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A N A N A LYS I S O F T H E A P P L I C AT I O N O F

I N D U S TR I A L D E S I G N
Ministry of Economy
Economy Development Department

Plac Trzech Krzyży 3/5
00-507 Warszawa
tel.: +48 22 693 42 61
faks: +48 22 693 40 84
e-mail: sekretariatdrg@mg.gov.pl
http://www.mg.gov.pl

Report prepared by Institute of Industrial Design,
Research and Development Division

Authors:
Beata Bochińska – President of the Board of Institute of Industrial Design
(Instytut Wzornictwa Przemysłowego Sp. z o.o).
Dr Iwona Palczewska – Director of Research and Development Division in IWP
Anita Putkiewicz – Head of Department of New Product Development in IWP

Expert’s revision:
Prof. Jerzy Ginalski – Expert in Department of New Product Development in IWP

graphic design & dtp:
Zdanowicz & Pawrowski
foto:
Archives of Instytut Wzornictwa Przemysłowego and the manufacturers’ own materials
Ministry of Economy

A N A N A LYS I S O F T H E A PPL I C AT I O N O F
I N D U S TR I A L
DESIGN

I N P O L I SH
CO M PA N I ES

Warsaw, December 2007


Table of contents
Executive Summary 6
1. Objective of the Report 8
2. Key Findings 10
3. Author’s Recommendation 16
4. Industrial Design 20
5. Supporting Design Development in Poland 24
6. Intellectual Property Protection 38
7. Design in selected European Union countries 48
8. Analysis of the degree of use and development of industrial design in Polish enterprises
– IWP quantitative and qualitative research 58
9. Results of the quantitative research 74
10. Results of the qualitative research 116
11. Good practices – Case studies 148
12. Designing as a method for running own business 160
13. Methodology of report preparation 164
14. Bibliography 166
15. Report distribution and contact 170
16. Limitation of the author’s liability 172
17. The Institute of Industrial Design 174
List of pictures
Sample distribution 1 | Percentage distribution of subjects according to the sector. N=301 63
Sample distribution 2 | Percentage distribution of subjects according to the region. N=301 63
Sample distribution 3 | Percentage distribution of subjects according
to the number of employees. N=301 64
Sample distribution 4 | Percentage distribution of subjects according
to the size of town/city. N=301 64
Sample distribution 5 | Percentage distribution of subjects according
to the company’s age. N=301 65
Sample distribution 6 | Companies’ distribution according
to sector in individual regions. N=301 65
Sample distribution 7 | Sex of people under research 66
Sample distribution 8 | Education of people under research 66
Sample distribution 9 | Status of people under research 67

List of tables
Table 1 | Creative industry in EU countries 56
Table 2 | Realized sample distribution 61
Table 3 | Companies’ sample distribution – industrial sector and size of the company 70
Table 4 | Average number of new designs launched – by sector 77
Table 5 | Average number of designs launched – by company size 78
Table 6 | Average number of new designs over the last 12 months – by sector 79
Table 7 | Average number of new designs over the last 12 months – by company size 79
Table 8 | Importance of internal factors influencing economic success of the company 90

List of figures
Figure 1 | Industrial Design; J. Ginalski 22
Figure 2 | Design ladder 54

List of photographs
Photo 1 | LEO PLASTIC heater (produced by Flowair) 151
Photo 2 | ON chair (produced by PROFI ) m
155
00

Executive Summary

This report, based on detailed quantitative and qualitative research, is the first
attempt to be made at an analysis of the application of industrial design in Polish
companies operating within a market economy. To date, independent, systema­
tic research on the application of industrial design for the representative sample
of the national companies have not been carried out in Poland.
The scope and the scale of the conducted research is comparable to research car­
ried out in other European Union countries, including those leading in the area
of design development, such as the Nordic countries, for example. The template
for the preparation of the research is the research programme led by the Design
Council in the UK.
The scope of this report does not include the comparison of the results of the
application of design in Poland with the results from other countries’ results,
as this would require an additional workload in order to unify the research me­
thods and standardize the results.
The results of the research prove that among Polish companies, regardless of
sector, there is a large and constantly increasing awareness of the role of indus­
trial design in product promotion and achieving competitive advantage, as well
as in company development. A group of design leaders has emerged in every
sector; companies which consciously invest more often than others in design.
The research indicates a great potential for growth in the enterprises applying
design-based innovations. At the same time, Polish companies need the tools
to evaluate and apply design, the methods and procedures to implement new
products, skilled personnel and organisation, the tools supporting new product
development management and proven, specialist advisers and design service
providers. These shortages result from the fact that Polish companies used to be
sub-suppliers benefiting from foreign patters.
The key project of promoting design and business environment development,
prepared by the IWP and carried out under the POIG (Operational Programme
for Economic Innovation), as well as other projects covered by the IWP’s statuto­
ry activities, are intended to support creation within companies of a professional
environment in the area of design. Just as in most European Union economies,
these activities are subsidised from public resources, as they are in those com­
panies where the application of design is more stable and influences their profit­
ability and competitiveness.
Objective of the Report 00

1.
Objective
of the Report

FOUR SEASONS vase


design: Marzena Wolińska
manufacturer: KROSNO S.A.
Good Design 2004
00

1. Objective of the Report

This report has been drawn up by the Institute of Industrial Design for the pur­
poses of the Ministry of Economy upon the request of the Economy Development
Department.
The main objective of this paper is to analyse the application of industrial and
utility design in Poland (in Polish enterprises) in order to obtain the following
results:

> A description of the status of design application in Poland.

> An evaluation of the rate of return on investment in design (in companies ap­
plying design).

> The degree to which skilled human capital (designers, design studios) is uti­
lised.

> Recommendations for companies, design studies.

> Recommendations for those public institutions taking action towards eco­
nomic innovation and the development of background business organization.
Key Findings 00

2.
Key Findings

WODNIK Duo Plus


vacuum cleaner with water filter
design: Ergo Design, Zelmer design team
manufacturer: ZELMER S.A.
Directors’ Award from the Institute of Industrial
Design 2002, Good Design 2002
010

2. Key Findings

The authors of the report wish to draw particular attention to the following con­
clusions, drawn from the analysis of the research conducted:

> Most of the Polish companies which were the subjects of the research per-
ceive both a significant role and potential benefits resulting from the appli-
cation of design for the purpose of product promotion and achieving com-
petitive advantage:

… 76% of the companies believe that design plays a key or important role in their
development, while 27% has seen a significant influence on the part of design
within the recent times.

… 86% of the companies believe that investment in design pays off (98% of the
leaders).

… 78% of the companies declare that they are working on new design.

… Large companies in particular invest in the design.

> The enterprises, and especially the design leaders1), appreciate the benefits
of design application within the scope of:

… The improvement of product competitiveness – 86% of the companies (to


a large extent – 34%); leaders – respectively 71% and 51%.

… The significant increase (over 25%) in the product price – 27% of the compa­
nies (leaders – 59%; and 22% of the – over 40% of the price).

… Consumer satisfaction – to a large extent, 51% of the companies (60% of leaders).

> Awareness of design value is dependent on the sector:

… Design is especially appreciated within consumer products sectors, such as


interior furnishings, households articles, clothing and accessories, ceramics
and illumination.

… Design is not that popular within the areas of investment products or means
of transport (this does not apply to motorisation).

)  A design leader is a company which consciously invests in design to the extent significantly over the average. The
definition of design leader used in this report is given in Chapter 9 – “The result of the quantitative research”.
011

… Perception of design is proportionate to the sector’s competitiveness.

> At the same time, the companies define the modification of both their own
or other patterns as investment in design, which poses the risk of plagia-
rism:

… Over half of the companies modify other companies’ patterns, claiming that
they are involved in design application.

… Only every tenth company implements exclusively new pattern, while the
vast majority of the companies introduce new and modify already existing
patterns (proprietary or other).

… Every twelfth company states that it does not make use of designers and ex­
clusively modifies other companies’ patterns or receives ready-made patterns
from its partners.

> The research indicates a lack of the resources and specialist knowledge on
design management and methods for the evaluating the efficiency of design
in business development, among both the enterprises’ in-house design pro-
fessionals and external design service providers:

… Only half of the companies have a separate post or unit in charge of product
pattern development.

… Most companies, especially small and medium sized ones, do not carry out
consumer preference research; the evaluation of a design is intuitive, carried
out on the basis of employees and distributors’ opinions.

… Barely 5% of companies are capable of evaluating the return on an investment


rate and the risk of investment decision-making with regard to design.

> The expectations of the enterprises towards designers exceed the shaping
of the product’s form and functionality and involve areas relating to mar-
keting, sales, logistics, distribution and customer service:

… 56% of the companies expects the designer to cooperate at each stage of pro­
duct development, vis-à-vis 41% oriented exclusively towards acquiring the
external form of the project (styling),

… Although most of the companies benefit from designers’ services, be they in-
house or external, they consider their own preparation to be fully sufficient.
012

… Relatively often (in the opinion of the companies), there are discrepancies
between the pattern which is supplied and the enterprise’s expectation, or
between the relatively high price of design and its value.

… The Internet and the specialist press constitute the basic source of knowledge
with regard to designers, while, apart from their own experience, the compa­
nies have little possibility of verifying this information.

> There is growth in the readiness of the enterprises to outsource designwork,


both by means of employing professional design studios and by acquiring
licenses:

… Every third company occasionally cooperates with external designers, every


seventh – constantly.

… 69% of the design leaders employs external designers and 46% benefits from
the services of external designers, depending on the situation.

… 9% of the companies acquire licenses.

> The companies believe that a barrier to investment in design is the financial
outlay required and, at the same time, the difficulty in evaluating the rate
and the risk of return on the investment:

… 38% of the companies believe that the lack of access to resources enabling the
evaluation of an investment’s return and risk constitutes a barrier to invest­
ment.

… Four out of ten companies believe design projects to be too expensive, at the
same time declaring relatively low outlay on design, as compared to turnover
(most of them do not disclose this information).

… At the same time, some enterprises do not know the costs of acquiring the
design projects.

> To date, support from public institutions for design development, including
that of the institutions of state administration and the business environ-
ment, has been limited:

… To date, the regulations have not allowed the financing of investment in new
design from resources earmarked for innovation development.

… The breakthrough in this matter may be the POIG 2007-2013 programme,


which provides for both business environment development resources and in­
vestments on the part of enterprises.
013

> In the area of education, there is a lack of specialist studies and courses for
design management as a business tool for professionals, both in the uni-
versities educating business executives for the enterprises and in project
service providers:

… Designers of patterns study almost exclusively in the Academies of Fine Arts


and are insufficiently oriented towards the economic aspects of design and
cooperation with industry (no business practice).

… There is a shortage of institutions other than the AFAs providing courses or


second-stage studies in design management and new product development.

