Last month I attended a fascinating and inspiring session organised by Grant Thornton and Design London.
The Designing Demand programme was developed by the Design Council and is delivered nationally by regional delivery partners. It helps established small and medium enterprises and fast growing new start-up businesses to harness the power of design and transform their business performance.
The three-hour workshop provided advice on how to recognise situations where design can benefit business. They had some very impressive examples of how design can improve the bottom line for a company with a small up front expense.
One of the most memorable was waste management business Envirotech whose unglamorous business model mainly consisted of collecting and disposing of sewage with tankers.
By re-designing their brand identity from 
to 
their core areas of business have leapt by 75 per cent to just under £2million. Demand for the new maintenance business and tanker work has increased, bringing total turnover for 2005 to £2.5m.
Designing Demand will be hosting a number of one-day Design Workshop for SMEs, and if you think you would benefit you can book online at http://lda.designingdemand.org.uk
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