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In this age of austerity, what can and does graphic design bring to public sector projects?

By Peter Mills 07 Jul 2010.
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As public sector budget cuts take effect, the design industry needs to innovate and to transform efficiencies by preventing duplication, to turn the problem on its head and cut waste. Design creates and delivers unrivalled value and is what Britain is great at.

Design in the public sector has seen a massive increase in commitment because it can make a huge difference. Design is the catalyst to transform public services. It challenges perceptions, feelings and actions. And it’s the route to behaviour change.

This is because designers understand what it's like to wear someone else's shoes. Accessibility and inclusiveness are no longer dirty words. People want and expect design that works.

If you include architecture, public planning, and system and service design, it is quite easy to see what the impact of design can be. But graphic design has also had a long influence on public services from London Underground to the NHS. Graphic design can capture the essence of an idea (policy, place, people, products and services) and interpret it so that it can be lived and be real for people both inside and outside an organisation.

In my experience design work for public sector clients has become much more savvy. I remember when clients came to us looking for the delivery of a product, and as long as that was delivered that was the job done. That is no longer the case. They think about the business objectives, the audiences, the message and the channel. They do these based on research and insight, often with the help of agencies. The product is the result of that thinking – it is much more strategic. Partnership is also a strong theme in the public sector, and is becoming increasingly important as organisations with shared values and objectives come together, share budgets and work together on initiatives. Although this can present difficulties, designers have to embrace this.

One of the greatest challenges in public sector – but a necessary one – is procurement. This is my money, yours and your neighbours' being spent and it is right that value for money is being demonstrated. Winning a DBA design effectiveness award for a project in the public sector is vindication of the effect which design can have on the lives of people for the better, often in circumstances which seem to be against the odds. Design in the public sector will increasingly need to engage 'reluctant' customers.

Getting under their skin and nudging them towards doing something they would rather not, is a tremendous challenge and privilege at the same time. Design based on comprehensive understanding of segmented audiences, deep insights and known propensities to engage has the potential to change behaviour for the good of society.