In conclusion, what is worthy of note is the great development potential for


design in Polish enterprises, which results from an increasing awareness,
competitive pressure and, most often, from the enterprises’ own positive ex-
periences.
Design leaders who compete on the international markets, have noted both
the opportunities presented by design to increase the attractiveness of their
own products and the ensuing potential of high return on their investment.
On the other hand, the evaluation competence of entrepreneurs and design
service suppliers indicates a significant lack and shortages in terms of mana­
gement skills and the resources to define and implement an effective strategy
in order to achieve a competitive advantage arising from design. As a result,
the machines and technological know-how is not fully used.
Author’s Recommendation 015

3.
Author’s Recommendation

Puff lamps
designer and manufacturer: Puff-Buff Design
Prof. Jerzy Sołtan’s Award 2007 (from the Faculty of Industrial Design
at The Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw)
distinction in Design Management Europe Award Competition 2007
finalist of PRODECO 2007 and the Good Design Competition 2006
016

3. Author’s Recommendation

The following measures are necessary in order to make effective efforts to sup­
port design development and thereby increase innovation and the competitive­
ness of the economy.

3.1. Recommendations for public institutions undertaking measures to-


wards economic innovation development and the organisation of the
business environment:

> Covering the design area with a systematic research programme, the result
of which will be available to administration and enterprises alike. This re-
search ought to be entirely comparable (standardised) within the European
Union.

> Making financial support tools available for the purpose of the implemen-
tation of innovative design projects, including the application of ergonomic
requirements and copyrights protection.

> Entering into international cooperation within the European Union on the
design development programme.

> Undertaking studies of design effectiveness and making their outcome


available to enterprises and project services suppliers.

> Development of the existing specialist education in accordance with market


needs, including the preparation of second-stage studies for graduates of
fine arts, technical and managerial universities, in order to secure skilled
personnel.

> Development of a nationwide Polish business environment and regional in-


stitutions in order to provide professional design services and popularize
new product design implementation methodology, including the exchange
of experience and the promotion of best promotion.

> Following the example of other European countries and emerging econo-
mies by entrusting the coordination of development strategy and design
promotion to a professional institution working to the order of the Ministry
of Economy in order to observe that standards are appropriate.
017

> Incorporating design promotion into programmes promoting the country as


a whole, (e.g. EXPO), in order to present the competence and opportunities
inherent in the Polish economy.

The implementation of the selected activities has been initiated by the Institute
of Industrial Design with the cooperation with the Ministry of Economy in the
form of this research and the IWP key programme for business environment de­
velopment being carried out with resources from the POIG 2008-2011.

3.2. Recommendations for enterprises and Project services suppliers

> Systematic growth in competence within the scope of design management,


by such methods as personnel education, design management processes
review and modification and monitoring of the best national and foreign
patterns.

> Development and implementation of the strategy to invest in design in or-


der to enhance product competitiveness, improve the results achieved and,
at the same, increase the enterprise’s value.

> Development of a new product implementation methodology, including the


evaluation of the investment in design and methods for preparing and car-
rying out the project.

> Making use of accessible public resources (e.g. the POIG) for investment in
design and minimizing an enterprise’s own business risk.

> Increasing outlays on consumer preference research in order to optimize


the return on investment and minimize the investment risk of a new pattern
project.

> Cooperation with institutions in the business environment having compe-


tence in the area of design application and design effectiveness evaluation.

> The proper selection of professional partners and design service suppliers
in order to achieve optimal effectiveness and prevent plagiarism.
Industrial Design 019

4.
Industrial Design

_mohohej!DIA rug
design: Magdalena Lubińska, Michał Kopaniszyn
manufacturer: Moho Design Sp. z o.o.
Wallpaper Best Textile 2006, Silesian Icon 2005
“1 of 20 best design projects of last 5 years” award
(“2+3D” 2007)
020

4. Industrial Design

ICSID

ICSID (The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design) is an inter­


national ‘non-profit making’ organisation promoting industrial design develop­
ment throughout the world. ICSID has been operating since 1957 and has its
headquarters in Montreal (Canada). Currently, ICSID has over 150 members
from approximately 50 countries, representing over 150 thousand designers.
ICSID members include professional associations, government institutions and
enterprises, as well as institutions promoting education and organisations aim­
ing at industrial design development.
In 2007, ICSID appointed a chapter granting the title of World Design Capital to
the cities submitting applications; the first is Turin (2008) and the next one will
be Seoul (2010). On ICSID application, from 2008, 28th June will be celebrated
annually as World Design Day.
In Poland, the members organizations are the Association of Industrial Desig­
ners (Stowarzyszenie Projektantów Form Przemysłowych) (since 1964)2) and the
Institute of Industrial Design (since 2007).

The definition of industrial design according to ICSID

ICSID defines industrial design by its aims and tasks.

> Aim
Design is a creative activity whose aim is to establish the multi-faceted quali­
ties of objects, processes, services and their systems in the whole life cycles of
products and services. Therefore, design is the central factor of the innovative
humanisation of technologies and the crucial factor of cultural and economic
exchange.

> Tasks
Design seeks to discover and assess structural, organisational, functional, ex­
pressive and economic relationships, with the task of:

… Enhancing global sustainability and environmental protection (global ethics).

)  The Association of Industrial Designers (www.spfp.diz.pl).


021

… Giving benefits and freedom to the entire human community, individual and
collective final users, producers and market protagonists (social ethics).

… Supporting cultural diversity despite the globalisation of the world (cultural


ethics).

… Giving products, services and systems those forms that are expressive of
(semiology) and coherent with (aesthetics) their proper complexity.

Design concerns products, services and systems conceived with the tools, organ­
isations and logic introduced by industrialisation–and not only when produced
by serial processes. When applied to design, the adjective ‘industrial’ must be
related to the term ‘industry’, either in its meaning of a sector of production or in
its ancient meaning of ‘industrious activity’. Thus, design is an activity involving
a wide spectrum of professions, in which products, services, graphics, interiors
and architecture all take part. Together, these activities should further enhance,
chorally with other related professions, the value of life. Therefore, the term de-
signer refers to an individual who practices an intellectual profession, and not
simply a trade or a service for enterprises3).

Other design definitions

In the opinion of Sir George Cox, the chairman of the Design Council UK, de­
sign combines creativity and innovation, shaping ideas to become practical and
attractive propositions for users or consumers.
Design may be defined as a creativity implemented in a form of particular final
result4).
However, design does not include the visual aspect (aesthetic, artistic) of the
product or service (as it is often misunderstood as doing) but integrates various
areas such as science and technique (Figure 1).
A properly designed product takes into account both market conditions (consum­
er requirements, the economic situation, competition), a company’s business ob­
jectives and the nature of the brands. It proposes new (innovative) solutions and
technologies, adding the new value for the user or streamlining the production
process or, in accordance with the recent trends, being environment friendly.

)  www.icsid.org.
)  Cox G., Cox Review of Creativity in Business: building on the UK’s strengths; 2005.
022

Figure 1
Industrial Design; J. Ginalski5)

INDUSTRY

ART

INDUSTRIAL
MARKET DESIGN

TECHNIQUE

SCIENCE

)  Ginalski J., Industrial Design, presentation for IWP; 2007. Text in Polish.
Supporting Design Development in Poland 023

5.
Supporting Design
Development
in Poland

BIRDS
collection of coordinated home textiles
by DECORADOR
design: Ewa Szyszka-Oczkowska
manufacturer: GlobalDom Sp. z o.o.
Good Design 2006
024

5. Supporting Design Development in Poland

5.1. The impact of industrial design and innovation development on


the competitiveness of the economy – current status, opportunities and
threats
SWOT analysis prepared by the Institute of Industrial Design

Strengths
> The Polish economy is largely dependent on the production sectors, which
will continue to have a significant share in creating the GDP in the forthcom­
ing years – benefits from design application are crucial due to economies of
scale in these sectors.
> Poland has a well-established design tradition and advanced education in
this area.
> A large group of project service providers, with both national and foreign ex­
perience, is present on the market and ready to cooperate with enterprises.
> Polish enterprises are prone to taking risks in order to secure further develop­
ment.

Weaknesses
> The relatively low innovation degree of Polish enterprises.
> Market leaders have built their position on the basis of patterns ordered by
foreign contractors, hence they have limited experience in creating their own
products and thus appreciate the importance of design.
> To date, design as an innovation development factor has not been appreciated
by the state administration.
> There is no practice as well as the copyright awareness (copying patterns).
> The education of project service providers in the Fine Art Universities is, to
a certain extent, set apart from economic issues.
> Polish enterprises receive little benefit from consumer research.
> No research on design application and effectiveness, lack of European stan­
dards for application monitoring and design effectiveness.
025

Opportunities
> Opportunity to compete with well designed products on the markets of West­
ern Europe and other well-developed countries (good quality-to-price ratio).
> Favourable attitude of national enterprises to design application.
> Utilisation by enterprises of the design development resources available
within the POIG, including the IWP key project.
> Making use of experience in design implementation drawn from the Western
European countries.
> Treating design as an important innovation factor and making the resources for
innovation development accessible (investment in machinery or know-how).
> Employing the design faculties of Fine Arts Universities of to meet increasing
requirements in the area of design services.
> Making use of design for the promotion of the Polish economy abroad.

Threats
> Increasing competition from developing countries enjoying cheap production,
such as China, Korea, India, Brazil etc., developing designs for their own
products.
> The limitation of the role of design to the level of superficial product styling.
> The waste of public resources – unprofessional coordination of development
strategy and design promotion (e.g. lack of competence in the allocation of
resources from POIG).

5.2. Design in the Operational Programme for Economic Innovation

The Operational Programme for Economic Innovation 2007-2013 includes ac­


tivities which are intended to support Polish enterprises in carrying out design
projects. The aforementioned activities include:

> activity 4.2 R&D Activity: the stimulation of enterprises and support within the
area of design,

> activity 1.4-4.1 Support for special projects and the implementation of R&D
outcomes,

> activity 5.2 Innovation promulgation,


026

> activity 5.4 Intellectual property management.


(Note: Information regarding the specific programmes has been prepared on the
basis of draft documents and may be amended upon the launch of the Activities,
scheduled for 1st quarter of 2008).

