Design Center of the Philippines launches “Making Design Count” during the 7th International Design Conference

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) - Design Center of the Philippines (DCP), in partnership with the British Council, successfully launched a policy brief entitled, “Making Design Count”, during the 7th International Design Conference (IDC) last 14 to 15 September 2023 held at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez, CCP Black Box Theater, CCP Complex. The 2-day event coincided with the 50th founding anniversary of DTI-DCP, which was a huge milestone and testament to the center’s unwavering commitment to fostering the use of design for creativity, strategy, and innovation for positive change and development in the country.

The policy-brief launched encapsulates the key research findings of the Design Counts project informing the Philippines’ first-ever National Design Policy. Based on the insights from the survey and workshops, the Design Counts research team was able to draw 10 strategic policy recommendations to enhance the design sector of the Philippines. These recommendations included the following: 

1. Organizing a national design campaign to promote the value of design to the public
2. Establishing regional design hubs to capitalize on the success of Cebu UNESCO City of Design, 
3. The integration of design into industry support and programs like exports and intellectual property, 
4. Exploring the feasibility of a new design grant program to finance SMEs to utilize design in their business, 
5. Developing a curriculum and new skills framework for education, 
6. Organizing design competitions that incorporate design as a problem-solving process, 
7. Creating the Design Thinking Academy, a train-the-trainers program to deliver design thinking training to public and private firms, 
8. Putting a spotlight on design initiatives by women and Indigenous Peoples while ensuring intellectual property rights are protected, 
9. Prototyping a policy lab to train civil servants in design thinking and integrate design as competence in their skills framework, and 
10. Instigating a demonstrator initiative that can enable government officials to experiment with service and policy various design approaches to relevant challenges that society faces, such as transport, food, and household waste.

What it means for innovation

The launch of a national design policy brief opens a range of possibilities. It can inspire the next generation to innovate; it can empower communities to make better decisions in housing, climate action, disaster recovery, and community development; businesses can incorporate design for better products and reach new international markets; government departments can adopt user-centered approaches to provide better services, and develop policies. It can also open up a possibility where the country can become a leader in design, making design one of our major exports.

Design Thinking

One of the policy recommendations included to realize this vision is the incorporation of the Design Thinking methodology into the innovation process of any sector or industry. Design Thinking is a problem-solving framework that is centered around the human, the user, or the customer. Design according to the Design Thinking methodology is more than just aesthetics, experience, or style, it is also an iterative process. 

The Ateneo Intellectual Property Office (AIPO) can guide you to arrive at creative and innovative ideas that solve tough and wicked real-world problems through a workshop on Design Thinking.

A free copy of the “Making Design Count” policy brief can be acquired through this LINK.

If you are interested in learning more about Design Thinking, check out our page: www.aipo.ateneo.edu/designthinking. The AIPO is an official partner of DTI-DCP in promoting, protecting, and commercializing innovation in all forms and mediums. For inquiries on what else we can do for you and your team, feel free to email us at aipo@ateneo.edu.

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