15 July 2009

The Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences hosted a Design Dialogue roundtable in early June, which brought together design practitioner organisations with researchers from some of the leading university based design institutions.

The dialogue explored how to booster translation of knowledge between industry and design research.

Future directions

The Design Dialogue roundtable finished with strong consensus about the case for designers and design organisations as leaders in the innovation debate, and for better use of design knowledge and skills in meeting the challenges before Australia.

The practitioners and researchers at the Dialogue believe design is the third element of innovation investment. Policy must be directed at building capacity and utilisation in research, design and development.

The Design Dialogue noted several State Governments have active and deep strategies to use design knowledge for development of creative industries, to improve planning and to add to cultural experience. However at national level there is a gap. With several advisory groups and councils forming on development and industry issues, and with the recent stimulus package of building work, there is an urgent need for Government to recognise and use the design expertise in Australia. Australia risks its education goals, its urban planning and sustainability aims and its need to keep talent in the country if it does not use this expertise.

There are several international models: UK Design Council and the UK's National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts are active in promoting design and have successfully made design part of the innovation system. In the Netherlands there is considerable work in design policies and the concomitant work in mapping and tracking progress.

In research and industry practice, Australian design advocates have the stories that include design in problem solving, however there is a clear need to profile and showcase them.

The roundtable identified some key tasks and responsibilities in preparing an agenda for advocacy:

1. A common action agenda for practitioners, their industry groups, researchers and business
2. Mapping of active groups, business leaders, and active researcher leaders and centres in Design
3. Develop a database of research projects (past, current and future) which demonstrate how Design contributes to solving problems, and innovative approaches in economic and cultural areas from sustainable cities and communications networks to manufacturing and services based creative industries.
4. A common understanding of design as trans-disciplinary practice which relates to the innovation policy debate and gives a base for collaboration between designers and design organisations in advocacy and policy development.
5. Sharing information across the sector: Strengthening the case for design by collaborating in documenting information and planning strategies for Government councils and advisory groups.

CHASS offers to proceed with research, writing and publication of a paper which will do some of the design sector mapping, and provide a base for advocacy by participants in the debate.

Also see article: Australian Design Coalition roundtable

 

Helen O'Neil
15 July 2009

 

For more information, please contact:

Helen O'Neil

Executive Director

Council of the Humanties, Arts and Social Sciences

Phone: +61 2 6249 1995

director@chass.org.au