Study: The economic impact of design on companies in Catalonia

The study consists of two parts. In the first part discusses the integration of design on companies in Catalonia through the study of patterns of consumption, its application to products and services, its perception by the enterprise culture, the process and the Organization of the functions design company, among others.

Then review the impact of design on the Catalan company, following a pattern of analysis of the results of the surveys based on the methodology of the professors r. Kaplan and D. Norton of Harvard Business School, and analysing the impact from four perspectives: financial, market, internal capabilities.

Integration of design in the Catalan company

As for the corporate culture to the design, 68% of the companies it has enough into account in the definition of its business strategy, and 25% in mind.

Significant differences are not appreciated by size of enterprise. In all the sections design is considered an important factor in business strategies: from 20 to 49 employees a 92.9%; 50 to 199 91.4 per cent, from 200 to 499 100% and more than 500 a 91.4%.

In terms of perception and the use of the design, 48% States use it as a business strategy, 33% to develop new products and services, 32% to improve the company's external image and 19% as a creative process.

The design is the success factor better valued by businesses, with an average of 4.8 on 6 points, followed by the financial direction, the direction business and/or marketing, r & d, human resources management and the conduct of operations.

By specialties, design is hired or develops is the design of brand and communication (86 per cent of enterprises), followed of the industrial design and product (49%), digital design and multimedia (13%), services (10%), design of Interior design (6%) and design of moda-textil (2%).

55% Of the Catalan companies claims to have designers on staff, of which 51 per cent of these are structured in an own apartment, while 45% said not to have.

By size of business, the segment of 200 to 499 employees is more designers on staff, which has a 71%. The other three segments are not significant differences: from 20 to 49 46%; 50 to 199 54% and more than 500 51%. The designers on staff average of 4 per company. 75% Of the companies has less than 5 professionals of the design, 22% of 5 to 10 and 4% with more than 10.

The functional area of which depends on the design is defined by the sector of activity in which it operates the company; so in the sector industria-bienes of team depends on majority of the area of product engineering, while in the sector trade and service sector depends on the functional area of marketing.

On the other hand, 80% of the Catalan companies hire external design services: 47% for specific projects and 33% on a regular basis. To contact with external design services, 59 per cent used their contacts, 17% suppliers, 8% publications and specialized media, 6 per cent a design promotion center and another 6% goes to professional associations. None of the surveyed companies says use technology centres for this item.

45% Of the companies that have designers on staff hires external design services in a timely manner and 26% on a regular basis. He stresses however, that 11% of enterprises has no design professionals on staff nor contractual external services of design, stating that it develops design projects. Therefore, these projects are implemented other professional profiles are not designers.

External design services are remunerated in 64% of the cases by fees or price, in 32% of cases through a percentage of the total of the project, while only 5% used the system of royalties.

As for investment in design in the past three years, the companies in the sector of consumer goods are which have largely invested in design and knowledge-intensive services which less. By size of company, highlights the segment 50-199 employees. In response to the evolution of the turnover of the last three years, we can say that the companies in which it has grown, are most that have invested in design (73.1 per cent) while, in which it has not grown or even evolved negativelythey are less likely to invest in design.

Regarding the protection of the design, only 37% of the Catalan companies legally protects the design compared to 45% who do not and 18% to know this issue. It is, therefore, a subject slope for Catalan companies, although comparatively with the rest of Spain (protects only 31 per cent), the average is higher in Catalonia. The Catalan companies to protect the design, 84 per cent used the national system (78 per cent trademark, 11% patent, 8% registration of industrial design and 3% copyright) while 16% used the Community system (trademark 57 per cent, 14 per cent registration of industrial design and 29% patent).

Finally, in this first section of integrating design in the Catalan company, 8% of enterprises used explicitly the Barcelona brand in its communication. 75% Makes it as part of its own brand and 25% used as reference in publications, brochures, catalogs and/or website.

Impact of design on the Catalan company

Design has a positive impact on all the economic variables contained in the study: for 59% of businesses improving the turnover (48%, 10% much), also a 59% appreciated the increase in productivity (50% quite)(, 9% much), 51 per cent considered that it impacts positively on the figure of export (42% fairly, 9% much), 61% is of the opinion that it improves the business benefit (53% fairly, 8% much) and 68% believe that the design has a positive effect in the opening of new markets (54% quite)(14% much).

If we take into consideration only the financial variables: amount of turnover and profit, it is clear that investment in design has improved the financial performance of companies.

On the other hand, 84% of companies stated that design has improved the image of mark of the undertaking, its notoriety. This relationship is more significant among the companies in which its turnover has grown considerably in the last three years: 88%.

The impact on the communication with clients (90%) and greater customer satisfaction (78%) are other areas where the incidence of the design is considered very important for a large majority of companies.

With regard to the impact of investment in design in the improvement of productivity, 58% is of the opinion that indeed the design influences positively on productivity. If we take into account the evolution of the turnover of the companies in the past three years, is clear that companies that have grown are those that are more than agree with this statement. Which have grown much, believe that the design has had enough (44%) and long (22%) in the improvement of productivity.

Those that have decreased their turnover overwhelmingly believe that design, little affect on the improvement of productivity.

In the satisfaction of employees and internal communication in the company, a significant percentage is of the opinion that the design has improved the satisfaction and motivation of employees (79%) and the internal communication of the company (74%).

As findings can be said that design is one of the aspects present in the strategic approaches of the Catalan companies, 9 of every 10 companies claims to have taken into account in their business strategy. On the other hand, there is a relationship between the behavior of the billing and the inclusion of design in business strategy.

80% Of the companies has contracted ever the services of a professional of the external design, either in a timely manner (47% of enterprises) or regularly (33%).

55% Of the companies has designers on staff. Of these, 45% hires more outsourcing of design.

As negative aspects noted that 11% of companies do not hire external design services or have designers on staff, while stating that they develop a design activity, which thus develops by another professional profile.

Also stresses the low degree of protection of the design by the Catalan companies, only 37 per cent claimed to do so, while 45% does not protect and 18 per cent unknown. It would have to study this issue in more depth to see if it is due to ignorance of the different systems by companies, or if it is a problem of cost or effectiveness of the own systems to the needs of enterprises.

Regarding the study of economic variables, the design has a positive impact on all the economic variables contained in the study, highlighting the positive assessment on the business benefit (61%), the improvement of productivity (59%) and the opening of new markets (68%) in all cases.

On the other hand highlights the positive assessment of the high impact on the image of the company and its notoriety (84%), especially in companies that have grown over the past three years.

Therefore, it seems that the vision which was a few years ago about design as dispensable element of purely aesthetic and destined to certain types or size of company, is fortunately passed by a large majority of Catalan companies. It is now important that these companies get maximum benefit from their investment in design and maximum business benefits through the proper management of all resources design at your fingertips.

In this sense, BCD proposes:

1. Continue with awareness-raising and training for companies in design management.
2. Continue with the dissemination of content innovators, strategies and case studies, design and its economic value.
3. Develop the professional profile of the design manager in the Catalan company.
4. To consolidate a network of consultants in design management in order to make implementation in enterprise projects and create a line of aid to these enterprises in the Innovation Plan of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
5. Establish a design protection service to advise companies on different systems; consolidate the register of creations re-creates, and establish the Court of arbitration of the design.
6. Do research in management of the design that shows how to measure the return on investment in design firms, the impact of innovation in design to the account of exploitation of the companies.
7. Promote the supply of professional design services among the companies in Catalonia.
8. Promote design support measures from different areas of the Government of the Generalitat de Catalunya (innovation, economy, environment, etc.).