Madam, – EU commissioner Olli Rehn, as Fintan O’Toole wrote recently (November 9th), has a map to Ireland’s path out of economic crisis, drawn from the experience of his native Finland. One development area pursued by Finland, which is not noted by your columnist, is design.
In June 2000, the arts council of Finland and ministry of education published the document Design 2005! Government Decision in Principle on Finnish Design Policy.
The aim was that by 2005, 30 per cent of possible users of design would enlist the services of qualified designers and that 50 per cent of Finnish enterprises would take design into account in their strategic planning.
These figures would rise to 50 per cent and 80 per cent respectively by 2010.
To consolidate the success of the programme, 2005 was nominated a design year by the Finns. Why? To embed the lesson that understanding and using good design are good for economic growth.
Recent Norwegian and Dutch reports confirm this as fact, not conjecture. It was no coincidence that 2005 was also the year that Finland published its innovation programme.
The Finns understand the role design plays in delivering innovation, and Finland is cited as an example to emulate by EU commissioner Maire Geoghegan Quinn.
So where is Ireland? In 2007, the Centre for Design Innovation in Sligo published a survey of small firms, which found that only 15 per cent, if even that, use design strategically.
The 2010 Innovation Task Force Report has made a good start, recognising the value of product design in engineering and manufacturing. What about the worlds of graphic design, digital design, architecture, animation, fashion, furniture, craft, etc?
Dublin city and county councils are spearheading a bid for Dublin to be designated a world design capital in 2014 (see pivotdublin.com).
The competition process and bid document offer an unparalleled opportunity to produce a statement about Irish design capacity and potential. It is a story we need to tell both ourselves and the world.
Our major competitor cities are applying a design focus. We must do the same. We should remember that Helsinki will be the world design capital in 2012. – Yours, etc,