FORA-DESIGN

Visiting key design and consultancy firms

2007-04-03T01:14:00.000-07:00

We have now finished our visits to the US and the UK and this is who we have met:

San Francisco:
Adaptive Path
KickStart
Steve Portigal
Cheskin
Jump Ass.
IDEO

Chicago:
Insitum
Gravity Tank
IIT
SOM

New York:
Frog Design
Anomaly
AIGA
Nest Home Lab
BBDO
Core 77

London:
Live/Work
Prospect
More Ass.
Jennie Winhall
WhatIf

Later, we will travel to Amsterdam and Munich to visit key design firms and consultancies here and focus on in-house industry innovation and design units.

Visiting Carlberg Christensen in Copenhagen

2007-02-16T04:26:00.000-08:00

Definition of design companies

2007-01-05T04:31:00.000-08:00

A design company is defined as a company which markets products and services to other companies and/or entities within the company itself, and which meets at least of one of the following criteria:

1. The company sells products and prototypes where design skills and -processes are critical elements to provide this offering.

2. The company sells services, creative ideas and competences where design skills and -processes are critical elements to provide this offering.

3. The company sells new insights into consumer needs that contribute to change processes and innovation where social science skills, design skills and -processes are critical to provide this offering.

To be included in the analysis the company’s business model, communication and/or marketing should support at least one of the three criteria.

Background

2007-01-05T04:15:00.000-08:00

Mapping the growth potential of design

A project by FORA, the Danish Agency for Enterprise and Constructions' Division for Research and Analysis

Hypothesis
FORA’s hypothesis is that the importance of the design industry is growing rapidly. This is especially the case when design companies have understood that globalization has expanded the field of design. Because of globalization a new type of design companies has occurred; companies that uses design skills and methods to advice other companies in innovation and design. This group of companies possibly constitutes a growing, new part in the design industry. FORA wants to uncover this possible development.

Method
Since there are very little comparable national and regional data on the design industry in general and even less data that reflects the design companies present situation we are developing a new method to collect data from leading design hubs:

Snowball – identifying the competitors in the design industry
To test our hypothesis we are at the moment conducting a so-called snowball sampling, where we ask the Danish design industry to define the scope of the industry in Denmark. By using the snowball approach we aim to locate all design companies in Denmark, and not only those registered under the industry code “design”. This will provide us with a platform for more in-depth analysis of the use of design.

Survey to the design industry
When the industry has been located we will send out a survey to the identified Danish design companies. The results from the survey will give data on how the Danish design companies are doing compared to other industries and other countries/ regions.

Benchmarking of global design hubs
When the Danish data for the design industry has been located it will be benchmarked up against other important hubs in the world.

By using the same method and questions on various countries/ regions we will develop a new benchmark-tool for design hubs. Here it will be possible to see which hubs are strong in different design areas and which hubs have the best frame condition for a successful design industry.

Status
At the moment we are working to find partners in regional design hubs who would help us share names an emails of design experts in those regions in order for FORA to conduct a snowball sampling in this region.

The conclusions of this project are set to be published in spring 2007.