Companies aiming to profit from the design of new products and services will be given a boost on March 27th with the launch of Design Network North.
Internationally renowned designer Wayne Hemingway will join blue chip companies including P&G, Black & Decker, and Barbour and over 200 delegates from the design & business community to celebrate the launch of a new hub for innovative design in the North East.
Design Network North will assess innovative design projects, provide funding and broker in the best regional design suppliers available. The aim is to improve regional companies' ability to utilise high-quality design, skills and processes and increase the contribution of design to the wealth of the region.
Funded by One North East, the network will be co-ordinated by RTC North and supported by the universities of Newcastle, Northumbria and Teesside.
Held at the Open University building overlooking Gateshead's Baltic Quarter and the proposed site for Design Centre North, where the network will be housed, the launch will kick off a region wide initiative to place design at the heart of the economy.
"This investment sends out a message that the region maintains its passion for manufacturing and cherishes its heritage of making things that are innovative, new and exciting," said Wayne Hemingway, founder of Red or Dead. "UK business support tends to focus too heavily on improving efficiency and cutting costs instead of looking creatively at the market and embracing design in all its forms - whether for better products, packaging, brands or marketing."
A high level agreement with the Design Council is shortly to be signed, which will formalise close collaboration to enhance access for designers and companies in the North East to a number of Design Council programmes such as Designing Demand and Public Services By Design.
"The North East is one of the most dynamic regions when it comes to strategically promoting design and its benefits in creating better businesses and more sustainable, creative communities," commented David Godber, Deputy Chief Executive of the Design Council. "The Design Council is delighted to be a partner in Design Network North and we look forward to helping it grow and thrive".
"Good design is the key to future competitiveness," added Mike Dowson, Design Network North project director. "At a time when product quality standards are universally high and costs have been driven relentlessly downward, design and functionality have become the most important factors in success or failure in the marketplace. Design Network North has been established to support innovative companies in the development of high value world class products, and the regional commitment through an investment in a Design Centre for the North will be an excellent catalyst for the region."
"The Design Centre North will be a flagship, state-of-the-art facility for business development focused on the use of design, innovation and product development. We know that for this region to realise its full capabilities, businesses across all sectors must embrace design and the benefits it can bring," said Malcolm Page, Deputy Chief Executive of One North East.