WHAT IS SOUTH WEST DESIGN FORUM?

The South West Design Forum brings together 6 sub-regional Design groups:
Cornwall Design Forum
Designed in Devon
Dorset Design Forum
Gloucestershire Design Network
Somerset Design Enterprise Network
West of England Design Forum

You can join one of the sub-regional groups and access their websites through this umbrella site.

South West Design Forum is the voice of design in the region. We are the lead body for strategy and communication and aim to reflect and drive the aspirations of the whole sector throughout the seven counties of the South West, at the highest level. The South West Design Forum connects and shares ideas between sub-regional and cultural agencies, national design bodies, higher education institutions and other key public and private sector organisations

WHAT IS THE MEMBERSHIP OF SOUTH WEST DESIGN FORUM?
The membership of the South West Design Forum committee comprises of the following people:
Chair – Roger Proctor – Proctors & Intimis
Vice Chair and Summit project – Emma Collins

Members:
Phil Gendall – Past Chair and MD of Gendall Design
Neil Tinson – Cornwall Design Forum Chair
Matt Desmier – Dorset Design Forum Chair and Arts Institute Bournemoiuth
Stella Yates – Dorset Design Forum & H£REA SW Higher Skills Project
Richard Holt – Somerset Design Enterprise Network Vice-Chair and Somerset College
Andrew Knutt – Somerset Design Enterprise Network Chair
Kathryn Hughes – Designed in Devon and South West Design Programme
Tim Burley – Designed In Devon Chair and MD of Red Rocket
Bob Mytton – West of England Design Forum Chair and MD of Mytton Williams
Kate Tanner – West of England Design Forum Vice-Chair
Anna Traylor – South West Design Programme
Roberto Fraquelli – University of Plymouth
Korash Sanjideh – Digital representative and Manager of Chew TV
Mariam Sharp – Arts Council England
Catherine Devenish – Arts Council England
Ruth Staple – ArtsMatrix
Melissa Blackburn – South West Screen
Deborah Dawton – Design Business Association
Lesley Morris – Design Council
Dave Forman – Epoch
Vicky Norcross – Weston College
Lynne Elvins – South West Design Programme
Jessica Vallentine – Business Link South West

Administrative Team:
Karen Stockdale – Manager
Emma Heathcote-James – Co-ordinator

WHAT IS THE AIM OF SOUTH WEST DESIGN FORUM?
To promote and support the design industry in the South West to ensure its continued growth and development in the future.

WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF SOUTH WEST DESIGN FORUM?

• To provide a regional proactive voice for the design industry in the region.
• To provide a focus for the strategic development of the sector within the region
• To prove the economic, social and cultural value of the sector to regional agencies, particularly the South West Regional Development Agency.
• To help secure project funding for the sector.
• To strengthen communication and develop partnerships in the sector.
• To foster collaborations between the design industry and design education sectors.
• To link the region with national and international initiatives and organisations.
• Membership and administration
• The Forum meets three times a year.
• Forum membership is by invitation, and includes the Chair and Vice Chair of each sub-regional cluster who are elected by their members.
• Forum membership also includes representatives of public agencies and support organisations to ensure that we are linked to regional and national strategies and initiatives.
• Forum membership is initially for one year and reviewed annually.
• The Forum has two officers, a Chair and Vice-chair. The officers are elected annually from the membership of the Forum.
• The Forum is administrated by a Manager and Co-ordinator
• Affiliations
• South West Design Forum CIC is a Community Interest Company.
• The Forum is supported by the South West of England Regional Development Agency through South West Screen, as well as Culture South West and the Arts Council.
• The Forum is non-profit making and is independent of political affiliations and trade associations.

WHAT IS THE STRATEGY?
Design plays a central role in the modern economy. It is the link between creativity and innovation, and is an important source of competitive advantage for British business. The design sector thus has the potential to make a significant contribution to the success of the South West RDA’s Regional Economic Strategy over the next few years. The South West Design Forum aims to deliver three projects that will help tackle some of the challenges faced by the sector and in so doing strengthen the regional economy.

Promoting the South West design to new markets
Building an international reputation by raising awareness of the region’s excellence in design talent and businesses, so helping to open access to new markets in other sectors and globally.

Demonstrating design’s potential to contribute to quality and innovation in other sectors of the economy
A research programme to show the returns that every business can make from effective investment in design, creating a model that any design business can use to demonstrate return on design investment (RODI).

Targeting key gaps in design companies’ knowledge to improve business skills and development in the sector
Design companies need to ‘scale up’ and sharpen their business focus if they are to take full advantage of the opportunities available to them. By building on its earlier ‘Design Matters’ initiative, the Forum will develop skills and business training to build a bigger, more outward-looking design sector in the South West.