Activity 4.26)
R&D Activity: the stimulation of enterprises and support within the area
of design

Within the scope of this activity, the enterprises may obtain support for carrying
out R&D work and support for the implementation of new products making use of
industrial design as a source of competitive advantage. This programme will be
used by micro, small, medium and large companies. It allows an entrepreneur to
request a grants in a case where he wishes to acquire the right to an industrial or
utility pattern and to create such a pattern himself (unless he can give proof in
his application that he has the relevant human and technical potential). One of
the criteria to be met in order to be granted financing will be the implementation,
by a given enterprise, of the production of a particular pattern. The project will
also be evaluated in terms of profitability and compliance with Union law.
Expenditures qualified within Activity 4.2 involve:

> the acquisition price or the costs of production of new assets related to carry­
ing out research and development works or the entrepreneur’s development
and production implementation of the industrial or utility pattern,

> the acquisition price of intangible assets in the form of patents, licenses and
unpatented technical knowledge,

> instalment payments of the initial value of fixed assets or intangible assets
by the user, as due to the financing party under a leasing agreement leading
to the transfer the ownership of those assets to the user, excluding sale and
lease back,

> expenditure on the acquisition of specialist training related to the acquisition,


production, or leasing of fixed assets or intangible assets as specified in fore­
going the points, to a sum not exceeding 10% of the total qualified expendi­
ture (the amount supporting the training may not exceed PLN 1 million),

)  Developed on the basis of the Information package, activity 4.2 R&D Activity: stimulation of enterprises and support
within the area of design; PARP, Research and Development Team (Zespół Badań i Rozwoju)/Institutional Support
System Team (Zespół Instytucjonalnego Systemu Wsparcia); Warszawa 2007; www.parp.gov.pl and Gralec W. (PARP),
Design project support from POIG; 2007. Text in Polish.
027

> the entrepreneur’s purchase price for the preparatory analyses and advisory
services related to the investment, to an amount not exceeding 50% of the
actual expenditure incurred to this end; however, these services may not form
an element of the entrepreneur’s permanent or periodic activities or be re­
lated to the entrepreneur’s current operational expenditure,

> the purchase price for the ownership right or perpetual usufruct right to land
up to an amount of 10% of the qualified expenditures,

> the purchase price of the ownership right to a building or construction, pro­
vided that, apart from meeting the general conditions, the entrepreneur shall
submit a construction expert’s opinion confirming that the property may be
used for a specific purpose complying with the objectives of the project to be
supported, or defining the scope of necessary changes and improvements,

> the purchase price of construction work and materials,

> instalment payments of the initial value of lands, buildings and constructions,
as made by the user and as due to the financing party under a leasing agree­
ment, up to their initial value on the date of signing the leasing agreement,
and incurred until the date of the investment’s completion, excluding sale
and lease back,

> the purchase price for used assets, in the case of micro, small and medium-
sized entrepreneurs and for an investment related to the acquisition by an
independent investor of the company’s assets, which have been closed down
or would be closed down if the purchase failed.

The intensity of the support depends on the size of the enterprise and the loca­
tion where the investment is carried out (in accordance with the Ordinance of
the Council of Ministers, dated 13 October 2006, on the regional aid arrange­
ment). The value of the support under activity 4.2 is amounts, respectively, to:

> micro and small enterprises: 50-70%,

> medium enterprises: 40-60%,

> large enterprises: 30-50%.

In the case of expenditure on training, separate intensity levels of support have


been set out. The value of the qualified expenditures for the training section
may amount to a maximum of PLN 1 million and, respectively, for:
028

> micro and small and medium enterprises – a maximum of 45%,

> large enterprises – a maximum of 35%.

Expenditure on preparatory analyses and advisory services in the case of small


and medium enterprises may financed up to 50%. In the case of large enter­
prises, assistance granted for advisory services may amount to up to 50% of the
costs incurred and constitutes the de minimis aid.
The minimum value of qualified costs for the investment part amounts to PLN
400 thousand, while the maximum value amounts to PLN 21 million.

Activity 1.4 – 4.17)


Support for special projects and the implementation of R&D outcomes

Within the scope of this activity, projects will be implemented in two stages. The
first phase will include the carrying out of industrial research and development
work under activity 1.4.

Activity 1.4 (Support for special projects) is implemented within the 1. priority
axis, concentrating on an increase in the meaning of the education sector in the
economy by means of research programme implementation for enterprises.
This activity aims at supporting projects including technical, technological and
organisational enterprises (industrial research and development work).
Industrial research denotes planned research oriented towards adapting new
knowledge for the enterprise’s purposes This knowledge may be subsequently
be used while developing new products, processes and services or may contri­
bute to a significant upgrade of existing products and services. The outcomes of
such research may not be translated into the application of upgrades to specific
products (goods and services) or the introduction of new products.
Development work consists of the utilisation of available knowledge for the pur­
pose of production planning and the design of new products or services. This
work may include the preparation of all the documentation necessary to imple­
ment the production of research results, including the preparation of the project
and plans, the development of an equipment prototype and the conducting of
any necessary tests.
As part of Activity 1.4, financing shall cover:

)  Developed on the basis of the Information package; activity 1.4-4.1: Support for entrepreneurs in terms of research
and development work; PARP, Research and Development Team (Zespół Badań i Rozwoju) / Institutional Support
System Team (Zespół Instytucjonalnego Systemu Wsparcia); Warszawa 2007. Text in Polish.
029

> research projects, including the carrying out of the research (on their own
accord or commissioning it from an external unit), along with the necessary
advisory element,

> the direct costs of carrying out of the research and development work, such
as:

… remuneration and the related remuneration costs for the persons directly in­
volved in the implementation of the project, as well as the persons in charge
of managing the project,

… the acquisition of equipment and apparatus utilization costs,

… building amortization costs for the period of their use for the purpose of the
project, etc.,

> the acquisition of the research, advisory services and the acquisition of in­
tangible assets.

Creating a prototype as a result of research and development work is the final


stage of the expenditure qualification period under activity 1.4., while within
the research projects the creation of a prototype for commercial purposes is not
permitted. The commercialisation of the research outcome is the subject-matter
of the project under activity 4.1.

Activity 4.1 (Support for R&D works outcome implementation) is the follow-up
of research and development works under activity 1.4. Because this activity is
realized under the 4th priority axis, it focuses on a practical application of the
research works’ results in the entrepreneur’s business operations. A condition
that needs to be met in order to continue the operations by the entrepreneur
within the activity 4.1 is the presentation of the report confirming finalization
of industrial works and development works covered by the support, as well as
submission by the entrepreneur of the economic analyses and market research
confirming the advisability of works’ outcomes implementation. Proper realiza­
tion of the project’s research part is a condition for moving to second phase of the
project which is the research’ results implementation into an enterprise.
Assuming that all of the projects ought to consist of both research and implemen­
tation part, it shall be taken into account in the application documentation. If the
conducted research, however, will not provide the expected results or market
research will prove that an implementation of marker result in not profitable for
the entrepreneur, the investment activities foreseen for the second phase will
030

not be financed. In such cases, however, entrepreneur will not be obliged to


return the resources achieved for the purpose of research works implementation
within the first research stage.
The support within the Activity 1.4 and 4.1 will be granted to micro, small, me­
dium and big enterprises.
The maximum amount of financial aid for the purpose of research works (within
the frames of activity 4.1) is EUR 7,5 million, and in case of the second stage of
the project (implementation of the carried out research’ outcomes into the pro­
duction) the financial aid is – PLN 20 million.

Activity 5.28)
Diffusion of Innovation

Activity 5.2 concerns supporting the institutions within the business environ­
ment, providing pro-innovation services and their networks of over-regional im­
portance. It aims at making it easier for the entrepreneurs on the territory of the
entire country to access the complex business services of high quality, which are
necessary in terms of carrying out the innovation activities.
Moreover, it is expected to strengthen the business environment institutions and
their networks of over-regional importance, acting for the benefit of enterprises’
innovative activities, among others, within the scope of technology transfer,
use of industrial property protection rights, running cooperation activities and
making use industrial design.
The budget of the activity amounts to EUR 65,7 million and its beneficiaries in­
clude the institutions of the business environment and the networks thereof.
Types of projects:

> preparation and development of the service package of pro-innovation nature


(consisting of advisory services, educational services, information services
and services of network searching for partner) aiming at increasing the in­
novation of the entrepreneurs operating on the territory of Poland,

> funds granted for the provision of the selected and named services for entre­
preneurs,

> funds granted for the functioning of the institutions belonging to the IOB net­
work and all-national institutions providing pro-innovation services as well

)  Elaborated on the basis of the information presented on www.fundusze-ue.com.pl and thanks to help of the PARP
Institutional Instruments Implementation Team (Zespół Wdrażania Instrumentów Instytucjonalnych PARP). Text in
Polish.
031

as funding for common enterprises undertaken by the institutions covered


with the network,

> funding the operations of the unit coordinating the network’s activities (of
network front office nature),

> funds granted for construction and development of IT system including the
information on innovations, which services the unit coordinating network’s
operations (inter alia: innovation sources, innovative undertakings at vari-
ous development stages: research projects, R&D works, prototypes, etc., the
list of the entities involved in the innovation activities – among others: uni­
versities, research and development units, technological incubators, techno­
logy transfer centres, entrepreneurs – cooperation links),

> support for the use of industrial design among the entrepreneurs.

Activity 5.49)
Intellectual Property Management

Within the scope of this activity, entrepreneurs will be able to apply for the fund­
ing for acquiring legal protection for the utility and industrial patterns.
The aid shall cover:

> costs of preparing the application by the professional proxy who is entitled,
under the provisions in force in a particular country, to appear before the
competent body granting the protection,

> official fees for submitting the application for invention/utility pattern/ indus­
trial pattern,

> costs of proceeding before the competent body in order to receive the protec­
tion,

> translation costs,

> representation costs for the professional proxy appearing before a particular
body of industrial property.
Covering the industrial property with the protection on the territory of the Re­
public of Poland will be possible under the condition of using the international
application mode within the frames of which the territory of the Republic of Po­
land is not the only territory under the application for protection.

)  Gralec W. (PARP), Support for design projects from POIG; 2007. Text in Polish.
032

5.3. Research and development units’ participation in the innovation


management by means of design and design transfer into the enter-
prises – using the example of IWP

The environment of research institutes, research and development centres, cen­


tral laboratories includes over 20 thousand people, including 5 thousand scien­
tists. It is significant researching, experimental and production potential. With­
in this units, various innovation elaborations, solutions and implementations
are performed within the various economy areas, however the dominant are the
works in the technique and technology field.
The Industrial Design Institute is the only state institution carrying out its ope­
rations for the benefit of innovation and competitiveness stimulation of Polish
enterprises by means of design.
In Poland, contrary to other EU countries, the networks of regional design coun­
cil type (DC) centres in charge of promotion and information tasks, which would
have the objective to generate demand for professional design services, are not
operating. Two centres located in the south and in the north of the country (Si­
lesian Castle of Art and Enterprise, Pomeranian Science and Technology Park),
launched in 2006, operate independently, and due to the their resources and
competences, their operations is limited to the region10) and exclusively informa­
tive function.
While implementing its statutory objectives, IWP tries to look for the most effec­
tive cooperation methods between the industry, designers and science zone at
the same time it tries to work out such cooperation standards by carrying out:

> research and development activities, implementation management,

> propagating, exhibitory and editorial activities,

> advisory and training activities

within the scope of design, ergonomics and new product development of great
economic and social significance.
The subject matter of research works includes design, ergonomics and bio-me­
chanics management for the purpose of expert’s bases supporting development
of a new product, shaping work’s and human’s life environment as well as creat­
ing industrial design as an important element in the social and economic stra­
tegy of a country and national culture.

