Skills Alliance brand up for grabs

A design consultancy is shortly to be appointed to create the name and branding for the Design Council-backed design skills initiative.

This week saw the first prac – tical step towards develop ing the UK Design Skills Alliance. The Design Council and Creative & Cultural Skills announced its establishment from the Design Skills Advisory Panel in March, when the Design Blueprint report was published (DW 27 March).

The intention is that the temporarily named alliance will drive plans for better skills and professional practice across the sector, working with partners to deliver a programme of prod ucts and services for design professionals and education.

On Monday, the Design Council ran a workshop, headed by Design Business Association director and Blue Marlin chief operating officer John Mathers, to decide how best to articulate its role to users.

The aim was to develop a brief for the alliance’s name and identity, which a Design Council spokesman says will go out to tender in a few weeks. He adds the Design Council is keen to appoint a consultancy to get to work as soon as possible, with a view to a launch in October.

The Design Council’s head of skills Lesley Morris is taking on the leadership role at the UK Design Skills Alliance for an interim period. The appoint ment of a permanent director depends on it securing funding, says the council spokes man. It estimates that £5.3m in funding will be needed to launch its recommendations.