās classic competences, so
to speak: to add to the solution a
sensuous and aesthetic dimension.
Aesthetics are not just a conception
related to physical objects; neither is
it just what the eye can see. Aesthetics
is the science about the sensuous,
originally sensuous well-being; the
aesthetic relations between a person
and an object or an experience.
When we emphasize the aesthetic
dimension it is due to the fact that
there ā over the last decade or so
ā has been documented evidence
that aesthetic quality represents
more than just value to the personal
experience. An experience of beauty
and connection is meaningful for the
work performance of human beings,
for the quality of a treatment in the
public health care system, for whether
a situation provokes stress or not ā and
for a number of other things, obviously
in addition to, the competitiveness that
aesthetics add on a market consisting
of what you might consider comparable
products and services.
So far the design process has primarily
been aimed at problems with a physical/
visual answer, which makes sense when
it is seen in context with the history of
the Danish design craft: the profession
in this country originates in part from a
strong tradition of handicraft products,
and in part from an architectural
environment at the beginning of the
19th century (in particular manifested
by the works of Thorvald BindesbĆøll and
Knud V Engelhadt) that took an interest
in the close environment and user-
objects of human beings.
However, in recent years there has
been an increased interest in what
a design process could mean to
problems that are not about shape or
form, but rather require answers to
complex and difļ¬cult questions.This
is what is understood by the concept of
āimmaterial designā.
Because of their educational
background, methodical approach to
problem solving and capability and
ability to innovate and visualise their
propositions, designers are good at
imagining the context within which
the solution should work. Moreover,
designers are not afraid to come up
with solutions that are not based on a
ātechnocraticā extrapolation of already
existing/acknowledged solution
scenarios; they relate innovatively/
radically to possible solutions. In other
words: designers ask the āstrangeā
catalyst questions that can turn out
to be a decisive factor for a better
examination of the full complexity of
the problem as well as its possibilities.
In addition, designers are familiar with
the idea of solving problems based
on deļ¬ned values, such as durability,
accessibility, economy, production
methods, social spaciousnessā¦ or
ethics.This interdisciplinary approach
to problem solving is not only the result
of the fact that design as a solution
model is built on and invites to respect
for and knowledge of a large variety
of complementary competences, but
also the fact that the methods and
processes traditionally and intuitively
used by designers are now formalised
and documented.This research will be
a key element for the Danish design
profession to develop competences that
can become a contributing factor for
the role of design to be experienced as
relevant and valuable in the knowledge
society, also outside the design
environment.
5. If you compare all of these relations
you sit back with an understanding of
design as a statement or a methodical
direction with a humanistic, holistic
and innovative ļ¬xed place ā which to
a large degree makes up for a relevant
base to many of the questions that
society will have to ļ¬nd answers to.
In recent years the attention of research,
education and business politics has
been aimed increasingly at the growth
in value as well as the competitiveness
related to user-driven innovation, design
and the experience economy.The three
areas share the same destiny: a lack
of ā or imprecise ā concept formation,
which has led to a number of myths
and misunderstandings, both inside
professional environments, in business
life and far into environments related
to research in and establishment of
a political framework for the area.
Without further developing this we
ļ¬nd it important to emphasize our
own understanding of the different
conceptions.
By user-driven innovation we
understand a method ā or rather: a
number of related methods ā that
ādeciphersā the experiences and
notions of the user in order to
understand his or her unacknowledged
dreams and needs, interpret these
and to ļ¬nd out what represents a
trend which is durable enough and
represents a potential volume to
develop more proļ¬table products and
services.
Actually design is also ā although it
is so many other things as well ā a
method for developing more proļ¬table
products and services through an often
material interpretation of accessible
knowledge of what a user or a client
ā the market ā wants.This is not to say
that design and user-driven innovation
are the same, but they often have the
same base and the same goal. So when
public Denmark links the conceptions
it makes sense.The following is from
the Danish Enterprise and Construction
Authority: āDesign is an important
factor of growth for the industry in the
competition with businesses from all
over the world. Design can give a better
result and contribute to promoting
innovation.ā
Experience economy is a relatively new
conception, by many confused with
everything that has to do with merry
go rounds and swings, tourism, art,
culture and entertainment. But it is
more and more used in a larger sense,
as seen from the deļ¬nition by the
network Danish Experience Economy:
ā...when you appeal to the heart on the
market place, at the emotional, rather
than at the reason. Many products
thus have both a rational dimension
and an emotional dimension.ā The
Danish Enterprise and Construction
Authority also refers to design as part
of the culture and experience economy
that constitutes an important area of
Danish economy, given the fact that it
represents more than 16 % of the total
of Danish exports.
