WE NEED YOUR HELP TO PROMOTE DESIGN
Background
Following InterTradeIreland’s recent report on Design Services on the Island of Ireland (http://www.intertradeireland.com/index.cfm/area/information/page/Blog) it has commissioned some preliminary work to build the foundations of a design promotion campaign. The IDI has been contributing to this as part of the steering group and Toby Scott, ex-Director of the Centre for Design Innovation, is collecting a small number of recent case studies to illustrate the material and create compelling stories.
The content will focus on design’s role in innovation and so the case studies and stories he is looking for are not your common-or-garden variety. He has suggested six themes below with an idea of the kind of story that he is looking for:
User-centred design.
Showing how a client company used ethnography or user-centred research to generate insights that led to the development of a new product or service or to the substantial alteration of an existing one.Visualisation of complex concepts
Examples of a design company using visualisation to help a client communicate change effectively internally or externally. This could be an illustration of a new business model, the mapping of a customer journey or the modelling of a supply chain.Prototyping in context.
Showing how a client company tested out rough prototypes of a product or service with prospective users in order to refine it quickly and cheaply before final production.Service design
Where a client has used design to create a new service that satisfies a previously unmet need.Branding
More unusual branding stories where a company has revisited what it considers to be its “core business” after going through a branding process.Process design
Where a design company has supported a client to improve a process such as purchasing, distribution or manufacture in order to reduce costs or increase efficiency.
So what is in it for you?
A reasonable question. When Toby writes up the material, your company (and the client) will of course be mentioned. We do not yet know how the case studies will be distributed but they are likely to reach a very large audience both in the Republic and also Northern Ireland.
What about confidentiality?
Of course Toby will need permission to use the story, any relevant images and background material. It is only worthwhile suggesting a case study if you believe that they (and you) are likely to be happy with that.
What next?
Please contact Toby directly if you have any questions or suggestions in any of the categories. His email is toby@pentacle.ie or you can call his mobile 087 417 6177. InterTradeIreland is keen to push this forward as quickly as possible so the sooner the better!