The Design Economy 2018

The Design Council has just published a report on 'the design economy': 

Design Economy 2018 report launching today

We are excited to publish our flagship state of design report, Design Economy 2018. The report builds from our 2015 report and looks in-depth at the value and importance of design to the UK economy. The research highlights that design continues to grow at pace. It generated £85.2 billion in GVA, which is about 73% of the GVA of the financial and insurance industry. Around 1.69 million people are employed in design economy, a 52% growth since 2009. The number of design firms has grown by 63% since 2010 and design is making an important contribution to UK innovation and productivity.

"The Design Economy 2018 shows the huge contribution design makes to the UK economy, growing at pace, driving innovation and growth for UK business." Sarah Weir OBE Chief Executive of the Design Council

The research presents a positive picture of design in the UK. The research also highlights a number of issues that need to be tackled if we are to continue to be a world leader in design (with China, the UAE and Saudi Arabia rapidly catching up). We have to take action to address design’s diversity problem, it is still 78% male. It is also regionally imbalanced with London and the South East, alongside larger more successful businesses continuing to benefit most from the design economy. This uneven distribution of design risks a growing divide between those businesses, places and people that have access to design and those that do not. We really want to hear your views, please join the debate at #DesignEconomy

Download Design Economy 2018 Download Design Council's report on the state of design in the UK, and its value to the economy.

Design Economy 2018 website Visit our website for full details on the report, to explore the individual case studies or to review our FAQs.

The Design Economy | Design Council

It's an interesting idea - which is recognised worldwide:
The Design Economy: Re-imagining new possibilities for a city, economy & wellbeing | October Communications
Building-Design-Economy in India_0218161.pdf
New York’s Design Economy | Center for an Urban Future (CUF)

And taking 'design' in its wider sense, it's very much the idea of the future:
How Might We Design A More Ethical And Sustainable Economic System? | Design Online
DESIGN STRATEGIES FOR CIRCULAR ECONOMY / The Design Society
Degrowth: Japan models design for steady state economies
Design for a circular economy - tudelft.nl
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