Insights

Check out our articles on design industry issues from leading experts.

Luxury can be good

Dorothy Mackenzie, Chairman of international brand agency Dragon Rouge, discusses the ways successful companies can combine the ideals of luxury and sustainable design.

Designer of the month: Andrew Lang

Andrew Lang, Founder of Andrew Lang Product Design, features in the first of a new series of DesignTalks interviews. He explains how a move into manufacturing helped him break away from uncertain agency project word and discusses the importance of a local manufacturing base.

Inclusive design

Nina Warburton, a Director at TheAlloy, explains how inclusive design is not just a Good Thing; it can boost the attractiveness of products to the broader market, turning niche offerings into commercial success.

How to please a woman

Erica Eden, Senior Industrial Designer at Smart Design and a core founding member of the Femme Den, reveals a five point plan that can help manufacturers ensure their products are pitched perfectly for the canny female buyer.

Lean manufacturing

To remain competitive, UK manufacturers must adopt lean manufacturing techniques, reduce the labour element of their production processes, increase automation - and innovate. So says Eamonn Walsh, Chairman of Liverpool based PC card manufacturer Brainboxes.

Far East Outsourcing

Manufacturing in the Far East has obvious financial advantages but the practical and cultural difficulties involved in moving manufacturing offshore can be extremely daunting. In an exclusive interview, Graham Lacy and Stephen Lau from design agency PDD explain how their approach is helping to demystify the process.

Designs for life – design's duty to the planet

Gus Desbarats, Chairman of TheAlloy, a leading product design company, looks at the challenges of delivering environmentally sustainable products in a world limited in resources and argues that the design community has a pivotal role to play in delivering solutions that are both sustainable and suitable for modern living.

Fast-track design innovation

While many companies appreciate the need for innovation, finding a way to introduce more creativity into the day to day running of the business is not always possible. A fast-track innovation service may well provide the answer says Rachel Armstrong, Innovation Consultant at Kinneir Dufort.

Design Council research uncovers secrets of design success in global corporations

As part of its Eleven Lessons research project the Design Council has produced a series of case studies looking at the way design fits into the business of major global brands Alessi, BT, BSkyB, LEGO, Microsoft, Starbucks, Whirlpool, Yahoo!, Virgin Atlantic, Xerox and Sony.

No Accounting for design?

Whirlpool's design chief, Chuck Jones believes his work is a profit centre and not just an expense, but can he prove it? In this article he talks to Bill Breen about his metrics-based system for forecasting return on design.