According to the June issue of Fast Company magazine, we are in the midst of a design revolution in business. Almost the entire issue of the well-respected publication, is devoted to “how design thinking can help all of us re-imagine the day-to-day practices of business”. In the introduction, Roger Martin, dean of the University of Toronto’s School of Management, writes that design “has emerged as a new competitive weapon and key driver of innovation. Leveraging the power of design across all aspects of a business can establish and sustain an organization’s unique competitive advantage.” Included are interviews with design-driven company executives and consultants. The following excerpts link to the online issue of the article.

Ford Motor Company: Where can we be a leader?
Vice president of global design at Ford, J. Mays is the designer of the Audi TT, the Volkswagen New Beetle and the new Ford Thunderbird. Mays points out that “while Ford can be competitive in areas such as quality, technology, innovation and safety, it’s unlikely to set the industry standard in any of them. Acknowledging that, CEO Bill Ford asked, ‘Where can we be a leader?’ The answer: design.”

Old Navy: Our competitive advantage over value players.
“We became a $6.5 billion dollar brand because of design,” says the President of Old Navy, Gap, Inc. “To compete, we knew 10 years ago that we had to have a design group, because that would be our competitive advantage over value players such as Kmart or Target.”

Target: Differentiation strategy.
Pioneering the idea that low prices and good design weren’t oxymoronic, Target CEO Robert Ulrich, put design at the core of the company’s differentiation strategy. Target has blown past competitors Kmart and Sears by making sure that their products were different — more stylish, more current and better designed. Target is now second only to Wal-Mart among general merchandisers.

OXO International: Get them to pay a premium
“If you can design a product that appeals to people’s brains and hearts, you can get them to pay a premium.” Such is the philosophy of OXO, maker of premium kitchen utensils. “Ultimately, what sells the product is the emotional side of design. We aim to create products that intrigue people and invite a question: There’s something different about this thing.”