Volume 15, Number 4, Fall 2004

This quarter, contributors explore how design is not only a corporate resource but also a pathway to community and national development. A summary of recent research confirms that design improves bottom-line results. A case study shows how Umqua Bank in Portland has leveraged design to help make itself a cornerstone of regional business success. Other authors discuss how nations--including Korea, Denmark, Ireland, and Poland--regard design as a policy opportunity for improving global competitiveness. Finally, two articles analyze programs that support the use of design among SMEs.

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Design and Economic Development at Umpqua Bank: An Interview with Ray Davis
Steve McCallion, Creative Director, Ziba Design; Ray Davis, President and CEO, Umpqua Holdings Corporation
Umpqua Bank began life as a small community bank in Roseburg, Oregon, founded in 1953 as a place for lumberjacks to cash their payroll checks. In 1994, when Ray Davis left the banking consulting firm he had been running, Umpqua had made money every...

Design as Economic Strategy
Thomas Walton, PhD, Editor, Design Management Review
Edtor’s Notes for Volume 15, Number 4.

Design, Economic Development, and National Policy: Lessons from Korea
Cho Dong-Sung, Professor of Strategy, Seoul National University
Whereas a look at the history of economic growth for Western developed companies generally spans a couple of centuries, a casual glance at economic development in Korea bridges only about 40 years, all taking place in the post-World War II era...

Designing for the Base of the Pyramid
Patrick Whitney, Steelcase & Robert C. Pew Professor and Director, Institute of Design, IIT; Anjali Kelkar, Research Associate, Institute of Design, IIT
Poor people are not averse to buying products that can change their lives dramatically,” write Patrick Whitney and Anjali Kelkar of Chicago's Institute of Design. It's not a matter of trying to pry money away from the very poor; the goal is to...

In Denmark, Design Tops the Agenda
Ulla Hovgaard Ramlau, Managing Director, DDC; Christina Melander, Team Manager, DDC
For many years, Denmark has been known for its design, from Arne Jacobsen to Bang & Olufsen and Novo Nordisk. Design issues, writes Ulla Hovgaard Ramlau, managing director of the Danish Design Center (DDC), have for some time topped the Danish...

Industrial Design: A Competitive Strategy
Anna Grzecznowska, PhD, Department Head, Institute of Industrial Design; Emilia Mostowicz, PhD, Author, Institute of Industrial Design
Poland became a member of the European Union in spring 2004 and although it was a proud moment for the country, there were adjustments that had to be made, and some of them have been difficult. For Polish companies, the new realities of competing...

International Perspectives on Design Support for SMEs
Gavin Cawood, Senior Design Advisor, Design Wales; Alan Lewis, Director of Research, National Centre for Product Design & Development Research; Gisele Raulik, Strategic Researcher, Design Wales
Small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) are a key element of national economies and play a significant role in the design, development, and manufacture of new products. However, their small size makes it difficult for them to maintain a...

Ireland: Celtic Tiger Burning Bright
Jim Dunne, Managing Partner, Enterprise IG in Dublin, Ireland
After a decade of economic growth, the Republic of Ireland is enjoying higher employment figures than at any time since it was founded. Its living standards, measured by GDP and GNP per capita, exceed the European Union average, and its government...

Proving the Practical Power of Design
Harry Rich, Deputy Chief Executive, Design Council
The British Design Council, with its mission “to inspire and enable the best use of design,” is keenly aware that designers and design departments are always looking for ways to build the business case for design. After all, writes Harry Rich...

Walking Backward into Design: Support for the SME
Sally Brazier, Director, CEOSTRA Ltd.
Managers at small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) have limited resources and limited time in which to use them. Sure, they've heard that design is important, but many of them assume that only large corporations can afford it. What is the best...