So there is no doubt that the three
conceptions ā design, user-driven
innovation and experience economy
ā do relate a lot to each other. However,
people seem to agree less on what
their relations are. In all likelihood
this could explain why so far only few,
vague attempts have been made to
formulate a coherent and coordinated
policy, where the three conceptions
interact. Another explanation could
be that we do not just have one, but
many interpretations of what the three
conceptions represent ā both within the
6. professional environments, within the
world of education and research as well
as on the political scene.
As for Danish Designersā own
discussions, concepts such as āuser-
driven innovationā and āuser-centred
designā are only central where we
have to further develop agendas stated
outside the organisation, so to speak.
Not that the values and methods the
concepts represent contradict those
of the organisation, but because they
have been the foundation of Danish
design through more than ļ¬fty years,
and therefore not exactly constitute
any news.
In addition, we ļ¬nd it relevant to keep
a certain degree of reservation with
respect to the two mentioned concepts,
partly in fear of the āuserā getting a
positive discrimination at the expense
of others ā both users and non-users
ā and partly because it might be more
interesting to examine the relations
occurring via the meeting between
the many interests in a development
course as well as the context within
which the expected result must be a
part of, rather than focusing on one
single interest.Thus, it is a natural
part of the design process to balance
as many interests as possible in an
āelevatedā synthesis: the interests
of the user and the client, but also
interests that are above the spirit of
the time as well as reigning dogmas,
where it is relevant, and above the
public opinion and the expectations
of the market as well as common
conceptions on how existing ā or
new, for that matter ā technologies,
materials, form language, processes
or business models are used.This is
where the design process leads to what
is considered to be barrier-breaking
ā based on exactly such a process ā a
place, where the result of the process
also will be an innovation, but more
than just āuser-driven innovationā.
Where the design process leads to
innovation it will be more relevant to
talk about ādesign-drivenā innovation;
a fundamentally more advanced
approach to innovation, and thereby
more valuable with respect to several
parameters than āuser-drivenā or
āmarket-drivenā innovation. Moreover,
design-driven innovation will not
be in opposition to the āoldā forms
of innovation, āprice-drivenā and
ātechnology-drivenā innovation, and ā
all things considered ā not user-driven
either, but engage and supplement
these where price, technology, the
individual user or the expectations of
the market play central roles.
As mentioned earlier, design is
acknowledged as being part of the
experience economy. Perhaps not
all design belongs in that particular
category, while other parts of the
design area are central.The conception
has traditionally been used on ācreativeā
sectors like tourism, amusement parks,
theatre and entertainment in general.
Moreover, in recent years the āclient
experienceā has become a central
parameter in many other sectors as
well, in particular within trades and
services. In other words: the conception
has gained ground at a place where the
before mentioned deļ¬nition appears:
āwhen you appeal to the heart at the
market place, at the emotional, rather
than the reasonā. In particular where
one can talk about a genuine freedom
of choice; ļ¬rst whether you would like
to use a given service or buy a given
product; then what kind of product
you feel the most attracted to. Here
design must be said to be a classical
parameter. In the most traditional
sense of the word design has to do
with appeal in peopleās minds, with
identiļ¬cation and identity, with
afļ¬uence and the agony of choice.The
more ācomplexā approach to design
is also of great importance within this
area, which has given birth to ādesign-
7. driven innovationsā like the iPod or ā to
honour one of our classic designers
ā Paul Henningsenās lighting concepts.
