How Britain Jumpstarts Design

The Design Council heads up a network of regional programs that help harness the creative energy of small businesses as an engine for national growth

by Kerry Capell

• View Slide Show

Alastair Fisher was never a big believer in the value of design. For nearly 170 years his family's company, Sheffield-based Harrison Fisher, had been making the kind of quality knives and cutlery for which this city in the north of England is renowned. But Harrison Fisher, like manufacturers all over the world, has become increasingly vulnerable to low-cost competition from Asia. The mainstay of Harrison Fisher's business—supplying big-name British retailers such as supermarket chain Sainsbury (SBRY) with private label products—was under threat as retailers began to buy cutlery directly from China.

So five years ago, when an associate suggested he take part in Designing Demand, an initiative from Britain's Design Council to help small and midsized businesses become more competitive through the strategic use of design, a skeptical Fisher figured he'd give it a go. "We realized there were storm clouds on the horizon and that in our business you have to compete on more than just price," says Fisher, the company's joint managing director.

How It Works

Designing Demand is the brainchild of Design Council Chairman Sir George Cox, part of a pioneering program which aims to use design strategically to make small businesses a viable engine of national economic growth. The initiative, which is being rolled out nationwide this year, is supported by $40 million in funding from England's nine regional development agencies. (The Design Council itself, which is entirely funded by the British government via the Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills, developed the program, while the regional development agencies finance its delivery in each region. The Design Council takes care of the program's overall coordination, ensuring that it is rolled out evenly and consistently.)

Here's how it works: interested companies apply to their regional development agency for entry into one of three free programs. "Generate" is a six-month program that focuses on one specific project; "Innovate," a yearlong program aimed at high-tech businesses, offers an initial three-day workshop followed by one-on-one mentoring for two hours each month. "Immerse" is a service aimed at larger businesses that offers an initial three-day workshop with a dedicated design associate providing 12 days of advice over the following 18 months. The latter two workshops include a visit from a team of four independent experts in branding, product development, and design management, selected and paid for by the Design Council. They identify areas where design could be used to kick-start innovation and then act as mentors to management, highlighting potential design opportunities and offering advice on how to implement them.

The process is competitive: all applications, which include an analysis of where a company thinks it needs help and an executive summary of its existing business plan, are vetted by a panel comprising senior members of the regional agency and a handful of invited experts in fields ranging from design to business and finance. To be accepted, companies must show they are willing and able to invest significant resources in design, as well as to ensure senior management is available to make strategic decisions quickly.

Updating Design of Marketing and Products

In the case of Harrison Fisher, the Design Council's team found that the company needed to be more proactive. Instead of reacting to the demands of a handful of powerful customers, it needed to use design to develop a strong consumer brand and product range. To do that, the company rebranded itself Taylors Eye Witness, after the company's biggest brand. They commissioned a local consultant to produce new logos and packaging ideas that were both modern and reflective of the company's long heritage.