10)  Grzecznowska A., Mostowicz E., Miszczak M., Economic effectiveness of design application (Efektywność eko­
nomiczna aplikacji wzornictwa); Works and Materials of IWP, 18; Warsaw 2006. Text in Polish.
033

Cooperating with the state and self-governmental administration, the Institute


elaborates the and expert’s report and reports supporting development of aware­
ness with regard to design significance among the decision-makers as the one
of the most effective mechanisms enhancing enterprises’ competitiveness on
the market.
Very design is often erroneously associated only with some superficial “cosmet­
ic” of the product. Innovation of the form is closely connected with the techni­
cal innovation and one may say it even overtakes it. Real innovative features of
a product may be achieved by considering design as an integral part of the entire
design process. According to J. Ginalski: innovative management (management
by means of innovation) is not design but manager artistic operation. It is a way
of companies’ management in which innovative policy is the main development
tool. The greatest and the most long-lasting successes is assigned to those compa-
nies in which innovative management is charged to people who are educated and
experienced within the area of industrial design, supplemented with additional,
specialist studies and practice within the scope of management11).
The institute is searching for the most effective cooperation form with the en­
terprises and pattern designers within the scope of new product development
and knowledge transfer. Apart from traditional form of support like, for exam­
ple, participation in the specialist, research, development designs financed from
the budget resources by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, it also
realizes direct bilateral and multilateral agreements, license agreements, com­
bined projects including full development process of a new product: from the
concept to the assumptions, through market research, defining the target group,
by means of research and development works, prototyping up to implementation
of the product into the market and promotion activities.
The activities aimed at design promotion among the enterprises may be obliga­
tory both directly and indirectly. The Institute has started to cooperate with the
territorial government’s units in order to create the conditions for economy sec­
tors’ development related with design, e.g. such as creative industry sector, by
means of properly oriented strategies for cities or regions’ development.
The development of the Institute’s operations with regard to knowledge trans­
fer, is carried out by organising trainings and workshops for the entrepreneurs,
managerial staff, persons managing science marketing as well as by organising
exhibitions, competitions, conferences and seminars pointing at design’s role as
the factor which positions the product on the market and enhances its competi­

11)  Ginalski J., Liskiewicz M., Seweryn J., New product development; ASP Krakow; 1995. Text in Polish.
034

tiveness. In the Institute’s opinion, very promising way to popularise knowledge


within the scope of design management are the studies, organised in coopera­
tion with universities, postgraduate education and participation of institute’s
employees as the universities’ tutors in the designers’ education process.
IWP operations oriented towards broadening the knowledge within the scope of
monitoring and implementation of product innovation, while using professional
design, is included as a priority issue in government’s programmes with regard
to Poland’s joining in building knowledge-based global economy (GOW) and
activities supporting innovation in Polish enterprises included in:

> National Development Strategy for 2007-2015, Priority number 1 – Increase in


economy’s competitiveness,

> National Cohesion Strategy for 2007-2013; Operational Programme Innova­


tive economy, Priority number 5 – Diffusion of innovation,

> National reform Programme for 2005-2008; Priority number 3 – Improvement


of the Enterprises’ Innovation,

> National Strategic reference Framework 2007-2013,

> National Health Programme for 2006-2015,

> Operational Programmes of the Ministry of Regional Development and in


the Regional Operational Programmes monitored by the voivodships’ govern­
ments (Regional Innovation Strategies), including the draft of the Regional
Operational Programme of the Mazowieckie Voivodship for 2007-2013 (PRO
WM), Priority number I. Creating the conditions for innovation and entrepre­
neurship potential development within the area of Mazowsze.

The scope of matter touched on by the institute concentrates on the areas in­
cluded in the strategy document of the Ministry of Economy: Directions for im-
proving economy’s innovation for 2007-2013 in which the industrial design has
been considered as the source of competitive advantage serving the purpose of
increasing the innovative solutions transfer to the enterprises (direction: Intel­
lectual property for innovation).
The institute specializing in the area of new products’ development and introduc­
tion of new products into the market, including intangible products and ser­vices
as well as brands’ creating and positioning, perceives the scientific research
as an important product requiring innovative and professional marketing and
sales methods. A significant issue is the selection of a relevant medium in order
035

to reach an adequate target group, which is to receive a cooperation offer or


a knowledge transfer. Nowadays the Internet is perceived as such a medium.
The service www.iwp.com.pl run by the IWP is currently the richest base of
information about design in Polish and is gradually expanded. E-bulletin is the
quarterly published by the Institute of Industrial Design on the following issues:
industrial design, new products implementation and design management. It is
targeted at enterprises, designers, managers of the products, marketing depart­
ments and is free of charge in on-line version.
Intellectual Property Protection 037

6.
Intellectual Property
Protection

FADO armchair
design: Tomasz Augustyniak
manufacturer: Com40
PRODECO 2002
Exhibitions: Polish Paths 2007, Design PL 2006
„Polish Designers” Fuori Salone – Milano 2005
„Made in Poland” Museum für Angewandte – Frankfurt
Design on Tour 2003
038

6. Intellectual Property Protection

6.1. Methods of intellectual property protection in Poland

Intellectual property are the rights protecting all the intangible goods. The
areas protected as the intellectual property have their own regulations in na­
tional, international and regional legislation. In Poland, protection of intellec­
tual property is governed, inter alia, by the following legal acts: act dated 30
March 2000, Industrial Property Rights (Journal of Laws of 2003, No 119, item
1117 as amended), act of 4 February 1994 concerning Copyright and related
rights (Journal of Laws of 2000, No 80, item 904 as amended) and act of 16 April
1993 concerning the law against unfair competition (Journal of Laws of 1993,
No 47, item 211). It may say stated, that these acts somehow complete each other
by governing some protection matters. It ought to be stressed that these are the
provisions of Industrial Property Rights act that, on the basis of the Directive No
98/71/EC, finally made the industrial patterns an independent protection object.
Formerly, their protection was not harmonised.
Industrial design was defined in detail in article 102 of the act on Industrial
Property Rights. In accordance with the article in question – industrial design
is a new form of a product of an individual nature or its part, attributed to it in
particular by the features of contour lines, shape, colour, structure or material
used for create the product as well as its ornamentation. According to this de­
scription an industrial design is “a form of a product”, that is, it is not a form and
appearance but the product itself. However, according to the act 2, the product
is every good produced in an industrial or craft manner and consists of package,
graphic symbols, topographic writing style. The form of the product, in order to
be qualified as the design subject to protection, must be new and unique. In­
dustrial design is deemed to be new if before the date, according to which the
priority due to registration to get protection is marked, an identical design had
not been made publicly available by normal use, exhibition or display in other
way with reservation of act 2. The design is deemed to be identical with the one
that has already be made public if the difference is a small item. The design is
not deemed to be made public, under article 1, if it could not be noticed by the
interested persons professionally working within this area.
A design is of an individual nature, under the article 104 of the Industrial Pro­
perty Act, if the general impression it makes on the relevant user is different
039

from the impression made by the design which had already been made public
before the date according to which the priority is marked. In order to qualify
a given solution to a group of industrial designs, both aforementioned premises,
that is new and unique nature, must be met simultaneously.
Another solution protected under the Industrial Property Act is the utility pat­
tern. The utility pattern, in accordance with the definition under article 94 of act
1, is a new and usable solution of technical nature in terms of shape, construction
or specification of the product having firm form. However, first of all the utility
design ought to be a new solution. It means that before the date of application
in the Patent Office, an identical solution could not have been made available
anywhere else in a form of verbal or written description, by means of exhibition,
application or in any other way. It is not important whether the significant group
of people could be familiarized with this solution. It is enough that a possibility
has occurred in which the information on the solution could leak out (within
the scope which reveals the details about the construction) to the third parties.
The protection period covering the utility design is 10 years old of the applica­
tion date of such design in the Polish Patent Office. The scope of protection law
is defined by the protection restrictions which are read in connection with the
figures. It ought to be stressed that the scope of protection right is quite narrow,
hence relatively small modification of utility design may cause the design not to
be covered with the protection which again causes opportunities for the compet­
ing entities to use it.
The exclusive right institution, granted for the utility design, is not included in
the category of intellectual property protection which is commonly recognised
in the world. In many countries such protection does not exists at all, in other
countries the requirements concerning the premises on granting the exclusive
right to the utility design. Due to the above, it is not possible to apply for regional
exclusive right to the utility design, as it is in case of common industry design
(one application is due to apply for the protection on the territory of the entire
European Union). It is possible, however, to gain the regional protection to the
solutions concerning the equipment, apparatus, tool, construction, personal use
or home article defined by its construction and purpose of use, on the basis of
the regulations concerning application and granting the patent protection, e.g.
regional protection resulting from the European patent. It has to be stressed,
however, that an additional requirement is imposed on the new solution of tech­
nical nature – that is the inventory level, i.e. a requirement stating that the solu­
tion may not result (in the opinion of expert) from the technique condition, i.e.
040

from the information available before the date of application in the European
Patent Office.
The duration period of the exclusive right from the European patent is 20 years
of the application date. The territorial scope of protection covers all these coun­
tries – parties to the Convention on the European patent, which were indicated
in the course of patent proceedings. Since 1 March 2004, the indicated country
may also be Poland. It is then also a way to gain the protection not only with
regard to the European countries, but also with regard to Poland.
The Industrial Property Act has regulated in detail the issues of exclusive rights
protection granted by means of awarding protection right for utility design or
the right of registration for industrial pattern as well as the possibility to claim
these rights. In the light of the act, it is possible to claim the rights even before
infringement of law. It has to be noticed that the provisions relating to patent
are applied in parallel to industrial patterns and to utility patterns. Pursuant
to article 287, the beneficiary of the patent whose patent has been breached, or
a person authorised under the act, may demand that the person breaching the
patent restrain from breaching, give out unlawfully gained benefits, and in case
of being guilty of infringement, also compensate for the damage.

Demanding to restrain from breaching is undoubtedly the most important claim


as continuing infringement may cause an irreversible situation. An important
novelty, introduced recently into the Industrial Property Act are the provisions
governing the proceedings on the protection of evidence and providing the in­
formation, which are necessary to assert the rights. These are the provisions
which aim to facilitate and assert the rights.
Industrial Property Act, similarly to the provisions of the act on the copyright and
related rights as well as Civil Proceeding Code, provide for the protection of au­
thors’ personal and property rights. The subject of the copyright is every mani­
festation of creativity of unique character, determined in any form, regardless
of value, purpose and means of expression (work). In particular, the subject of
the copyright are the works: expressed by word, mathematical symbols, graphi­
cal signs (literary, journalistic, scientific, cartographic and computer software):
plastic; photographic; violin-making; industrial design, architectonic, architec­
tonic and urban planning, and urban; musical and music and poetry; theatri­
cal, theatrical and music, choreographic and pantomime; audiovisual (including
film)12).