However, the connection between
design, innovation and experience
economy gets really interesting
where ādesign-driven innovationā
is challenged by needs, services and
products, where the market has never
been based on appeal, identiļ¬cation
and identity, afļ¬uence and the agony of
choice. Design-driven innovation and
experience economy could potentially
turn out to be a strong concept if they
were used on other less obvious sectors
that really crave innovation. Sectors,
where the individual user only to a
small degree has chosen to be exposed
to the āexperienceā and where the
inļ¬uence on the āsupplierā of the
experience at best is quite limited.
Obvious sectors here would be public
transportation, child care, the health
care sector, elderly care and other
care sectors, the education sector, the
meeting between citizen and public
authority, public buildings as well as
other āpublic serviceā functions. Here
user-driven innovation does not sufļ¬ce,
and in particular not in its purest form.
The users will obviously be natural
actors in such processes, as mentioned
above, but a design methodogical
approach will start elsewhere: by
asking what the problem really is,
and then sketching, often visually, a
number of possible scenes and solution
models.The design process is based on
deliberate dismissal of options which
have not stood the test of iteration,
much more so than any other method,
which means that you start out with
the impossible as a possible solution
instead of letting what exists already
create a narrow frame for the solution.
Such dismissal is, thus, the result of
something proving to be impossible to
do, or the result of something proving
to be positively not wishful. In return,
the ļ¬nal solution can turn out to be
far from the original assumptions
regarding the result.
In recent years, and in particular as a
result of the work of the Globalisation
Council a few years back, it has been
emphasized that we can no longer rely
on former strengths.The globalisation
is no longer an academic affair,
something that might hit us one day;
it is a reality that daily brings us new
challenges, but certainly also new
possibilities.
Design can contribute to challenge the
potentially negative consequences of
the globalisation: the technological
development, climate changes,
demographic movements, new power
and competition structures etc. It can
thus help to prevent that technological
capabilities, access to the world market
and wealth in the widest sense of the
word develop into an elitist privilege.
More focus on such concepts as āDesign
for Allā or āinclusive designā could be
essential in this context.
The political and cultural environment
that created the brand āDanish Designā
does no longer exist, but that does
not stop us from considering whether
we could not learn something from
its success and think it into a modern
context. Danish Design should be ā and
is ā at least as relevant today as it was
50 years ago.
The values that made up the foundation
of the welfare state found their cultural
co-player in the cultural radicalism. Both
the political and the cultural Denmark
collaborated: good solutions for the
majority were discussed, and that does
sound very correct and very Danish.
But if we think this into a modern
context we have to be aware of the fact
that this also comprised an underlying
solution of a whole, an unspoken dream
of a homogeneity and lucidity that
really does not leave much room for
differences, and which does not tally
well with our present society.
8. It is therefore necessary that we take
an interest in how we can open and
integrate the diversity into the planning
of space, objects, user-interfaces and
immaterial design solutions. Not just
because of the diversity anyone can
experience in his or her everyday
life, but also because of the many
differences you have to relate to as a
result of the globalisation.The market
size for many products and services
are no longer counted in millions, but
billions of people.
When confronting such new
developments we as Danes have a
better than average basis for making
our mark ā quite simply because
we carry with us a natural notion of
responsibility; that is our tradition. We
therefore have the possibility ā and
the skills ā to aim at establishing good,
spacious solutions taking into account
the different needs and conditions of
society and individuals. In other words:
to think in terms of inclusiveness
rather than exclusivity.
The professionalization in later years of
the design profession, increased focus
on exports and internationalisation
as well as a rapid and necessary
consolidation among the leading
designers and design ofļ¬ces in
Denmark give reason to believe in the
future of Danish design in a global
context. We still face a number of
challenges, some of which are more
acknowledged than others, but we can
joyfully see that there has never been
more activity, larger growth or more
optimism in the design business than
there is today.
The newly graduated designer has to
be familiar with the latest technology,
he/she has to be competent in his/her
main area and possess the ability to do
interdisciplinary work.Ten years ago
designers had a handful of specialised
areas (for example industrial, graphic,
furniture, space, textile and fashion
design).Today students work with
a much wider variety of approaches
to education and research on the
design areas. Still, giving form to,
understanding and handling of
materials are central elements, as well
as visual communication, knowledge
about the design process itself and the
ability to communicate it.
