Mapping Design Policy Across Europe
By Piotr Swiatek, Design Policy & International Projects Manager at PDR.
I’m pleased to share the European Design Policy Mapping report, produced by BEDA (the Bureau of European Design Associations) as part of their Creative Europe funded project MADres. It’s been a privilege to lead this study and to work with colleagues across Europe to create the most comprehensive yet, continent-wide picture of how design features in national policy documents.
The study analyses more than 100 government strategies across 39 countries - from innovation and industry to culture and sustainability - to understand where and how design is recognised as a driver of change. What emerged was both encouraging and complex: design is present across many policies, yet often hidden in plain sight, distributed across different ministries and programmes rather than embedded as a coherent strategic approach.
To make sense of this diversity, we are proposing the Design Policy Spectrum - a framework that maps countries according to how design is positioned in their policy landscape, from early “recognition” and “integration” stages to more advanced “championed” approaches. This model helps identify not just where design is visible, but also how governments evolve in their understanding of design’s potential.
One of the strongest findings is that design can be everywhere in policy, but policies themselves still live in silos. Perhaps the next step for governments isn’t only to recognise design, but to design the way government works - breaking down silos and enabling more connected, human-centred policy ecosystems. Two countries in Europe with explicit, dedicated design policies - Iceland and Latvia - show how these can serve to bring different policy agendas together with design.
The report is a first step and will be followed by further research to explore perceptions and realities of design policy implementation through a survey with policy stakeholders. I’m deeply grateful to BEDA, Regina Hanke, Christina Melander, and all those research participants who contributed insights, documents and reflections throughout the process.
If you’re interested in how design is being integrated into policy systems across Europe - or how we might strengthen that connection - you can read the full report: European Design Policy Mapping report.
