Design already has an ally in Government

I refer to the article Has design found an ally in Labour? (DW 9 February).

Designers, no matter how important or influential, must have either very short or convenient memories. We have been working on Government-initiated projects for something like the past ten years.

I believe I am correct in saying that Lord Young first introduced design into the Government’s vocabulary. This has been picked up by subsequent ministers from the Department of Trade and Industry with the final attempt to introduce design into the Business Links programme.

I don’t know how much more Sir Terence Conran or John

McNeece expect Government to do, but substantial funding to client and designer has been forthcoming over the past ten to twelve years. But these on-the-ground initiatives possibly don’t carry the status of membership that quangos and groups do.

Barry Stedham

Director

Insight Design

Welwyn Garden City

Herts AL7 2AA