The place of design

For example, design can be incorporated throughout the research and product development phase, applied to manufacturing processes to reduce costs, as well as used in the creation of office and retail environments and spaces and in the branding and marketing of products and services enabling firms to differentiate themselves in local and global markets. [...] Table 1 delineates the policy approach to design across 13 countries and identifies the key actors, the scale of policymaking, and the focus of the policies. [...] Furthermore, these national and regional design policies and programs have a number of shared goals and generally involve one or more of the following broad objectives: • increasing the adoption of design and design practices amongst businesses • improving the quantity and quality of the design workforce, especially through improving design education • improving the public’s appreciation and aware [...] In the contemporary period, programs and policies are primarily intended to engage the public and put the idea of design and its importance in the public realm. [...] Both organizations are key actors on the global design stage, are mandated to encourage a collective voice for design, and are the founding partners of the International Design Alliance (IDA).4 While Montreal and the Province of Quebec have recorded significant success in promoting design, both as an economic and cultural activity, the same can not be said of the Province of Ontario.