These were among the questions raised and debated at our May breakfast. Nico Macdonald chaired this purposeful event which focused on the DCMS proposals in the Creative Britain – New Talents for the New Economy report. Among the guest speakers was the RCA's Jeremy Myerson who commented that design sits on a faultline between public and private, between arts and science models, and that it still has not found a distinct place of its own. Myerson said he was filled with gloom by the report and that the initiatives were too general and broadbrush to be useful to SMEs, although Knowledge Transfer Networks (KTNs) could be useful.
Other speakers included Jon Kingsbury, Director, Creative Economy Innovation Programme, NESTA, who said it was important to make the most of UK talent and avoid risk of being sidelined by other countries, and John Cass, Business Development Manager for Creative Industries, Imperial College London. Cass spoke about the importance of speaking collectively about what affects us in order to leverage big policy changes. Lesley Morris, Head of Design Skills, Design Council, wondered if the faultline was really a crack and argued that design is an industry of two halves: in house designers are not part of the creative industries, but agencies are.
Many points were raised in the discussion that followed: the Government's makeup (lawyers and economists rather than designers) and its general lack of understanding about design; whether the real problem is one of demand, not supply; design's confusion over whether it is art or business; the issue of training; and the need for a report aimed at small businesses.
This was a popular and wideranging discussion, impossible to cover in an hour and it's a subject we will return to and take forward. Your ideas on how this can be done are very welcome. Visit www.designerbreakfasts.pbwiki.com to contribute.
For more details go to Nico Macdonald's site.