12)  The act on the copyright and the related rights, Journal of Laws of 2000 r. No 80, item 904 as amended; art. 1,
section 2. Text in Polish.
041

The fact that the utility patter is also considered as the work was confirmed by
the ruling of the Appellate Court in Warsaw in which it was assumed that the
utility pattern is a work if it fulfils the requirements posed by the regulations of
the act on the copyright and related rights.
Items qualified as the intellectual property solutions such as, for example, indus­
trial patterns or the utility patterns, except that they are subject to the protection
defined informally as temporary or incomplete resulting from the very applica­
tion in the Polish Patent Office, or they are covered by the protection resulting
fro the granted right so the exclusive right to use a given solution on a specific
territory or they are the works as understood by the copyright act, and at the
same time they are subject to the protection from the time of determination of
the work even if it is not finished, may also be subject to the protection under
the provisions of the Act of 16 April 1993 on the law against unfair competition.
Special attention should be paid to product imitation, defined as slavery imita­
tion, regulated in detail in the article 13, which provides that an unfair competi­
tion act is imitating the final product, which is about copying an external form
of the product with the use of technical reproduction means, if it may mislead
the customers as to the identity of producer or product. Imitating the product’s
functional features, in particular the construction and form ensuring its utility,
does not constitute an unfair competition act.
It has to be noted that both industrial patterns and utility patterns are very fre­
quently the subject of imitation. The important thing is whether a copied prod­
uct may mislead a customer as to the identity of the producer or the product
because such an activity bears the general hallmarks of an unfair competition
act as it threatens or infringes the customer’s interest. As a rule, the customer
is in­terested in the source of origin of goods and even if he/she decides to buy
a product being an imitation, he/she wants it to be his/her decision and does not
want to be misled.
The issues of the intellectual rights protection on the territory of Poland are
regulated by the Act of 30 June 2000 on Industrial Property, while all costs relat­
ing to granting and maintaining the protection of industrial property on the ter­
ritory of Poland are determined and regulated in detail by the Ordinance of the
Council of Ministers of 29 August 2001 on the fees for protection of inventions,
utility patterns, industrial patterns, trademarks, geographical signs and topog­
raphy of integrated circuits (Journal of Laws No 90, item 1000), as amended by
the Ordinance of the Council of Ministers of 2 March 2004 on the change in
fees for protection of inventions, utility patterns, industrial patterns, trademarks,
geographical signs and topography of integrated circuits (Journal of Laws No
042

35, item 309), which is an executive document to the aforementioned Act. This
Ordinance defines the detailed rules of fixing, payment and the fees for protec­
tion of, among others, utility patterns and industrial patterns. It has to be em­
phasised that the official fees for granting as well as maintaining the protection
of industrial property, are split into one-off fees and periodic fees.
The Community’s industrial patterns are registered in the European Union on
the basis of the Ordinance of the Council (EU) 6/2002 of 12 December 2001
on the Community’s patterns. The Community’s industrial pattern, similarly to
the national Polish industrial pattern, is given the protection for 25 years split
into 5-year time spans. An important element, characteristic of the application
of the Community’s industrial patterns, is the possibility to submit so called
group applications including even up to 200 Community’s applications under
one application. This system considerably facilitates applying for the protection
of Community’s industrial pattern in larger number of patterns.
The two above systems – national and Community’s – are two systems allow­
ing to acquire a protection right for industrial pattern on the territory of Poland.
However, acquiring a right of registration for utility pattern with regard to Po­
land is possible only within the national system. There is no equivalent of the
European application for utility pattern such as the application system of Com­
munity’s industrial pattern, so one application effective with regard to a particu­
lar region. The only possibility to acquire the protection for utility pattern with
regard to the European states’ territories is to apply for a solution fulfilling the
criteria of invention.
It has to be noted that on 13 September 2007 the Draft Ordinance amending
the Ordinance of the Council of Ministers of 2 March 2004 on the fees for the
protection of inventions, utility patterns, industrial patterns, trademarks, geo­
graphical signs and topography of integrated circuits (Journal of Laws No 90,
item 1000 and from 2004 No 35, item 309), issued on the ground of Art. 222 sec.
3 of the Act of 30 June 2000 on Industrial Property. Amendments result prima­
rily from continuing IT system implementation in the Patent Office. Pursuant to
the Draft, significant amendments would affect the fees for both the application
process for the utility and industrial patterns as well as the fees for maintaining
the protection for utility patterns. For example, the application fees for utility
pattern would remain unchanged only upon the condition that an application
would be submitted in an electronic form. A traditional application would be
more expensive.
Another change resulting from the Draft amending the Ordinance of the Coun­
cil of Ministers is to increase the fees for the protection for 10-year time spans in
043

case of utility patterns. The costs of litigation proceedings before the Polish Pa­
tent Office would also increase incommensurably as compared to previous costs
of litigations before the Polish Patent Office.

6.2. Possibility of refunding of costs related to acquiring the industrial


property rights protection in patent offices

In 2007, the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development launched a programme


Support for industrial property protection for micro, small or medium entrepre­
neurs with their seat within the territory of the Republic of Poland. The pro­
gramme was a non-returnable financial support for acquiring the industrial
property rights protection, granted in accordance with provisions of the ordi­
nance of the Minister of Economy of 2 December 2006 on granting financial sup­
port by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development not related to operational
programmes (Journal of Laws, No 226, item 1651 as amended) within the acti­
vity of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development aiming at the increase of
competitiveness of micro, small and medium entrepreneurs and the support for
innovative activity. The support for industrial property protection was in a form
of a refund of expenses actually incurred and documented by the applicant and
eligible to be covered by the support. It was granted with an aim to cover the
costs of application for invention, utility pattern, industrial pattern or trademark,
submitted to the competent body in order to acquire the protection granted by
national, regional or international bodies for the industrial property rights pro­
tection, with reservation that the support for industrial property protection could
not be granted to cover the costs of application for invention, utility pattern, in­
dustrial pattern and trademark, submitted to the Polish Patent Office in order to
acquire the protection on the territory of the Republic of Poland.
The budget planned for Support for industrial property protection amounted to
PLN 500 thousand. It was a small amount. The amount of PLN 4000, envisaged
for one application for granting support, was a prohibitive amount because it
covered only the official fees related to only one item of application. The amount
was very high as compared to the official fees that are usually spent on the appli­
cations for industrial property items. For example, the applications for industrial
patterns would have to include a good deal of types of industrial patterns in one
application so as to conform to the criteria of the programme floor amount.
One of the disadvantages of the Support for industrial property protection pro­
gramme, in force from 22 August 2007 to 31 October 2007, was a limitation in
the form of an exclusion from the qualified expenditures of all fees for applica­
tions in the Polish Patent Office in order to acquire the protection on the territory
044

of the Republic of Poland. Moreover, the proxies’ remuneration, whose aid was
indispensable, was not covered by the qualified expenditures.
In the nearest future, the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development is plan­
ning to introduce another programme related to the industrial property protec­
tion. The objective of the new programme will be a significant lowering of the
threshold of amount related to one application so that it is not the prohibitive
amount, as well as taking into consideration the costs connected with the pro­
xies’ remuneration. Let’s hope that the activity 5.4 Intellectual property manage-
ment within The Operational Programme – Innovative Economy (its launching
scheduled for I quarter of 2008) will fill the insufficiencies of the Support for
industrial property protection programme. Within the scope of the activity 5.4,
the representation costs for the professional proxy appearing before a particu­
lar body and the costs of preparing the application by the professional proxy
are planned to be returned. One should only hope that the return floor amount
would not be a prohibitive amount for many entrepreneurs. A similar postulate
should concern the lowering of the floor amount related to the official fees for
submitting the application for invention/utility pattern/industrial pattern or the
costs of proceeding before the competent body in order to receive the protection
of a given solution. Unfortunately, this programme just as the Support for indus-
trial property protection programme does not envisage the possibility of applying
for a subsidy on a project related to the application for invention, utility design
or industrial design to the Polish Patent Office in order to acquire the protection
on the territory of the Republic of Poland. Covering the industrial property with
the protection on the territory of the Republic of Poland will be possible under
the condition of using the international application mode within the frames of
which the territory of the Republic of Poland is not the only territory under the
application for protection. Undoubtedly it is a disadvantage, especially when
taking into consideration the fact that e.g. the Support for industrial property
protection programme, in force in 2007, was aimed at micro, small and medium
entrepreneurs for whom the floor amounts were the prohibitive amounts and the
applications did not cover the protected solutions only with reference to the ter­
ritory of Poland. It would seem that the programme aimed at the aforementioned
groups – micro and small entrepreneurs – should concern the issues connected
with acquiring and maintaining the protection on the territory of Poland. Fail­
ure to include this issue in planned activities is a clear drawback.
The remaining activities presented in POIG, e.g. the Activity 4.2 that envis­
ages the financial support for entrepreneurs related to, among others, working
out the industrial and utility patterns, the Activity 5.2 that envisages the use of
045

industrial property protection rights and the use of industrial and utility design,
or the Activity 5.4 that concerns borrowings and grants on covering the costs of
proceeding related to acquiring industrial protection rights, advisory services
related to the industrial property rights protection, support for the institution
or organization managing the intellectual property rights in order to facilitate
the technology transfer process, unfortunately do not bring closer the problem
of costs refund in a form of a detailed guidelines specification for the applicants.
Without this, it is impossible to determine both the advantages and disadvan­
tages of the introduction and functioning of the planned Activities. As of today,
the provided information is formulated in a too general way.
Design in selected European Union countries 047

7.
Design in selected
European Union countries

XEON furniture collection


design: Piotr Kuchciński
manufacturer: Fabryka Mebli BALMA S.A.
PRODECO 2005, Meble Plus - Product of the Year 2004
048

7. Design in selected European Union countries

7.1. Results of foreign research within the scope of the use of industrial
design

Results of the model research conducted in other countries are presented below.
Great Britain and Denmark were selected as countries with long traditions and
significant successes within the scope of design implementation.

7.1.1. Study and surveys conducted in Great Britain13)

In 1990-1992, the Design Innovation Group (the Open University) together with
the Institute of Science and Technology (University of Manchester) conducted
research in order to evaluate the effects in the use of the grant on working on the
designs of products’ new patterns and to make design expertise in modernised
products14). 209 enterprises of different sectors (among others, textile, furniture,
footwear, electronic, household, packages) that had received government subsi­
dies on employing a professional design adviser were subject to research. The
distribution of research scale by the number of the employed was as follows:

> 43 companies (21% of the respondents) employing up to 20 persons,

> 82 companies (39% of all) employing from 20 to 99 persons,

> 76 companies (36% of the respondents) employing 100-499 persons,

> 8 companies (4% of the respondents) employing more than 500 persons.

More than half of companies under research used the received grant and pro­
vided full-time employment to designers in research and development teams.
30% of companies spent the grant on the support of (consultancy) project activity
conducted by engineering-technical employees who did not have formal quali­
fications in this respect. About 10% of enterprises decided to entrust external
professionals when developing the designs of new products.
The effects of supporting design projects in enterprises were significant. About
2/3 of the developed designs were implemented. About 60% of all designs and

13)  Extensive passages from: Grzecznowska A., Mostowicz E., Miszczak M., Economic efficiency of design applica-
tion (Efektywność ekonomiczna aplikacji wzornictwa); Works and Materials of IWP 18; Industrial Design Institute;
Warsaw 2006. Text in Polish.
14)  Roy R., Potter S., The commercial impacts of investment in design, Design Studies, Nr 2; 1993.
049

about 90% of the implemented ones were the manufacturers’ economic success
(increase in turnover and profit). The following benefits obtained by companies
were found to be the most important:

> increase in competitiveness of manufactured products,

> possibility to enter new markets (concerned 28% of respondents) or increase


in shares in already existing markets (30% of companies),

> increase of exports of design modernized products (15% of enterprises),

> change in some producers’ attitude towards design and, most of all, aware­
ness of its role in the struggle for clients; as a result, about 50% of surveyed
companies decided to continue employing designers,

> aid in acquiring design team management skills.

