Better by Design: Design London STIR Lecture with Dick Powell

The latest talk in the Design London Stir lecture series.

Design London, a joint project between Imperial College and the Royal College of Art that combines design and innovation knowledge, recently hosted the latest talk in its highly regarded talk series, the Design London Stir lecture. The event was held at Imperial College London in association with The London Design Festival.

The event, attended by key designers and business leaders as well as students and staff from both institutions, was one of the most eagerly awaited talks of the Festival, and lived up to its promise. In “Better By design”, Dick Powell engaged with the idea that design needs to be fully embedded into business thinking if an enterprise is to be successful. Powell, one of Europe’s leading product designers, challenged his audience with the premise that design (and design thinking) plays a powerful role in the origination of new products, particularly in bringing focus and relevance to innovative concepts.

The designer began by stating that business needs to be prepared to accept change if they want to put design to work – it may sound simple enough, but all too often companies invite a designer to work their craft, only to pull back at the last minute, rejecting work that is different. The irony is of course, that by the time many companies call on a designer, change is the only thing that can rescue the product. The notion that design is something you get into only after you have dreamt up and proven out your idea is deeply embedded in most businesses, and indeed within consumers (this latter fuelled by the numerous ‘make-over’ programmes on TV). And, as Powell argued, sometimes it does indeed have to be that way.

Less understood however, as he pointed out, was the powerful role design (and design thinking) plays in the origination of new products, and particularly in bringing focus and relevance to innovative concepts. Powell spoke of the creativity continuum – with art on one side, and design on the other. Ideas come from mastering this continuum first rather than as an after-thought – which is why designers such as Sir James Dyson and Sir Clive Sinclair have had such success in the business world. As important as the idea is knowledge – a designer needs to have knowledge about the world (or at least his or her particular design niche), in order to have an idea that works.

So how do designers think, how does creativity work and how can businesses create a climate for creative thinking and for fostering innovative ideas? These issues were unpacked by Powell in his talk, and liberally illustrated, with examples and anecdotes - from bras and toilets, to vehicles and domestic appliances. From the minute we wake up, until the minute we go to sleep, chances are we’re interacting with some product that uses Powell’s revolutionary design innovations. If you’re design-minded, surely it doesn’t get much better than that.

Dick Powell is one of Europe's best-known product designers and CEO and Founder of Seymourpowell, who count amongst their many achievements, winning design awards from D&AD President's Award to DBA's Design Effectiveness Award. Dick was president of the D&AD in 2006 and with his business partner, Richard Seymour, has appeared on numerous radio and television programmes, including a series of six programmes called 'Better by Design' for Channel 4.

The STIR - Simulator, Teach, Incubate, Research - lectures address a wide range of subjects covering the core areas of Design London from conducting research and incubating new business ideas to innovation technology. Chaired by Nick Leon, Director of Design London, the STIR series is aimed at Imperial College London and RCA students as well as alumni of the College.

For more information about Design London and for details of upcoming lectures please visit the website: http://www.designlondon.net/