In addition to the ātraditionalā
middle range and long range design
educations, rooted in the Danish
Ministry of Culture, we now see design
engineers from Aalborg University, the
Technical University of Denmark and
the University of Southern Denmark.
We also see a specialisation within
design and the application of the
design process at the business schools,
among historians and material art
studies.
Some years ago, the Danish parliament
initiated an academic process of the
Danish School of Design and Kolding
Design School.This is an important
signal, but not enough to meet the
changed and hardened demands of
the market as far as the competences
of a designer are concerned.The
design educations must prepare the
students for an unknown future, and
the newly graduated designers that
we help are the product of a structure
that is already obsolete. Still, we
take the liberty to point out where
improvements could be made.
Understanding and communicating
the designerās main competences have
been problematic for many designers.
That is why it is important to follow
up on the academic process on the
two design schools in order to build
a tradition for handling knowledge
and experiences that were implicit 10
years ago for the individual teacher
and which, for the same reason, were
so difļ¬cult to renew or discuss ā and
impossible to explain. It is vital that
the educations train the designers to
perform their competences in a large,
professional team.Thus, it is necessary
with a natural interdisciplinary
dialogue and acknowledgement if
design is to develop its potential. We
have to kill the myth about the solitary
9. designer, who can see through the
complexity of this world alone.
Nine out of ten design ofļ¬ces are
one-person companies, which is
an advantage in terms of ļ¬exibility
and independence. But it is very
inconvenient in terms of bad economy,
poor impact as well as less capacity
to take on large and international
projects. Before the students
commence their studies they should
realise that a designer uses 90 % of his/
her time on planning, that you should
be able to work in an interdisciplinary
fashion and that only a fraction of the
time is used on āshapingā.
We would like to see the
implementation of new educations that
are able to cover the demand for new
types of design, it be a Danish edition
of Stanfordās D-school (humanistic,
economic and technical studies) or a
new education that covers the foreseen
increase in service design, rather
than seeing the already established
educations āļ¬ushing out the babyā and
give up their specialities.
A part of this discussion concerns the
fact that the design schools ā that are
founded on traditional crafts ā ļ¬nd
themselves between two chairs: the
university chair and the shaping
chair. And the most urgent question
ā in light of the speed with which the
integration of design proļ¬ts from these
years ā should be whether it would be
possible to separate the two concepts
and recognize that we are dealing with
two different professions: crafts and
design. And then let them develop each
on their own terms and within their
own possibilities, on the one hand
as an artistic education rooted in the
Danish Ministry of Culture, and on the
other hand as a strategically founded
education rooted in the Ministry of
Science, and integrated as much as
possible with the other university
educations.
There is no doubt that the two areas
are closely related, but if we force the
two conceptions together we will not
be able to beneļ¬t enough from their
respective possibilities.
The academic process and the new
research in and about design is gaining
terrain in Denmark, at the beneļ¬t of
both the profession and the educations.
āTo designā, the design process itself,
is still an area where we need more
knowledge, however, while we see a
large portion of the research describing
ļ¬nished design, rather than looking at
the entire ļ¬ow from conception through
designs and materialization to use
and ā eventualy disposal.To be able to
develop the profession we can only urge
the responsible parties to concentrate
on this area, even though this will mean
that the designers should be educated to
handle such a task themselves.
Interdisciplinary work is a working
term for all designers, but we know too
little about what happens during the
meeting between different professional
competences; what happens to the
ādesignā during this process? We are
certain that the designer has a part
in all links of the value chain, but we
do not know enough about where in
the process the designer adds value,
and what kind. Research in this ļ¬eld
will be a determinant factor for the
professionalisation of the industry, its
development and its competitiveness.
The education of the designers does
not, however, start and ļ¬nish at the
educational institutions. A good
designer has been inļ¬uenced from
baby nursery and has a lifelong course
ahead of him/her. What is particular
about Danish design students is that
they are fundamentally innovative,
anti authority and possess a large
degree of humanistic understanding.
Future Danish designers must
compete with skilled designers on a
global market, and it is important in
this competition to maintain these
qualities, such as the ability to ask
questions regarding the clientās
problem and to insist on simple,
ethical and environmental qualities.
