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Here you can find out more about the issues that are affecting your business and how design can help

Our world-class resource has in-depth information on design and business issues and opportunities, written by recognised experts

Innovation by Bettina von Stamm

Are you continuously challenging the status quo within your business? Bettina von Stamm reveals how successful companies commercially exploit ideas Innovation is what most companies rely on to fuel business growth. After all, in a competitive economic climate, can you really afford to rely on business as usual?

Structure of photonic crystals for integrated optics

Emerging technology by Peter Davies

Almost everything that is designed is influenced by the latest developments in technology. Peter Davies investigates how designers react to emerging technologies and explains how they can be integrated into the design process to give products that essential competitive edge

International markets by Mark Delaney

Increasing liberalisation, deregulation and privatisation is exposing UK companies to global competition on an unprecedented scale. Mark Delaney asks how design can be better used to improve export potential and meet rising customer expectations

Kunsthal in Rotterdam by architect Rem Koolhaas

Intellectual property by Iain Stansfield

With more than 4 million patents in force worldwide, it’s not just global companies such as Sony and Nike that need to watch out for infringers and plagiarists. Legal expert Iain Stansfield explains how intellectual property law can help in the battle against the copycats High profile cases such as Apple vs. Apple Corps and Dyson vs. Hoover highlight just how valuable intellectual property can...

Sustainability by Beatrice K Otto

Does the moral imperative for a more sustainable future get in the way of economic growth? Beatrice Otto explains how sustainable design can offer opportunities for business improvement without compromising our environment Design is crucial in moving us towards a more sustainable future. It can help us rethink how we deliver products and their benefits without decimating the world around us, or...

Invention by Graham Barker and Peter Bissell

How can inventors protect their ideas and make them profitable? Just how does a novel idea become a new product or service? Graham Barker and Peter Bissell explain how to make this process easier, pointing out potential pitfalls and offering practical help. From the Post-it note to Trevor Baylis’s Clockwork radio, many best sellers would never have seen the light of day without the hard work and...

Braille keyboard with hands typing, © RNIB www.rnib.org.uk/technology

ICT accessibility - read an overview and download a PDF

Accessibility has been defined as the capability of an information system to communicate content to a user with a functional limitation which can only be overcome through additional hardware, software or other adjustments. A clear step towards this becoming part of mainstream thinking on design for usability came in 2004, with the publication of a report by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC)....

Corporate social responsibility - read an overview and download a PDF

It's difficult to offer a straightforward definition of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), when not even the experts agree. However, in today's globalised marketplace, there is growing acceptance that the corporate sector has a role to play in securing a sustainable future. We're currently updating this article Read an overview of Corporate Social Responsibility on this page. Or...