D&T Association launches D&T Heroes campaign

The D&T Association has launched its D&T Heroes campaign, which it says looks to “promote and celebrate the value of design”.

The social campaign has been introduced in response to a parliamentary debate about the English Baccalaureate – a GCSE qualification that excludes art and design – earlier this month. The debate was triggered by a petition called “Include expressive arts subjects in the EBacc”.

Running for at least six months, D&T Heroes encourages anyone to submit their favourite designer, product or object – spanning everything from industrial to technology design – to its various social media sites.

Delivered to the Department of Education and Department for Business Innovation and Skills

The responses will be then collated into a book featuring the best British and international design heroes, complete with comments from design experts, before being signed by organisation partners and supporters and delivered to the Department of Education and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.

Organisations that have signed up in support of the campaign so far include the RSA; Crafts Council; Creative & Cultural Skills; Design Museum; V&A; The Institution of Civil Engineers and The Institution of Engineering and Technology.

The campaign and the forthcoming book are intended to act as “a powerful statement about the importance and relevance of design and technology in education, industry and society”, according to the D&T Association.

Introduced into D&T curriculum in schools

From September, the campaign will also be launched in schools as an online teaching resource that supports the D&T curriculum at several Key Stage levels.

The planned introduction of the campaign as an online resource into the school curriculum is designed to inspire pupils, teachers and parents to participate in the campaign, but will also act as “visual history” of design and technology that could be used as the basis for activities such as homework assignments, Design Week understands.

Submissions can be uploaded to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #DandTHeroes