10. These years the ministries of culture
and education focus on design and
architecture in the public schools.
Design has already been well
established as a subject at high school
level ā an initiative that will foster
better and more critical users of design.
At the same time the soil is fertilised
with a generation of skilled designers.
Further training is also inevitable,
but it is an area that has not been
demanded enough by the designers,
and the possibilities for further training
are limited. We have examined our
membersā needs for years and tried to
fulļ¬l these, but we will look forward to
the establishment of more possibilities
for further training within the
educational system.
Finally we have to discuss how many
designers this county should educate
and at what level. It could turn out to
be important to focus on quality rather
than quantity.
An important barrier for the political
understanding of designās potential
through the many links ā ministries,
boards, institutions etc. ā is the lack of
coordination as well as the fragmented
political handling of design.The problem
is known in most countries, where you
have something you could call a design
policy, but this should not stop Denmark
from leading the way with a more
suitable treatment of the area.
The Danish Ministry of Culture is
still the ministry in control of all the
ātraditionalā educations, and it does
support design progress activities,
in Denmark as well as abroad, that
emphasize Denmarkās status as a
nation of culture and design.
The communication of design, the
professionalisation of the design
profession as well as other design
promotion initiatives are being
administered by the Danish Enterprise
and Construction Authority on behalf
of the Ministry of Economic and
Business Affairs. The most important
part of this effort has been channelled
through Danish Design Center that
has had a hard time maintaining a
responsible professional proļ¬le due to
cutbacks.
I recent years the Ministry of Science,
Technology and Innovation has
shown increased interest in this
area, in particular with regards to
research within and development
of the experience economy and
because design is now part of several
educations at university level, among
other places at Aalborg University,
the IT University of Copenhagen, the
Technical University of Denmark and
the University of Southern Denmark.
The Danish Ministry of Education
has also invested in the design area,
since we can see a curriculum for both
primary schools, high schools, short
educations and further educations.
This division of ministries does not
necessarily have to be a problem, but it
will be if the dialogue at the respective
institutions remains selective as to own
resort areas.This will force things into
silos, making the necessary co-thinking
impossible.
For a design policy to really make any
sense, there is thus a pronounced
need to think in wholes ā also within
the political system.The only way to
achieve this is that the interdisciplinary
work ā that is already talked about with
regards to the design educations and
research ā also ļ¬nds parallels in the
political system.
It is essential that design is rooted
somewhere in the political landscape
and the public institutions, where
there is a will as well as competences
to co-think the technological, cultural,
commercial and social role of design.
Through a number of years various
studies have conļ¬rmed the industryās
own assumptions in terms of the
design industryās fragmented character.
And despite the fact that a certain
visible consolidation has taken place
in recent years it still remains a fact
that the Danish design industry
mainly consists of companies of
1-3 people.Thus, it is important for
11. the industryās competitiveness and
resistance to international and other
domestic suppliers of design services
that this consolidation continues.
Mainly because the many very small
companies ļ¬nd it very difļ¬cult to
convince the other business markets
about their capacity to take on their
projects.There is a big need to make
people understand this untenable
situation within the design business,
partly through network activities, partly
through a focused effort on further
education.
The educational system plays a
signiļ¬cant role; it must prepare the
candidates for the commercial realities
of being part of a supply chain so that
they can relate to what it means to run
your own business at a professional
level ā and it should open their eyes to
the possibility of accepting jobs in other
parts of the business life. We see the
ļ¬rst steps, but we are still far from an
acceptable level.
We also need to make an effort with
regards to the designers that have
already graduated. Single and two-
person companies need the necessary
knowledge and the necessary tools
in order to be able to make qualiļ¬ed
choices of strategy and business
models. A deliberate choice to pursue
ones profession in a one-man or
at least small business ought to be
encouraged, while the consolidation
effort should be directed at the many
design ofļ¬ces that stay small because
they donāt know how to grow, but
possess strong and sharp professional
competences.
This structure with many small design
companies is worrying for many
reasons. It is in itself a barrier against
interdisciplinary work, and it makes
the companies vulnerable to changes
in the market and to the need for
competence development, network
building etc. Finally it is experienced
ā in particular by medium sized and big
companies ā as a barrier with regards
to the equality that a business wants
towards its suppliers.
