If design management is applied in companies it depends on the politics and views of that specific corporation how design is being integrated in the company politics and it also depends on the type of industry, the company size, the ownership of the design and the type of competitive competence.
A research made by the Danish Design Center (DDC) shows how companies interpreted design with different depths:
- Non-design: Companies that do not use design (15% in 2007).
- Design as styling: Companies that use design as styling appearance (17% in 2007).
- Design as process: Companies that integrate design into the development process (45% in 2007).
- Design as innovation: Companies that consider design as key strategic element (21% in 2007).
Also the research made by the Danish Design Center demonstrated that companies who considered design in their corporation politics on a higher level where constantly growing and the research revealed that corporations where considering design as a promoter of innovation (71%), as growth potential for the company (79%) and as a way to make products more user friendly (71%). Increasing the use of design in companies politics made design much more important for the evolution of the company and so you can divide design management in the following different levels:
- operational design management
- tactical design management
- strategic design management
- 1. Operational design management
| What is it? | Operational design management is concerned with the management of individual design projects and design teams. |
| What is the aim? | Its goal is to achieve the objectives set by strategic design management. Success of good design management can be made tangible by measuring the quality of operational design management outcomes. |
| What does it include? | It includes the selection and management of design suppliers and encompasses the documentation, supervision and evaluation of design processes and results. It deals with personal leadership, emotional intelligence and the cooperation with/management of internal communications. Regular management functions, tools and concepts can often be applied to the management of design on operational level. |
| What are the outcomes? | It is implemented to achieve specific design objectives and manage the judgement of design proposals. It can help to build brand equity through the consistent creation and implementation of high quality design solutions, that best fit the brand identity and desired consumer experience, in the most efficient way. |
| Which job titles are associated? | Depending on type of company and industry, e.g.: operational design manager, senior designer, team leader, visual communication manager, corporate design coordinator |
| Which other terms are used for this level? | Design Project Management, Team/Individual (Micro) Management, Design Activity Function, Execution System, Individual Project / Job Management |
- 2. Tactical design management
| What is it? | Tactical design management addressed the organization of design resources and design processes. |
| What is the aim? | Its goal is to create a structure for design in the company, bridging the gap between objectives set through strategic design management and the implementation of design on operational level. |
| What does it include? | It defines how design is organized within the company. This includes the coordination of different design projects and activities through a central body. It deals with defining activities, developing design skills and competencies, managing processes, systems and proceduces, assigning of roles and responsibilities, developing innovative products and service concepts and finding new market opportunities. |
| What are the outcomes? | Outcomes of tactical design management are related to the creation of a structure for design within the company, to build (internal) resources and competencies for the implementation of design. |
| Which job titles are associated? | Depending on type of company and industry, e.g.: tactical design manager, design director, design & innovation manager, brand design manager, new product development (NPD) manager, visual identity manager |
| Which other terms are used for this level? | Design Resource Management, Design Organization Management, Design Agency Management, Functional Design Management, Organisational (Meso) Management, Middle / Business Function, Information System Management, Business Management / Office Management |
- 3. Strategic design management
| What is it? | Strategic design management involves the creation of the strategic, long-term vision & planning for design and deals with defining the role of design within the company. |
| What is the aim? | The goal of strategic design management is to support and strengthen the corporate vision, by creating a relationship between the design and corporate strategy. |
| What does it include? | It includes the creation of design, brand and product strategies, ensuring that design management becomes a central element in the corporate strategy formulation process. Strategic design management is responsible for the development and implementation of a corporate design program that influences the design vision, mission and positioning. It allows design to interact with the needs of corporate management and focuses on the long-term capabilities of design. |
| What are the outcomes? | Where strategic design management is applied, there is often a strong belief in the potential to differentiate and gain competitive advantage by design. As a result, design thinking becomes integrated in the corporate culture. |
| Which job titles are associated? | Depending on type of company and industry, e.g.: strategic design manager, chief design officer, vice president design & innovation, chief creative officer, innovation design director |
| Which other terms are used for this level? | Design Strategy Management, Anticipative Design Management, Corporate Design Management, Innovation (Design) Management, Strategic (Macro) Management, Board / Top Function, Objective Target System Management |
Design Management Function
Design management can not be done with predefined methods or programs , nor does it necessarily guarantee the company the success it’s expecting. Design management differs between companies, people, and target demographics; so the functions of design management depend on the tasks, authority, and practice of each company. Therefore there are different design management tasks and styles.
Design management tasks
In 2005 Cooper and Press identified in their management model five different categories that encompass design as follows:
- Vision / mission
- Strategy / policy formation
- Goals / targets / objectives
- Planning / scheduling / resourcing
- Activity / monitoring / evaluation
- Design management authority & position
