Design Victoria’s new resource shows business how design-led innovation can contribute to growth, sustainability and greater business value.

Innovation occurs every day in business through non-scientific or technical expertise, transforming the way businesses operate, how they meet the needs of customers and how they organise their people and processes.

Design for Innovation is an online resource that aims to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) learn how they can use design to drive innovation in their business (designvic.com/designforinnovation).

“Design is increasingly being recognised as a strategic resource in business,” said Michele Azzopardi, Director, Design Victoria. “An effective use of design is integral to innovation - it is the critical link between creativity and innovation.”

At the centre of Design for Innovation is a diagnostic tool that allows a CEO or manager to assess their business’ orientation to design by capturing the operational aspects of the organisation’s knowledge, thinking, investment and application of design across four areas: Entrepreneurial Innovation, Market Focus, Firm Effectiveness and Environmental Sustainability and Social Responsibility. The outcome is indicated as a position on the Design Innovation Ladder with a wealth of related tips, strategies and resources for improving design aptitude and moving up the Ladder.

“While there are other types of business orientations such as entrepreneurial, market, and learning orientations, there does not appear to be a tool for assessing a company’s orientation to design, a process we coin as Design Orientation. This tool is a first of its kind in the world,” said Professor Kosmas Smyrnios, Discipline Leader Entrepreneurship and Innovation, School of Management, RMIT University.

Research shows that organisations on the top step of the ladder generally outperform businesses on the lower rungs across a range of financial, economic, social and environmental parameters.

“The extent of design usage by Victorian companies compares favourably to other countries, however there are opportunities for more effective use of design and greater business value,” said Ms Azzopardi.

The Design for Innovation How to Kit was developed by Design Victoria in collaboration with Deloitte, the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA), RMIT University – Media and Communications, 5 Rings Pty Ltd, the Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development (DIIRD), and the Design Institute of Australia (DIA).

The Design Victoria Strategy is a first for Australia. Design Victoria is the leading and authoritative government-funded design initiative in Australia, influencing other State and Federal Government initiatives and international bodies. Design Victoria continues to lead the way with the development of the Design for Innovation How to Kit.

For information and images, please contact:
Michele Azzopardi, Director, Design Victoria
03 9925 4158 / michele.azzopardi@designvic.com