Design as the best response to crisis situations 2

Inflation, energy crisis, disruption of global chains supply and climate change are just some of the factors that in the near future they will negatively impact the functioning of enterprises and society as a whole. In many aspects of life, we need changes towards a sustainable model of using the environment, especially reducing the demand for energy, the prices of which are rising rapidly. Deteriorating business conditions and a shrinking market will also put increasing pressure on enterprises, forcing them to redefine the factors shaping their competitive advantage. Industrial design is a relatively cheap way to build this type of advantage. Involving a designer already at the stage of creating the concept of a new product gives the opportunity to better adapt it to the needs of buyers and the company's production capabilities. A designer with knowledge of the latest available materials, in cooperation with engineers, will be able to reduce production costs by selecting them appropriately. A creative designer allows you to reduce production costs by reducing the labor and material consumption of the entire manufacturing process. Every crisis requires deep reflection on the future of the company and the entire society. This is the best time for design to find its rightful place in thinking about their development.

Design as a creative activity, including design goods and services, leads to the creation of added value from the perspective of the client, the company and the entire country creation, and even in the global dimension regarding less burden on the natural environment. Added value design from the customer's perspective includes, among other things, the possibility demonstrating your own tastes or tastes to the environment using it social status and benefits resulting from values of a functional and ergonomic nature. Design Industrial creates added value for the user as well through aesthetic and emotional feelings, a which he is ready to pay. Companies, thanks to design, beyond increasing attractiveness of their products and services to consumers, they can minimize costs and optimize production processes. The frequency of use of designers' services and its level have positive impact on the culture of the country in which they are used and on the image of a given country and, as a result, its competitiveness economy.

Design also has a culture-forming aspect, which results from the existing relationships between art and the design process, which has a creative dimension. In the case of design, unlike in the case of individual works of art, we are not dealing with their reproductions, but with objects functioning as originals (although created in a serial manner). Good quality design contributes to the popularization of aesthetic patterns and values ​​associated with high culture. In some cases, companies, by limiting production volumes and numbering and marking individual products, can sell them at a much higher price than the competition. Obtaining a prestigious distinction or award in the field of design increases the value of products sold, in some cases to a significant extent. These include, for example, competitions at the national level, such as Dobry Wzór, organized since 1993 by the Institute of Industrial Design in Warsaw, or international ones, as in the case of the Red Dot award granted by the Institute of the same name in Essen.

Products of companies operating in countries with recognized quality of industrial design receive a related bonus in the form of a higher assessment of manufactured goods (e.g. from Scandinavian countries). An important area of ​​creating added value through design in the national dimension is the protection of the natural environment achieved through it. It results not only from design aimed at minimizing the use of materials in the production process, but also from taking into account the possibilities and costs of future disposal at the conceptual stage. Fig. 1 (on the title page) presents the areas of creating added value through design.

The fact that more and more consumers attach great importance to the ecological dimension of the products they purchase creates an opportunity to achieve a competitive advantage for companies that meet this type of expectations. When looking for eco-friendly packaging and materials, designers can also support the process of future recycling by considering the possibility of easily separating different types of materials from each other. Ecological packaging increases the chances of selling the product and at the same time has a positive impact on reducing unfavorable climate changes. Even the lack of packaging, as in the case of the so-called dry shampoos, may be an argument for conscious consumers to choose a given product. Reducing the negative impact of consumption on the environment is something consumers are willing to pay for. This is evidenced, for example, by the growing popularity of toothbrushes, in which plastic has been replaced with bamboo wood. Rising energy prices will promote those who are able to maintain quality with lower energy consumption of the production process. Designers who set trends in consumer perception of the attractiveness of particular product groups have great opportunities to shape tastes and sensitivity to the consequences of the choices they make. Combined with a well-thought-out policy at the European Union level regarding limiting environmental pollution, this may lead to real effects in this area. An example of this type of activities that respond to restrictions on the use of plastic for disposable products are design activities aimed at finding new, alternative products or even materials. In this context, we can mention the entire system of reusable, deposit-paid coffee cups, which can be used in the network of points participating in the program, or disposable tableware made of cereal bran. An example of this type of economic success may be the use by Biotrem of technology for producing biodegradable disposable dishes and cutlery from wheat bran.

Research that I have been conducting for years at the University of Economics in Krakow in the field of. the economic importance of design clearly demonstrate its value from the point of view of enterprise management and society as a whole. Companies that employ designers or cooperate with design offices have better financial results, higher export shares, and their products are more willingly chosen than those of companies that do not attach importance to professional design. Apart from increasing profits, we, as consumers, also benefit from the presence of a designer in the company. Competitions such as Projekt Arting, which address the issue of sustainable design, not only create an opportunity to develop new pro-ecological solutions, but also constitute an excellent opportunity for business to establish cooperation with creative designers. Exhibitions of awarded projects should take place
an inspiration for potential users, but above all for company managers.

Design should also be constantly present in public space. Bielsko-Biała, with its own good graphic identification system and a number of activities supporting and promoting design, is becoming an important point on the map of Polish design. We need a number of projects that will respond to ongoing climate changes, the need to save energy, water shortages, and respect for the natural environment and wild animals living in urban space. Design can and should increase the comfort of life in the city. Let's keep our fingers crossed that 11 Listopada Street in Bielsko-Biała, thanks to the good use of design, will become the city's showcase, stimulating its creative character and image.

Ph.D. Łukasz Mamica
Prof. UEK, Head of the Department of Public Economy at the University of Economics in Krakow. Coordinator of the Industrial Policy and Development research area at the international association of economists, the European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy (EAEPE). Thematic editor of the Public Management Quarterly in the field of economics. Since 2005, editor- in-chief of the Innowacyjny Start quarterly. He conducts research on the economic importance of design, industrial and energy policy, enterprise innovation and creativity. Author of the concept of a co-creative university. More information can be found on the website https://mamica.uek.krakow.pl/.