In order to trigger the immaterial
potentials of this profession it is a
prerequisite that we ā in addition to
the already mentioned consolidation
ā encourage the industry as well as the
trades and the service sectors to hire
people with a design education.This
also goes for commercial counselling
services and the public sector.This
is necessary in order to direct focus
on design methodogical approaches
and solution models and also to
strengthen the conļ¬dence of business
life and of society in the validity and
seriousness of the solutions. Moreover,
documentation does exist at this point
proving that companies that hire
designers perform better than those
without designers.
In addition to the barrier that the
structure of the business creates for
the development of the design industry
it is a fact that a number of Danish
design companies are overtaken on the
inside by foreign competitors ā both
with regards to design solutions for
Danish companies and with regards
to international jobs.The exports of
Danish design as a counselling service
has increased steadily in recent years,
and it should be further strengthened
by focusing more on design as a service
than until now where the exportation
of Danish design has been thought
of as a rub-off effect caused by the
promotion of exportation of Danish,
design-based products.
A bigger insight into the actual and
potential Danish strength positions and
the role of design in relation to those on
the Danish representations abroad is
to be desired. A great deal of attention
has traditionally been given ā and is
still given ā to products that in many
peopleās minds represent āDanish
designā; products like furniture and
lighting, decorative and functional
objects for the home, and Danish
fashion and textile.They all contribute
to a positive image of Denmark and
Danish design, but at the same time it
also ļ¬rmly cements the idea that we
only supply life style design for a rich
clientele. It would be useful to Danish
12. design and Danish competitiveness in
the long run to remove focus from such
objects and direct it at the knowledge
and the competences that Denmark
can contribute with in areas such as
health, play and learning, working
environment and security, energy
and environment, communication,
transportation and logistics ā only to
mention a few of the most obvious.
Initiatives such as INDEX: have been
important, and hopefully it will still
be able to play an important role as
catalyst for the image of Danish design
as a tool of change. If we are to take
advantage of the power that INDEX:
generated it is, however, decisive that
the organisation can stay and act
independently of institutions, such
as the DDC, for example, in order to
create a platform on which forward
looking partnerships and initiatives
can be established without having to
concentrate ā and coordinate with ā the
ongoing and commercially motivated
design promotion effort.
Finally we have to mention the
positive effect of attracting one or more
international design companies to
Denmark. More and more international
manufacturing companies position their
development and design departments
in Denmark, which is very encouraging.
However, we will not beneļ¬t from
the full effect until Denmark is
perceived as an international centre
for strategic design, design counselling
and innovation, as an independent
professional environment. It would
be a breakthrough for Danish design
if some day one or more important
design companies from the UK or the US
should choose to set up an operation in
Denmark.
The responsibility for communicating
the importance of design has for many
years been that of the Danish Design
Center as the primary āoperatorā for the
governmental design policy. In recent
years the strategy of DDC has been
sharpened and more focused in such a
way that the centreās communication
mainly has been focused towards
Danish business life, and the message
is that design is good business.This
focus has been reasonable in light of
the economic framework of which the
centre disposes. At the same times it
starts the debate of whether DDC is
the right actor to āraiseā the general
public, create a debate and dynamics as
well as to be in charge of the display of
design, in the popular meaning of the
word, and also whether the institution
is capable of communicating the non-
commercial beneļ¬ts of design.You
could fear that the essential cultural
aspect ā and thereby the value-based
aspect beneļ¬cial to society ā and not
least the possibilities this approach has
for Danish design in an international
context, is left to its own devices.
Designās documented potential
with regards to optimizing public
allocations as well as the public
interaction with the individual citizen
has been overlooked so far in the
communication of design. Design is
not just about developing new physical
products, but also about improved
communication, user-orientation and
innovation with regards to services
and an improvement of the co-relation
between private and public actors. It
is true that the governmental design
policy has granted money for a number
of pilot projects, where the potential of
design in relation to optimizing public
allocations must be documented, and
it is true that there is an increased
focus on concepts such as service
design. However, we still need an effort
to make heads of purchase and the
authorities responsible for allocations
locally, regionally and nationally,
understand how design has relevance
as to the public services they are in
charge of.The lack of knowledge of
the potential of design with regards to
public allocations and services makes
the price of the merchandise, or the
price of the service, the most important
purchase criteria, here and now.