Other researches conducted by the British Design Council in 2000-2001 covered


the following issues:

> role of industrial design in enterprises,

> design introduction practice,

> influence of design implementation on the company’s condition,

> the use of design services and the aid provided by the Design Council15).

17% of surveyed companies attributed a significant and integral role in the com­
pany’s activities to design, 24% indicated its restricted role and 42% of surveyed
companies did not notice any role of design in the company. Large enterprises
more often noticed the importance of design. The results of research were influ­
enced by the fact that the survey was conducted not only among industrial en­
terprises, but also in agricultural undertakings, extraction industry companies,
hotels, restaurants, wholesale businesses, etc., that do not use the services of
industrial designers systematically, although they might be interested in differ­
ent design projects.
Currently the Design Council conducts such surveys periodically (the National
Survey of Firms) on large samples of British enterprises. These surveys are con­
ducted in order to monitor the way the companies use and understand design
and to find the influence of design on the company’s economic efficiency.

15)  National Survey of Firms 2002, a report prepared by PACEC on behalf of Design Council (G.Britain), London 2003,
(Internet: www.pacec.co.uk).
050

The National Survey of Firms conducted in 2005 covered 1500 enterprises from
different regions in Great Britain16). There were conducted telephone interviews
with managers of companies employing 10 and more people. Additionally, on
the basis of research results, a group of companies called “design alert” was
separated from the surveyed ones. Some of the companies in this group high­
lighted a significant impact of design on their competitiveness, market shares,
volume of business and employment. The group was also asked more detailed
questions concerning the way of using design in their companies and its transla­
tion into business benefits.

The research proves that design has a direct and significant translation into the
improvement of sale results, turnover volume and the company’s development.
Enterprises, who are aware of the role of design and use it in practice, gain com­
petitive advantage over other companies. Almost half of surveyed companies
consider that during the last 10 years, design has become an important factor
that facilitates competitive advantage.
More than 3/4 of the companies where design constitutes an integral part of
process stated that due to design their competitiveness and turnover volume had
increased. These enterprises have to compete on price more rarely than enter­
prises that do not use design (less than 1/2 towards 2/3 of companies).
Fast developing companies mention design as a key factor in success three times
more often than other companies. They perceive design as an integral part of
business almost six times more often than the others. Additionally, they are more
prone (two times) to increase design expenditure and 1/3 of them has already
done this in recent time.
The results of analysis of the survey data for the group of “design alert” compa­
nies were as follows:

> on average, due to the use of design the companies increased their market
share by 6,3%,

> every 100 pounds invested in design resulted in turnover increase of 225
pounds and profit growth of 83 pounds.

16)  Design in Britain 2005-2006; Design Council, (internet: www.designcouncil.org.uk).


051

7.1.2. Danish Design Centre research17)

In 1995, the Danish Design Centre conducted research on the use of industrial
design in production enterprises. One of the main objectives of the research was
to define the role of design in shaping the product strategy. The survey covered
276 enterprises that employed more than 20 people and had the annual turnover
not less than 1 million Danish Krone. The surveyed covered not only the SME
sector but also larger enterprises. They were from the following sectors:

> electronics,

> industrial machinery,

> medical technical equipment,

> computers, office machinery,

> furniture,

> lighting equipment,

> household and garden furnishings.

In terms of design, the selected companies accounted for about 50% of demand
on design services in Danish industry18).
About 60% of surveyed companies recognized design as an important element
of marketing strategy aiming at the product and the company’s success on do­
mestic and foreign markets. More than 80% of respondents highlighted a deci­
sive role of professional product design in shaping its quality. They agreed that
in case of high quality products, the aesthetic features as well as production
organization, sale conditions and other factors create the so-called industrial
production philosophy that shapes the company’s image and defines its competi­
tive position.
The following factors stimulating design progress were considered particularly
important:

> high production technique and technology; modern raw materials and mate­
rials used in production allow to obtain better product’s patterns that increase
the product’s innovation,

17)  Extensive passages from: Grzecznowska A., Mostowicz E., Miszczak M., Economic efficiency of design applica-
tion (Efektywność ekonomiczna aplikacji wzornictwa); Works and Materials of IWP 18; Industrial Design Institute;
Warsaw 2006. Text in Polish.
18)  Bernsen J., Design in small and medium size companies. Danish Design Centre, (Internet: www.ddc.dk).
052

> use of various marketing strategies promoting design activity, including in­
tense advertising campaigns carried out by publishing houses, databases and
data banks on the issue of broadly defined industrial design,

> law and financial regulations supporting the introduction of new product pat­
terns into the market (grants on design services),

> expansion of the society’s education system within the scope of the role of
design in social, economic and cultural development.

According to many producers, design investment is profitable. Costs of a design


project usually account for a minimal (few percents) part of costs of research and
development works, costs of starting production and launching of a product.
In 2003, the Danish Design Centre continued to study economic benefits of us­
ing design. The research allowed the evaluation in the level of activity of design
companies19). The companies were divided into 4 groups depending on the acti­
vity classified as follows:

> no design used,

> design as a styling,

> design as a process (work method),

> design as a strategy – is of key importance in the company.

Survey results showed that Danish enterprises investing in design increased


their gross income within 5 years. Their income was 22% higher than the in­
come of companies that did not invest in design.
According to the survey, the companies that had invested in training of full-
time designers or used the services of external designers had gross income 40%
higher than the companies not investing in this field.
The use of designers’ services allowed the companies to export on average 34%
of production (the companies not using design exported 18% of manufactured
products).
The survey also revealed a positive correlation between the use of design and
the employment. Within 5 years, total profit increase of the companies that used
design services was 58 billion Krone higher than of those companies that did not
use design services20).

19)  Ramlau Hovgaard U., In Denmark, Design Tops the Agenda; Design Management Review, Fall 2004.
20)  Danish Design Centre, 2004, the Economic Effects of Design. Denmark: Copenhagen, (Internet: www.ddc.dk).
053

7.2. International design research cooperation

In 2005, institutions/organizations engaged in design established an interna­


tional group called the International Research Collaboration (IRC). The group’s
objective is cooperation in developing a common approach to the way of studying
design in business and sharing the experiences in this field (“good practices”).
The following organizations joined the group:

> APCI (France),

> Centre for Design Innovation (Ireland),

> DDC Danish Design Centre (Denmark),

> DDI Spanish Agency for Design & Innovation (Spain),

> Design Austria,

> Design Council (Great Britain),

> Design Vlaanderen (Belgium),

> National Institute of Design (India),

> Norwegian Design Council (Norway),

> Premsela (Netherlands),

> SVID Swedish Industrial Design Foundation (Sweden).

Poland, represented by the Industrial Design Institute, joined IRC group at the
end of 2007.
Questions included in the research conducted by IWP were worked out and de­
fined by IRC members. One of the key questions helps to define the company’s
awareness in using design (enterprise “design maturity”). On the basis of the
answers given by companies, one can draw a “design ladder” that indicates the
degree of maturity of the company’s approach to design.
IRC group has already made first attempts to compare research results from several
countries – Great Britain, Dane, Spain and Norway. The task turned out to be dif­
ficult due to different sizes of samples, sample structure and differences in asked
questions. Works on data comparison are continued. The group’s general conclu­
sion is the necessity of agreeing on common questions and establishing comparable
samples to order to compare data from different countries in the future.
The issue of design research standardization in companies is also emerging on
Polish market. The area of design in enterprises is becoming an object of interest
054

Figure 2
Design ladder
consciousness

4. design as
an element of
the company’s
strategy
3. design as
a process

2. design as
a “styling”

0 1. lack of design Design

and, as a consequence, initiatives with an aim to study this area are being un­
dertaken. One of such initiatives are the surveys conducted at the end of 2007 as
part of the pilot project “Industrial design in Małopolska” being the element of the
European project called “Enhancing Regional Innovation Strategy in Małopolska
– RIS Małopolska (InnoRegioMałopolska). The project is executed under the Sixth
Framework Programme with an aim to support the implementation process of Re­
gional Innovation Strategy for Małopolska Region for 2005-201321).
In 2007, under InnoRegioMałopolska there were conducted researches among
Małopolskie enterprises on their knowledge and interest in design area. The
results of this interesting undertaking are unfortunately not fully comparable
with the research conducted by IWP in that year. It results from a different sam­
ple construction and a different approach to asked questions and the way of
conducting research.
Two groups of enterprises were studied under InnoRegioMałopolska:

1. Micro, small and medium size enterprises that received financial means from
the EU funding under the Sectoral Operational Programme – Improvement
of the Competitiveness of Enterprises, years 2004-2006, measures 2.1, 2.2.1
and 2.3. The research covered enterprises of various business profiles, e.g.,
advisory companies, law firms or companies providing dentist services. 90
companies filled the sent questionnaires.

21)  Mamica Ł., red.; Industrial Design in Małopolska – companies’ and students’ expectations; Design Center in Kra­
kow; Krakow 2007. Text in Polish.
055

2. Enterprises applying for additional funding under the Integrated Regional Ope­
rational Programme, years 2004-2006, measures 3.4 and 2.5, mainly young
companies, only few years on the market, which results from both aforemen­
tioned priorities of the IROP. 87 companies filled the sent questionnaire.

One of the interesting initiatives under the project were trade meetings. They
were organized in order to support scientists from Małopolskie universities in
their cooperation with business partners and to facilitate to the entrepreneurs an
access to scientific-research potential of Małopolskie universities and research
& development units22). Trade meetings were held by the Centre of Innovation,
Technology Transfer and University Development (CITTRU). During the meet­
ings, the entrepreneurs had an opportunity to present the problems they face
as part of their business activity (and which scientists could solve). At the same
time, the scientists had a chance to suggest specific solutions for a company in
a given sector. 2 meetings of casting sector and footwear sector were held as part
of the project. Unfortunately, the trade meeting on industrial design initially
planned for January 2008 was called off due to lack of funds.

