The Value of Design Factfinder was launched in June 2006 and shows the positive impact of design on practically every measure of business performance, including market share, growth, productivity, share price and competitiveness. Data from the Design Council National Survey of Firms 2005, previously published as Design in Britain, shows that:
- Two thirds of companies who ignore design have to compete mainly on price. In companies where design is integral, just one third do so.
- More than eight out of ten design-led companies have introduced a new product or service in the last three years, compared to just 40 per cent of UK companies overall. 83% of companies in which design is integral have seen their market share increase, compared to the UK average of 46%.
- Design is integral to 39% of rapidly growing companies but to only 7% of static ones.
- 80 per cent of design-led businesses have opened up new markets in the last three years. Only 42% of UK businesses overall have done so.
- A business that increases its investment in design is more than twice as likely to see its turnover grow as a business that does not do so.
We have now updated the Value of Design Factfinder with findings our Added Value Research 2007. This research demonstrates that the more value businesses add to their core products and services, the better they do. Furthermore, business benefits are even more marked where businesses are Adding value through design. For instance:
- 34% of businesses that see design as integral or significant say added value has had a great impact on their turnover. Where design plays only a limited role, the proportion is just 21%.
- Businesses that add a lot of value are half as likely to compete on price and more than twice as likely to compete on innovation as businesses that rely on their core product or service.
Designers, business advisors, and educators can use Factfinder to demonstrate the value of design to clients, new business prospects and students. Its special features mean it can generate tailor-made reports on the benefits of design.
It presents the figures overall and analyses them by sector and region, as well as presenting case studies and spotlighting a group of ‘design-alert’ businesses from the main research sample.
Design Council Chief Executive David Kester said: 'The UK is a world leader in the design industry and has an outstanding record of innovation. But British businesses are ignoring these capabilities. The message is clear - use design or risk failure. Managers of all UK businesses need to build design into their strategies if we are to remain world-leading in the years ahead.'