13. Apart from missing out on qualitative
improvements within the public sector
the lack of qualitative purchase criteria
contributes to the weakening of the
innovative power in small and medium
sized companies.
It is in a sense positive that larger and
larger amounts have been granted
to the promotion of and research
in design. However, we still need an
overall strategy that also includes
public purchase policies, exportation
of design as a counselling service,
the understanding of design as part
of the subjects at primary and high
schools, a focused professionalisation
of the design profession and a real
integration between the design
educations and the other secondary
educations.
Thus, it is still of utmost importance
for the total promotion of the design
area in Denmark that DDC formulates
and receives means to realise a
more signiļ¬cant and progressive
role ā both towards the present and
above-mentioned new target groups
ā and not least as a torch bearer
for Danish design internationally,
or ā alternatively, that new actors
are brought into play, actors, who
can contribute with activities and
initiatives aimed at target groups that
are not a central part of DDCās strategy,
and with a focus on the role of design
with regards to human life quality,
innovation within the public sector,
global challenges such a changes in
the climate, the ļ¬ght against poverty,
conļ¬ict solution as well as the society
we leave behind for future generations.
For many different reasons the Danish
industry has gained a signiļ¬cantly
better understanding of design in
recent years, and consequently a
better understanding of designās
application, design methodogical
approaches and designers in general.
This āgrowthā is reļ¬ected in the
design industry too: according
to Statistics Denmark the design
industry achieved an 18 % increase in
growth from 2005 to 2006. However,
the full potential is far from being
exploited. The use of design has ļ¬rst
and foremost spread among medium
sized and large companies, and most
often in companies that depend and
compete on an international market. It
is therefore not possible to contribute
this growth to a single actor or a
single initiative. It is more likely the
result of a focused effort from the
authorities ā crystallised in the DDC,
among others ā in combination with a
massive focus on design in the news
media, on conferences and in the
public debate.
Studies support that using design
makes sense. Danish and foreign
design centres have studied the
measurable effects of design, and
there is left no doubt that there is a
direct connection between the strategic
use of design and turnover, access to
international markets and proļ¬tability.
The big organisations seem to have
discovered the value of design too, it
be industrial organisations, employer
organisations, employee organisations
and industry speciļ¬c organisations.
What we still miss, though, is more
focus from these organisations when it
comes to the unexploited potential of
design within areas such as business
service, retail trade, food industry,
agriculture, tourism, transportation
and logistics. Just to mention a few.
Some years back the debate was about
ādesign: art or business?ā. Today
there is less focus on ā and bigger
understanding of ā the fact that design
is not about art. However, there is still
a lot to be desired when it comes to
the organisationsā understanding of
the number of sectors that design can
inļ¬uence and strengthen, both within
the trade, service and industry, and not
least within the area of public services.
14. Recommendations
Danish Designersā recommendations
can be summed up in the following ļ¬ve points:
Danish Designers recommend:
ā¢ that a future education strategy
strongly distinguishes between
design and crafts.
ā¢ that the educational responsibility
is moved to the Ministry of Science,
enabling the design educations to
be thought into the technical, mer-
cantile and humanistic educations.
ā¢ that the āclassicalā design educa-
tions are supplemented with new
combined educations, where design
thinking and design methods come
into play, fully integrated with the
technical, mercantile and humani-
stic sciences.
ā¢ that a balance is secured between
ābasic researchā in the uniqueness
of design, methods and designās
position in the value chain on the
one hand, and āpractical researchā,
where known design methods and
design thinking are tested in order
to develop particular products, ser-
vices and systems, on the other.
ā¢ that a design methodogical under-
standing is offered as a subject of
its own and that it is also integrated
with other methodogical subjects at
primary and secondary educations,
high schools and technical schools.
