The Design Council is a British organization that has championed design since 1946 through various initiatives such as exhibitions, publications, and awards that supported well-designed products. More recently, it has developed tools and frameworks like the Double Diamond and Systemic Design Framework to help designers address social and environmental implications. It also runs programs like Design for Planet to support the UK design community in prioritizing sustainability. The document discusses the complexity of long-term issues and how organizations can address structural problems through changing methods, community building, and continual checking in.

1. Sustainable Sustainability?

2. design + tech + climate

3. Design Council
Britain Can Make It (1946)
Championing design
We curated this exhibition a month
after the end of WWII. A showcase of
the best of industrial design at the
V&A, it received 1.5M visitors over 2
months.
Design Magazine (1944-1999)
We published this monthly magazine
on the best of design practice and
manufacturing methods.
Millenium Products (1999)
In collaboration with British Council,
this touring exhibition showcased
over 1K products and was launched
in 1999 at the Millenium Dome by
Tony Blair.
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4. Design Council
Prince Philip Designers Prize
(1959-2011)
Supporting good design
The longest running design prize
used to reward well designed
consumer products. The Brompton
bike received this award in 2009.
Spark product innovation fund
(2014-19)
A £1.8M incubator programme which
supported 150 designers to get their
product to market.
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Swingtag (1964-1980s)
A quality kitemark and label that was
used to support thousands of well-
designed products.

5. Design Council
Working with NHS England to reduce
aggression through research, improved
signage prototypes and successful pilots
with University Hospital Southampton
NHS Foundation Trust and St George’s
Healthcare NHS Trust.
Reducing violence and aggression in A&E:
Through a better experience (2015)
Guidance
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6. Design Council
Research
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7. Design Council
Double Diamond (2004)
Tools & methods
A widely adopted
description of the design
process which helps
designers structure client
work.
Systemic Design
Framework (2021)
Including the
environmental, social
and systemic
implications of design
into a project.
Design Value Framework (2022)
Using holistic (social, planetary,
financial and democratic values) to
think about a design project.
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Framework for
Innovation (2019)
Including the Double
Diamond as part of agile
innovation processes.

8. Design Council
Galvanising and supporting the
1.97m strong UK design
community to design with the
welfare of the planet as a priority.
A yearly Festival (Oct 16-18 at
the University of East Anglia)
and meetups in London.
Design for Planet
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10. Design Council
How do we address
long term complexity
in the minutia of the
day to day?
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11. Design Council
How do we do that while
addressing structural issues like
the gender pay gap, racism,
sexism, homophobia, transphobia,
mental health issues, the poverty
premium, modern slavery,
breaches of privacy, fraud?
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12. Moral disengagement

13. Moral disengagement

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Moral disengagement

15. Moral disengagement

16. 16
Facing complexity

17. Design Council
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Complexity in supply chains

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Complexity in supply chains

19. Design Council
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Complexity in market dynamics

20. 20
Complexity in who does the work

21. 21
Complexity in assessing good and bad actors

22. 22
Complexity in who we reward

23. 23
Complexity in scaling vs. prototyping

24. Design Council
How do we address
long term complexity
in the minutia of the
day to day?
24

25. 25
Change your methods

26. Design Council
Double Diamond (2004)
Tools & methods
A widely adopted
description of the design
process which helps
designers structure client
work.
Systemic Design
Framework (2021)
Including the
environmental, social
and systemic
implications of design
into a project.
Design Value Framework (2022)
Using holistic (social, planetary,
financial and democratic values) to
think about a design project.
26
Framework for
Innovation (2019)
Including the Double
Diamond as part of agile
innovation processes.

27. Design Council
Double Diamond (2004)
Tools & methods
A widely adopted
description of the design
process which helps
designers structure client
work.
Systemic Design
Framework (2021)
Including the
environmental, social
and systemic
implications of design
into a project.
Design Value Framework (2022)
Using holistic (social, planetary,
financial and democratic values) to
think about a design project.
27
Framework for
Innovation (2019)
Including the Double
Diamond as part of agile
innovation processes.

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A book club

29. 29
upskilling & community building spinoffs & offboarding
A path for employees

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Keep checking in

31. Thank you!