What is design?

Design is:

• A skillset turning ideas into action, and invention to application.

• A sector driving innovation by creating user-centred solutions to real-world problems and making it easy and attractive to live sustainably.

• A workforce representing 1 in 20 people in the UK5, working in productive and purposeful jobs across our economy.

The design economy includes:

• Designers who work in design industries (e.g. product and industrial, advertising, graphics, fashion, digital design, architecture and urban planning).

• Other roles in design industries, such as administration and communication roles.

• Designers who work in other parts of the economy such as finance, marketing, and healthcare.

• Workers who use design skills as a central component of their work in jobs such as civil. engineering.

What we mean by a ‘green economy’:

An economy which is…

• Net zero: Producing no net carbon and greenhouse gas emissions.

• Circular: Minimising waste and resource use through extended material lifecycles.

• Regenerative: Has a positive impact on the planet, biodiversity, and people.

• Equitable: In which all people benefit from economic progress.