ā¢ that the research generated at the
many educational and research in-
stitutions that have design research
or design related research ā among
others Centre for Design Research
ā is made accessible to the design
industry and industry at large.
Danish Designers recommend:
ā¢ that politicians focus on the barriers
that public purchase systems and
lack of knowledge of the potential of
design in the different parts of the
administration represent. Moreover,
this lack of commercial competen-
ces and the particular limitations of
the design profession with relation
to critical mass must have a parti-
cular consideration when it comes
to developing support systems,
pools and development programs
that otherwise could be relevant
tools for the further development of
the industry.
ā¢ that municipalities, regions and
government agencies, as well as
government itself are encouraged to
formulate design policies for their
own developments and interaction
with the public.
Danish Designers recommend:
ā¢ that Born Creative is further develo-
ped and expanded with incentives
for the establishment of partner-
ships and the formulation of export
related business models, so that
companies committing themselves
to improve competences, strategic
armament and growth are offered
real possibilities for growth through
tailored tools, growth resources,
help to further professionalisation
and access to managerial resources.
ā¢ that arrangements are made to
establish grants, scholarships or
favourable ļ¬nancing, where the cri-
teria for a grant are the will to grow
and an actual potential to grow.
ā¢ that design companies that have
proven their willingness to export
and that work focused on an export
oriented strategy are invited to
participate in export promotions and
other Danish initiatives, where their
speciļ¬c competences can be shown
to a relevant public.
ā¢ that funds are set aside in a pool in
order to attract international lectu-
rers, guest teachers and professors
for the educations that have design
as a method, strategic competence
and innovation tool as central ele-
ments.
ā¢ that an information and education
course is developed for the beneļ¬t of
Danish representations abroad, of-
fering counselling and other services
for Danish companies regarding de-
sign as a knowledge-based service
as well as the new directions within
the design area.
15. Danish Designers recommend:
ā¢ that a commission for design and
innovation is established with
representatives from the design
profession, relevant educational
institutions, business life, pub-
lic companies and institutions,
relevant boards and ministries and
from the political life.The expecta-
tion to the commission would be a
statement on how Danish designers
ā and other actors representing this
particular way of viewing problems
you could call design thinking ā in
the best possible way could con-
tribute to economic growth, social
gain and a more innovate society.
Danish Designers recommend:
ā¢ that students at primary schools
via secondary schools and into the
further educations are stimulated
to work and to have an opinion con-
cerning our physical surroundings
as well as the products, the in-
creasing number of services and
the communication we surround
ourselves with.
ā¢ increased focus on Design for All
ā design with the emphasis on ac-
cessibility, user-friendliness and
diversity ā contributing to promote
the consciousness of the individual
regarding the signiļ¬cance of design.
ā¢ that there will be focus on design
content and design quality with
regards to public offers and public
space. Denmark is far behind
compared to a number of other
European cities when it comes
to a conscious use of design and
designers. Such different cities as
Barcelona, Amsterdam and Bristol
are leading the way when it comes
to exploiting the potential of design
for the beneļ¬t of citizens and visi-
tors, much more so than Copenha-
gen or Aarhus, for example.
ā¢ that the responsibility for commu-
nicating designās commercial signi-
ļ¬cance and the general communi-
cation of designās value in a social
sense is either separated ā or that
we ensure more coherence and
balance between the two areas.
ā¢ that the resources for the interna-
tional communication is concen-
trated into two pools, respectively
in an independent INDEX: pool that
continues the building of a global
position for Denmark as catalyst
for the role of design as a solution
model with regards to meaningful,
global challenges, and into a pool
that secures the participation of Da-
nish designers, design ofļ¬ces and
communicators of Danish design
competence when it comes to Da-
nish promotions, for example under
the Danish Exportation Council, the
Danish Cultural Institute or others.
ā¢ that a design council is established
that takes on the role as communi-
cator of designās role and signiļ¬can-
ce with regards to relevant themes
ā in the same way that the Danish
Council of Ethics and other counsel-
ling institutions do.
ā¢ that resources are granted to the
development of a clear communica-
tion platform for designās role in ad-
dressing issues, and a communica-
tion effort, linked to the UN Climate
Conference in Copenhagen in 2009.