Ireland – The Design Island

Ireland – the Design Island: a consultation paper towards a National Design Strategy

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, T.D. has officially launched Ireland – the Design Island: a consultation paper towards a National Design Strategy.

Ireland – the Design Island was prepared by the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCoI) in collaboration with key stakeholders in the design sector as a follow up to the Government-backed Irish Design 2015 (ID2015) initiative. ID2015 was convened by DCCoI and subsequently led to DCCoI being mandated by Government to work with relevant partner organisations in commencing the development of a design strategy for Ireland.

Ireland – the Design Island encompasses the breadth of issues that need to be examined in order to develop a National Design Strategy for Ireland and has been structured under four themes, which reflect the key challenges faced by the sector: Policy & Promotion; Research & Innovation; Education through to Enterprise; and Society, Culture & Collaboration.

The main aims of the consultation paper are to:
develop Ireland as an internationally-recognised centre of excellence for design and design research, building on Ireland’s rich heritage in craftsmanship, innovation and creativity
create a design culture and promote a better understanding of both design and the value of design in business and society
expand Ireland’s design skills base, from primary level education upwards
increase the use of design as a source of innovation in Irish businesses, especially in the sectors identified as key growth areas for Ireland
champion the use of good design in addressing Ireland’s societal challenges and increase the use of design by public bodies
encourage the use of design in public procurement processes in order to drive innovation

Ireland – the Design Island has been in development since April 2016 when a Steering Committee of industry representatives was established and convened by DCCoI. An extensive consultation process was undertaken during 2016 to actively involve a broad range of stakeholders in workshops and interviews. These included Enterprise Ireland client companies; DCCoI registered clients and member organisations; small and medium enterprises (SMEs) currently using or considering using design, coordinated through the Local Enterprise Office network; multinational companies coordinated through the IDA; as well as Third Level design educators and professional bodies.