The commercial impacts of investment in design

Abstract

A survey of 221 small and medium-sized UK manufacturers which received a government subsidy to employ a professional design consultant to help develop new or improved products or graphics showed that 60% of all projects and 90% of the implemented ones were commercially successful. Other benefits included the firms gaining design management skills and some impact on the UK trade balance. However, there is still a long way to go before industry makes full use of Britain's design expertise.