COMPETITIVE
ADVANTAGE
THROUGHDESIGN
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01
By Andrew Summers, Chief Executive, Design Council and
Digby Jones, Director General, CBI
Businesses today face an increasingly stark choice. They can turn out
products and services aiming simply to be the cheapest - and leave
themselves vulnerable to being beaten on price. Or they can inspire genuine
loyalty from customers by giving them products, services and a whole
experience, answering needs that not even the customers knew existed.
To take the second path and achieve secure growth, enhanced efficiency
and continuous improvement, businesses need design - not just giving the
makeover treatment to what they already do, but right at the heart of their
strategy, acting as a catalyst for completely new offerings. That requires
vision, a measure of courage and a willingness to take risks and work in
new ways. The businesses featured in this publication demonstrate the
potential rewards for showing faith in design’s power to provide a
differentiator in crowded markets.
We hope their stories inspire you to do the same.
INTRODUCTION
Digby Jones
Director General
CBI
Andrew Summers
Chief Executive
Design Council
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‘One of the great functions of design is to be able
to project and embody the future rather than the
present: that is where added value comes from.’
Sir Christopher Frayling, Chairman, Design Council
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03
CONTENTS
04 GO
08 SMILE
12 LIFEBUILDING COMPANY
16 HEWLETT PACKARD
20 TESCO
24 UNILEVER
28 DUCHY ORIGINALS
32 BLACK & DECKER
36 IKEA
40 SMITH & NEPHEW
44 CHARCOLONLINE
48 USEFUL INFORMATION
07 BRANDING
11 E-BUSINESS
15 LIFESTYLE & COMMUNITY
19 INNOVATION CULTURE
23 CUSTOMER FOCUS
27 ENVIRONMENT &
SUSTAINABILITY
31 DESIGN COSTS
35 PRODUCT DESIGN
39 STRATEGIC DESIGN
43 DESIGN
THE BUSINESS CASE
47 CONNECTING
DESIGN & MARKETING
AD