Policies for design and policies for innovation: Contrasting perspectives and remaining challenges

Innovation policy makers and analysts have traditionally paid little attention to design policy. Design has either been absent or a poor ‘second cousin’ within the broader field of innovation policy which tends to privilege research and development (R&D). However, in many countries, improving the contribution of design to innovation, business performance and national economic growth is becoming a key policy aim of government. This paper examines design within the wider context of innovation policy and, in turn, examines policy making from a modern design perspective. Design policies tend to reflect first or second generation models of innovation, rather than systems or network based (‘fifth generation’ models). However, modern ‘design thinking’ can be used to help identify problems with the current paradigm of policy making in both design and innovation fields and to suggest alternative approaches which might be useful for both design and innovation policy.

► Unusually, this paper examines design policy as part of innovation policy.
► Research shows design to be a vital part of innovation policy.
► Design policies tend to reflect rudimentary understandings of innovation.
► The field of ‘design thinking’ helps integrate design and innovation policy.