7.3. “BEDA” report on creative industry in the EU countries

creative industry turnover percent GDP number of designers


volume (in million EUR )

Austria 1 560 0,67 9 500

Dane 591 0,30 11 000

Estonia 40 0,40 2 000

France 2 400 0,15 12 000

Greece 10 0,01 8 500

Spain 817 0,09 21 200

the Netherlands 2 600 0,57 46 000

Ireland 600 0,40 8 000

Luxembourg 36 0,14 900

Germany 6 900 0,32 80 000

Norway 350 0,16 2 100

Poland 57 0,02 6 000

22)  Działek J.; Pilot project “Małopolskie Trade Meetings”; CITTRU; Jagiellonian University; 2007.
056

creative industry turnover percent GDP number of designers


volume (in million EUR )

Switzerland 1 700 0,60 12 000

Sweden 838 0,31 10 000

Great Britain 16 700 0,99 185 500

Italy 900 0,07 14 800

Table 1
Creative industry in EU countries

In 2007, “BEDA” (The Bureau of European Design Associations), an all-Euro­


pean organization functioning on behalf of the societies connected with creative
industry, prepared a short report on creative industry (European Design Re­
port) as part of the first initiative. The report presents data on creative industry
(including industrial design) such as turnover volume, share of this industry
in gross domestic product and the number of designers in a given country (Ta­
ble 1)23). The presented values are for 2006. They were created on the basis of
accessible reports and estimates from different countries. In 2008, NACE code
74.10 Specialized Design Activities is going to be introduced in the International
system of activity classification, which will enable measurements that are more
precise and, consequently, more precise comparisons. Still, due to the aforemen­
tioned report it is possible to compare the number of designers from different
countries and to evaluate the impact of their activity on the national economy.
The report concerned professional designers, including designers in the field of
industrial design, interior, multimedia and graphics.
“BEDA” estimates show that more than 447 thousand designers in Europe gener­
ate the annual income in the amount of more than EUR 36 billion.
Great Britain is an undisputed leader in the number of designers (more than 185
thousand) as well as in generating creative industry income (EUR 16 700 million).
In terms of creative industry turnover, Poland (EUR 57 million) is in a simi­
lar situation as Estonia (40 million) or Luxembourg (36 million). Polish crea­
tive industry still accounts for a small percentage of gross domestic product
(0,02 percent), which places Poland on the second position from the end, before
Greece (0,01 percent). In terms of the number of designers, Poland (6 thousand)
surpasses Luxembourg (0,9 thousand), Estonia (2 thousand) and Norway (more
than 2 thousand).

23)  European Design Report; BEDA; DesignAustria; 2007.


Analysis of the degree of use and development of industrial design... 057

8.
Analysis of the degree
of use and development
of industrial design in Polish
enterprises – IWP quantitative
and qualitative research

HIDDEN modular furniture


design: Tomek Rygalik
manufacturer: IKER
finalist of the Good Design Competition 2006
058

8. Analysis of the degree of use and development of industrial


design in Polish enterprises – IWP quantitative and qualitative
research

The next two chapters present the results of quantitative and qualitative re­
searches conducted in the third quarter of 2007 by a research company Ipsos
commissioned by the Industrial Design Institute and in cooperation with it.

8.1. Quantitative research – object of research and research methodology


8.1.1. Defining research issues

The research discussed in this report concerns the following issues:

> Use of design by surveyed enterprises.

> Terms and conditions of design management in enterprises.

> Design evaluation in the sector represented by the surveyed company.

> Perceived impact of design on the company’s development and business ef­
ficiency.

> Methods used to acquire design projects (sources of information on designers,


the way of getting offers, designer’s position in the organization).

> Determining motives and barriers to obtaining and implementing new design
projects and their introduction into the market.

> Organization of the process of new product implementation and its introduc­
tion into the market (way of organizing process, procedures, ways of verifying
the product potential and minimizing the market risk, perceived difficulties).

> Evaluation of design added value to the company development, brand posi­
tioning, product market potential, company competitiveness in the country
and abroad.

> Methods of intellectual property protection and evaluation of their effectiveness.

> Number of new products/designs implemented in production and introduced


into the market in 2006.

> Financial data of surveyed enterprises (turnover in 2006, expenditures on


industrial design in 2006, share of expenditures on design in R&D costs).

> Attempt to identify sectors and enterprises leading in design use.


059

8.1.2. Research sample

301 industrial enterprises representing 8 selected sectors were surveyed. The


initial list of sectors included “new media” category, however, due to a small
representation of such companies and difficulties with contacting/getting into
touch with them, the sector was not included in quantitative research. HBI sur­
vey was a source of companies’ addresses. It is one of the larges databases avail­
able on the market that systematically verifies and updates its data.
Enterprises/people conforming to the following recruitment criteria were sub­
ject to the research:

> Companies with industrial realizations – during the last 3 years they imple­
mented new designs in production24).

> People responsible for implementation and new products development in


the company.

Criteria differentiating the respondents:

> Size of enterprises where the respondent works:

… small – employing 10-49 people,

… medium – employing 50-249 people,

… large – employing 250 and more people.

> Represented sector:

… domestic appliances and audio/video devices, computers, multimedia equip­


ment, peripheral devices,

… investment products (machinery and tools),

… means of transport,

… furniture and interior furnishings,

… ceramics and glass,

… clothing, fabrics, accessories, footwear,

… lighting equipment,

… sports equipment/goods.

24)  This criterion was used due to the main research purposes: finding answer to questions concerning the whole
design management process in Polish enterprises.
060

> Region of the country:

1. Central Region (Mazowieckie, Łódzkie voivodships),

2. Southern Region (Śląskie, Małopolskie voivodships),

3. Eastern Region (Podlaskie, Lubelskie, Świętokrzyskie, Podkarpackie voivod­


ships),

4. North-West Region (Zachodnio-Pomorskie, Lubuskie, Wielkopolskie voivod­


ships),

5. South-West Region (Dolnośląskie, Opolskie voivodships),

6. Northern Region (Pomorskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie


voivodships).

The surveyed companies for individual GUS regions were selected in proportion
to their share in the base.
To sum up, the research was conducted on a quota sample with identified quotas
for the sector, the region and the size of the company.

lp. realized sample

301 100%

Sector N %

1 domestic appliances and audio/video devices, computers, 38 13%


multimedia equipment, peripheral devices

2 investment products (machinery and tools), 40 13%

3 means of transport, 36 12%

4 furniture and interior furnishings 44 15%

5 ceramics and glass, 40 13%

6 clothing, fabrics, accessories, footwear 39 13%

7 lighting 27 9%

8 sports equipment/goods 37 12%

GUS region

1 Central 61 20%

2 Southern 61 20%
061

3 Eastern 42 14%

4 North-West 58 19%

5 South-West 28 9%

6 Northern 51 17%

Size of the company

1 small (10-49 employees) 115 38%

2 medium (50-249 employees) 134 45%

3 large (250 and more employees) 52 17%

Table 2
Realized sample distribution

The realized sample differed from the projected sample to a small degree due
to the difficulty in conducting interviews in some enterprises in time assumed
for the research realization. In order to make up the total number, additional in­
terviews were conducted in sectors, regions and size categories for which it was
feasible. Divergence between the projected sample and the realized sample does
not significantly influence the results value.
While analysing the results in individual categories, one should remember about
small numbers in particular research samples. The results for regions that are
strongly dependent on the sector structure of enterprises located there should
be treated with reserve. That is why, the results for individual regions were not
presented in this report. Consequently, these researches should not be treated
as a field study. To generalize the results and consider them fully representative,
especially within selected categories (region, sector, size of the company), it is
necessary to conduct research on a larger sample so that the units of enquiry
(e.g. region, sector, size of the company) had a relatively great number of repre­
sentatives in the research.
Since the fractions were not numerous, no balances/weights were used while
working out the results because it could distort the real situation.

8.1.3. People under research

The interviews with the representatives of company management or people re­


sponsible for the development/introduction of new products were conducted un­
der the research.
062

8.1.4. Research method

The research was conducted by means of direct personal interviews because of


the wide scope of research and difficult access to respondents. The interviewers
conducting research possessed a covering letter signed by the directorate of the
Industrial Design Institute and Ipsos Polska, which, in many cases, resulted in
a more positive attitude of the respondents to the interview. In general, the re­
search realization gave rise to many difficulties. The respondents often refused
to participate in the research giving the lack of time as an excuse. On numerous
occasions, the respondents did not want to be interviewed, although they had
arranged the meeting, and they set another date. It also turned out that a signifi­
cant part of the companies did not comply with the eligibility criterion, i.e. the
implementation in production and introduction into the market of at least one,
new and own design during the previous three years. Some of the companies
failed to introduce any new designs, others introduced someone else’s designs
e.g. handed over by other companies, the head office or a foreign partner (the
last cases were predominant). Leaving aside the problems with arranging the
meetings and many refusals to participate in the research, the respondents rath­
er positively approached the research. They usually understood the goal of such
undertakings. The fact that the research was commissioned by the Industrial
Design Institute worked to its advantage since many respondents considered
the Institute trustworthy. There were also critical voices. Talking about financial
matters was the main problem to many respondents. They considered it too “in­
trusive”. Many respondents refused to answer questions on financial indicators.
Others felt uncertain whether or not they were entitled to provide information
on company finances.

8.1.5. Characteristics of enterprises under research

This part of report presents basic characteristics of subjects under research ac­
cording to such features as sector, region, number of employees, size of the town/
city where the company is located and the company’s age.
063

Sample distribution 1

Percentage distribution of subjects according to the sector. N=301

0 3 6 9 12 15
domestic appliances and audio/video devices,
computers, multimedia equipment 13%

investment and finishing products 13%

means of transport 12%

furniture, interior furnishing 15%

ceramics and glass 13%

clothes, fabrics, footwear 13%

lighting 9%

sports equipment 12%

Sample distribution 2

Percentage distribution of subjects according to the region. N=301

0 5 10 15 20 25

Central 20%

Southern 20%

Eastern 14%

North-West 19%

South-West 9%

Northern 17%
064

Sample distribution 3

Percentage distribution of subjects according to the number of employees. N=301

0 10 20 30 40 50

10-49 employees 38,2%

50-249 employees 44,5%

250+ employees 17,3%

Sample distribution 4

Percentage distribution of subjects according to the size of town/city. N=301

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

village 6%

town to 20.000 inhabitants 12,6%

from 20.001 to 50.000 inhabitants 13,3%

from 50.001 to 100.000 inhabitants 11,6%

from 100.001 to 200.000 inhabitants 8,6%

from 200.001 to 300.000 inhabitants 3,3%

from 300.001 to 500.000 inhabitants 8%

more than 500.000 inhabitants 36,5%


065

Sample distribution 5

Percentage distribution of subjects according to the company’s age. N=301

0 5 10 15 20 25

<10 years 18,3%

10-15 years 19,9%

16-20 years 24,3%

21-30 years 15,0%

>30 years 16,6%

Sample distribution 6

Companies’ distribution according to sector in individual regions. N=301

25
21,6%
21,6%
21,4%
21,4%

25%
19,7%

19%

17,9%

20
17,2%

17,2%
16,7%
16,4%
16,4%

15,7%
14,8%

15,5

14,3%

14,3%
13,8%
14,3
13,1%

13,1%
13,1%
13,1%
13,1%

15
111,5%

11,9%

11,8%
11,8%
11,5%
11,5%
11,5%

10,3%
9,8%
9,8%

9,5%

8,6%

8,6%
8,6%

10
7,8%

7,8%
7,1%

3,6%

3,6%

5
1,6%

2%
0%
0%

0
Central Southern Eastern North-West South-West Northern
domestic appliances and audio/video devices
computers, multimedia equipment furniture, interior furnishing lighting
sports
investment and finishing products ceramics and glass equipment
means of transport clothes, fabrics, footwear
066

8.1.6. Characteristics of people under research

Sample distribution 7

Sex of people under research

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

male 71,1%

female 28,9%

Sample distribution 8

Education of people under research

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

vocational education 2,3%

secondary education 22,9%

higher education 72,4%

refusal of answer 2,3%


067

Sample distribution 9

Status of people under research

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

president/general manager 12,3%

vice-president/assistant manager 4%

marketing director/manager 15,9%

production director 7,6%

strategy director 3%

other member of management board 3%

owner/co-owner 18,3%

manager/product manager 26,6%

other 7,6%

refusal to answer 1,7%

8.2. Qualitative research – research object and methodology


8.2.1. Research objectives

The objective of research was to find out the degree of the use of design and de­
velopment in enterprises from different sectors and of different sizes, which will
determine the present state of design, its influence on companies’ efficiency and
competitiveness and prospects of design development in Poland.
Issues explored in research:

> Terms and conditions of design management in enterprises.

