ABSTRACT

Design has been a Cinderella subject in industry and commerce, particularly in the UK. Here designers, governments and design-led bodies have, since the formation of the Design and Industries Association1 in 1915, and earlier, stressed the value of design; however, this commendation of design has often fallen on deaf ears. It seems that in other countries design has been more successful in proving its value. The Scandinavians, the Italians, the Germans, the French and the Japanese have used design to their competitive advantage. This has been reflected in buyer perceptions: studies2 have indicated that each of these countries project excellence in some aspect of design, the Germans in engineering design, the French in fashion, the Italians and Scandinavians in furniture. These are, however, only perceptions; other studies over the last twenty years have looked increasingly at the contributors to success, and at new product development, particularly in manufacturing industry, where design is indeed one essential contributor.