Challenges Facing the Design Industry

Danish design is currently in a phase of transition. The increasingly academic emphasis in the educational programmes, the global competition, and technological developments are causing rapid developments within the design discipline. Research opens new opportunities and helps identify possible directions for the industry.

By Anna Krarup Jensen

One of the major challenges facing the design industry lies in clarifying and communicating the value and potentials of design, says Gitte Just, Managing Director for Danish Design Association:
"One of the key challenges for the design trade is to convince others that design is useful – also on a strategic level," she says. "Design goes well beyond mere aesthetics and styling."

Anna Kirah, who heads the service design section of CPH Design, agrees and adds her own contribution to a design definition:
"Design work is a mindset. And one of our key challenges is to see this mindset implemented in management, not just in the design departments," she says and adds, "as designers we don’t follow a recipe but a contextual model. In every situation we have to determine what ‘tools’ to use."

Clarification Will Provide Added Value

According to Gitte Just, design research and the growing emphasis on academic approaches in the educational programmes can help designers rise to this challenge. Research offers a set of shared concepts and can help communicate these concepts to design users, executives and others.
"Today, it’s a little vague what design really is and what it’s capable of. With a clear definition of design processes and methods, that will be far clearer to the recipients. And this is an area where research has a crucial role to play," she says.

A common set of concepts will help communicate to potential design clients what design is, and what possibilities a design process can enable. Design research plays an important role in the clarification of concepts, says Gitte Just, director of the Danish Design Association. Illustration: Lars Andersen

The lack of conceptual clarity makes it difficult for many designers to market their services, says Gitte Just.
"It can be very difficult for designers to sell, for example, design mapping and idea development, because the customers don’t know what the outcome is going to be. Who’s going to pay for something that they don’t know what is? That’s why it’s important to clarify and describe what design really is," she says.

As an example, she compares design with legal services, which people gladly purchase even though they do not know the outcome beforehand, since nevertheless, it is clear to the clients what sort of service is provided by an attorney at law.

Anna Kirah also has an idea as to what it takes to sell a design. She is a strong advocate of people-centred design.
"Designers should be willing to co-create, that is, to create together with the people who are going to use the design. Thus, it’s no good if designers believe that they know best. They have to be humble and listen. That approach will help them create services, products or concepts that make sense to the people who are going to use them. And making sense means creating value," she says.

Global Challenges

Another important challenge for the design industry lies in growing internationalisation. It is necessary for the agencies to be able to handle international clients and for the design and architecture schools to be able to attract international students, teachers and researchers.
"Many Danish design firms are small, perhaps operated by one single person. That makes it difficult for them to take on large assignments for international clients," says Gitte Just, who also points to a solution to this problem: "Therefore, the design firms need to be far better at engaging in broad collaborative partnerships – including interdisciplinary setups."

To Anna Kirah, an inquisitive mind and a humble professional approach are crucial qualities in a good designer. Also in relation to the interdisciplinary partnerships that are essential for achieving the best results.
"Engineers, anthropologists and economists have different views of the task than designers do. And it’s important to listen to each other and to cooperate. But that requires a process that includes empathy and patience, as one has to remove one’s professional blinders," she says.

A Shift in Paradigm

Anna Kirah is also convinced that the global crisis may lead to positive outcomes.
"Historically, crises are very innovative periods. People have to think in new and creative ways. Challenge is an asset," she says.

She predicts a shift in paradigm in the design industry.
"Designers and other professionals will begin to think in more holistic terms. And we’re going to have to stop focusing at end-products alone, because there are so many other factors that have an effect on customer satisfaction, such as corporate identity, corporate structure, and the customer’s post-purchase contact to the company, for example in connection with check-ups or complaints," says Anna Kirah.

As she sees it, design thinking should not only permeate the design process that leads to a product, it should also be apparent, for example in internal organisational changes.
"Often, executives in large companies don’t consult with the staff when planning organisational changes – for example as a result of economic downturn. Instead, many prefer to contact external consultants, who sit down with management to devise a plan, which is then imposed on the staff. With a design mindset, one might instead use a facilitator who can discover the solutions that the employees have but which are lost, because no one ever asks for their ideas," Anna Kirah explains.

Denmark as a Design Nation

Gitte Just also sees Danish design as being in mid-transition. The educational programmes are becoming increasingly academic and international in their outlook. The Danish Design Association is also focused on the unique characteristics of Danish design and on what will characterise New Danish Design.
"Danish design has a strong foundation, historically and culturally, but our focus is on the direction of contemporary Danish design. Our hope is that Denmark will be able to continue to brand itself as a design nation in the future," she says.

She has no doubt that design research also has important contributions to make to the ongoing development of new Danish design, both in a national and an international context.
"Apart from studying and mapping Danish design, research can also help secure professional, critical input, which will give design a basis for continued development," she says.