Five Years On. Victoria’s Design Sector 2003 – 2008.
In July 2008, Design Victoria engaged Wallis Consulting Group to conduct research on Victoria’s design sector and how businesses use and value design. The research considered:
- its scale, performance, characteristics and capabilities - including its strengths, potential and key challenges
- how small to medium enterprises use and value design; and
- the impact of design on Victoria’s economy, environment and society.
The final report publication – “Five Years On. Victoria’s Design Sector 2003-2008”, is part of a longitudinal study that commenced in 2003 and is scheduled for completion in 2011. It acts as an update on the initial research conducted by Dandolo Partners and Booz – Allen – Hamilton in 2003, “Victorian Design: Facts and Figures. Developing Victoria’s Design Capability”.
Five Years On aims to harness and disseminate this knowledge to enable industry and the design sector to benchmark and improve performance.
The Minister for Innovation, Gavin Jennings MLC, released the report in December 2008. In the Ministerial Release Mr Jennings noted that Victoria's design sector is highly competitive, well recognised, contributes $7 billion annually to our economy and accounts for more than $300 million in design-related exports.
“There is great potential for the design sector to grow and further boost our reputation as a world leader and as a centre for design excellence,” said Mr Jennings.
Other key findings indicate indicates:
- 37% of all businesses in Victoria, totalling 69,000 organisations, make some use of design
- 4,200 design consultancies operate in Victoria, an increase of 35% over five years since the last research conducted in 2003
- 76,350 people are employed in design roles in Victoria, an increase of 14% over five years since the last research conducted in 2003
- The total revenue of design consultancies is estimated at $4.9 billion. 76% is estimated to come from within Victoria, 17% elsewhere in Australia and 7% from overseas
- Victorian businesses that use design are more likely to show profit growth, as well as higher rates of profit growth, than those that don't invest in design; and
- While Victorian businesses use design at rates comparable to similar OECD countries, such as Denmark and Ireland, there is scope to use design more effectively to drive competitiveness.
At the official launch, Professor Margaret Gardner, AO., Vice-Chancellor and President of RMIT University, said “The findings of this report confirm that design is unequivocally a differentiating factor behind lasting competitive advantage. The design industry needs to work together to generate a widespread awareness of how design adds value to business.”
Also speaking at the launch, Chairman of the Design Victoria Advisory Board, Tony Quick, said, “Five Years On sets the context for today’s design agenda and helps to shape the future landscape for design in Victoria. It will further strategically influence how the Design Victoria programs will be delivered over the next few years. Success for Victorian design is dependent on developing a sector recognised both within Australia and internationally for its creative ingenuity – to transform ideas into outcomes that serve as a cultural driver for creative capital - creating new markets for Victorian design”.
Click here to download Five Years On.
Click here to read the Ministerial Release.
Click here to view photos from the launch of Five Years On.
5 December 2008