> Use of design by enterprises.

> Perceived significance of design to business and the company’s development


and its influence on business efficiency.

> Way of estimating costs and expenditures on design.

> Methods of cooperation within the scope of acquiring design projects (sour­
ces of information on designers, way of winning offers and designer’s position
in the company).

> Determining motives and barriers to acquiring and implementing new de­
sign projects.
068

> Organization of the process of new product implementation and its introduc­
tion into the market (way of organizing process, procedures, ways of verifying
the product potential and minimizing the market risk, perceived difficulties).

> Evaluation of design added value to the company’s development, brand posi­
tioning, product market potential, company’s competitiveness in the country
and abroad.

> Methods of intellectual property protection – evaluation of their effectiveness,


fears.

8.2.2. Research methodology

During the qualitative research, detailed individual interviews lasting about


1 h were conducted.

8.2.3. Number of interviews

There were realized 30 interviews (including 18 conducted during the meeting


with a respondent, 12 – on the phone).

8.2.4. Date of research

The research was conducted in October and November 2007.

8.2.5. Selection of sample

The selection of sample was purposeful with the criteria listed below being
taken into consideration.

8.2.6. Criteria of sample selection

The following people were invited to take part in the research: people with the
highest positions in the company in the field of management, decision making
on the new design development and implementation, people who have industrial
accomplishments to their credit – supervised/coordinated the implementation of
at least one new design to production in a given company.

8.2.7. Respondents

> 13 people employed on directorial position, including:

… 3 Managing Directors,

… 5 Development Managers,

> 9 heads of product development department,


069

> 5 brand managers (heads of marketing department),

> 3 heads of construction departments participated in the research.

8.2.8. Characteristic of enterprises under research

The following companies were covered by the research:

> small (10-49 employees),

> medium (50-249 employees),

> large (250 and more employees).

9 large, 12 medium and 9 small companies participated in the research.


The interviews were conducted with the representatives of companies from the
following 9 sectors:

> domestic appliances and audio/video devices, computer and multimedia


equipment, peripheral devices,

> investment products,

> means of transport,

> furniture,

> ceramics and glass,

> new media,

> clothing, fabrics, accessories, footwear,

> lighting,

> sports equipment.

In the sectors:

> domestic appliances and audio/video devices, computer and multimedia


equipment, peripheral devices – 5 interviews were realized;

> clothing, fabrics, accessories, footwear – 4 interviews were realized,

> investment products, means of transport, furniture, ceramics and glass, new
media, lighting and sports equipment – 3 interviews in each sector.
070

Sample distribution that takes into consideration the criterion of the company’s
size and the industrial sector is presented in Table 3.

sector/company size small medium large interviews/


10-49 50-249 more than 250 surveys
employees employees employees total

domestic appliances, 1 – multimedia 1 – domestic 1 - domestic 5


audio/video devices, equipment appliances appliances
computers, multimedia 1 – audio/video
equipment, peripheral devices
devices 1 – computer
equipment

investment products 1 1 1 3

means of transport 1 1 1 3

furniture 1 1 1 3

ceramics and glass 1 1 1 3

new media- 1 2 – 3

clothing, fabrics, ac- 1 1 2 4


cessories, footwear

lighting 1 1 1 3

sports equipment 1 1 1 3

interviews/surveys total 9 12 9 30

Table 3
Companies’ sample distribution – industrial sector and size of the company

Enterprises from the following Polish regions took part in the research:

> Mazowieckie – 12 interviews,

> Łódzkie – 5 interviews ,

> Śląskie – 4 interviews,

> Wielkopolskie – 3 interviews,

> Kujawsko-Pomorskie – 2 interviews,

> Lubelskie – 1 interview,

> Małopolskie – 1 interview,

> Dolnośląskie – 1 interview,

> Podkarpackie – 1 interview.


071

8.2.9. Method of conducting interviews

Detailed individual interviews constituted the research technique in this


project.
All interviews were conducted according to schedule.
The majority of interviews with people in the company responsible for the pro­
cess of new product development were conducted in the form of direct interview-
meeting. 6 interviews were conducted on the phone.
Results of the quantitative research 073

9.
Results
of the quantitative
research

SLIM sofa
design: Towarzystwo Projektowe
(Jerzy Porębski, Grzegorz Niwiński)
manufacturer: NOTI
Exhibitions: Design PL, Colour Days
074

9. Results of the quantitative research

The survey results discussed below tell us whether and how Polish companies
make use of design, how they assess its role and prospects, and what difficulties
they encounter. For the purposes of the analysis, in addition to other basic vari­
ables, such as business sector, region and company’s size, we have constructed
a “design leaders” variable, which enables a comparative presentation of results
for the group of companies defined in this way and for the companies not clas­
sified into this group.
Design leaders are defined through the following features:

> they have over 20 new products/designs launched over the last 3 years,

> they have over 5 new products/designs launched over the last 12 months,

> they consider design to be key or to play an important role in the company,

> they have used new design in at least half of the products launched over the
last 3 years.

The above group represents 45 out of the 301 companies surveyed, which equals
to 15% of the overall amount.
Note:
Diagram numbers, which are referred to by the authors when discussing results,
are shown in brackets. The figures presenting graphs with data from the survey
have been placed in a separate annex – The Analysis of Application of Industrial
Design in Polish Companies. Annex – Diagrams of Survey Results.

9.1.1. Use of design by the surveyed companies

Under current market conditions, more and more Polish companies realize the
importance of design and its impact on both, the company image and on product
sales. Of course, there are business sectors where design plays a greater role and
sectors where it is of lesser importance. The main dividing line runs along the
“light industry – heavy industry” divide.
However, being aware of the role of industrial design is one thing, but using it in
practice is something else altogether. A lot of companies do not use design too
intensively, or apply it using economical methods, believing that this is costly
and there is a risk that an investment in design will not pay for itself. However,
075

an increasing number of companies, who are fully aware of the risk, take it with
the conviction that without it the company will stop developing, and its com­
petitiveness in the market will become weaker and weaker. The areas where the
companies make use of professional design are also expanding

9.1.2. Areas where design is used

The companies’ use of design is usually not limited to just the design of their
own products (which is used by 67% companies). Over the last year, most of
the surveyed companies have also used industrial design in projects related to
communication and brand (59%), including multimedia (61%), as well as with
interiors and exhibition activities (38%) (Diagram 1).
As to the own products/designs, professional design has been used most often
by companies from the “clothing/fabrics/footwear”, “domestic appliances and
audio/video devices, computers”, “investment products”, as well as “ceramics
and glass” sectors (Diagram 2).
Large companies have used professional design more often than small or me­
dium ones in all the areas analysed here, especially those related to multime­
dia. With respect to product and industrial design, the size of the company is of
less significance, when it comes to differences in the level of design utilisation
(Diagram 3). However, companies in the “design leaders” group have used pro­
fessional design in various areas of their activity much more often than other
companies (Diagram 4).

9.1.3. Role of industrial design of in Polish companies

Though most surveyed companies recognize the role of industrial design as key
or of significant importance (76%), yet almost every fifth company sees it as ei­
ther limited or not important at all (Diagram 5). The key role of professional de­
sign in developing new product designs has been pointed out more often by the
companies from the “clothing/fabrics/footwear” and “ceramics and glass” sec­
tors than by those from other sectors. A limited or unimportant role of design is
mentioned most often by representatives of companies from the “means of trans­
port” sector, as well, though less frequently, of companies from the “domestic
appliances and audio/video devices, computers”, “investment products”, “furni­
ture and interior furnishings” (Diagram 6) sectors. The growth in the company’s
size is accompanied by a growing tendency to describe the role of industrial
design as key. However in general, the differences are not large (Diagram 7).
“Design leaders” more often than other companies describe the role of profes­
sional design as one of key importance in developing new designs of company
076

products (38% compared to 11%). This follows from the definition of this category
itself (Diagram 8).
The surveyed representatives were also asked about the importance of industrial
design in a more expanded way. They were to indicate a statement which best
characterizes the role of design in their company. Most often, representatives of
the surveyed companies admit that professional design is essential in develop­
ing new designs within their own companies, but it is not the main element of
the process. Over 1/5 of the companies’ representatives, claim that design is not
something consistently used by the company – design is used there on occasion.
At the same time, over 1/5 of them admit that industrial design is one of natural,
strategic tools for company management (Diagram 9). The strategic importance
of design is clearly perceived more often by representatives of companies classi­
fied as “design leaders” in the survey (Diagram 10).
Entrepreneurs are aware of the growing role of industrial design in Poland: 60%
of the surveyed companies believe that its role is growing. The importance of
a good, professionally developed design is appreciated more and more. Com­
panies are increasingly aware that without investing in design, they will not
achieve long-term success (Diagram 11). The clear growth in the importance
of design within the company over the last years is mentioned especially often
by representatives of companies from the “furniture and interior furnishings”,
“clothing/fabrics/footwear” and “ceramics and glass” sectors (Diagram 12). Simi­
larly, the belief that the role of design is clearly growing is expressed more often
by representatives of large companies than of small and medium companies
(Diagram 13). Once again, the “team leaders” distinguish themselves in their
claims, in light of other companies and are three times more likely to indicate
a clear growth in the importance of design (Diagram 14).
Most surveyed companies (65%) believe that in the next few years they will ex­
perience growth in the use of design within the company. Every fifth surveyed
company expressed a general conviction that the role of design will be visibly
growing over the next few years (Diagram 15). Companies from the sectors
where the importance of design has particularly, visibly increased over the last
few years (clothing/footwear, ceramics and glass, furniture and interior furnish­
ings) more often than other companies, expect a future visible increase in that
role (Diagram 16). Also in this case, large companies are convinced more often
than small and medium ones that the importance of design in their businesses
will be growing in a visible way over the next few years. This can be a sign of
poorer economic conditions and lower awareness of the importance of industrial
design in small and medium companies in Poland (Diagram 17). “Design lead­
077

ers” expect a visible growth in the importance of design in the coming years,
three times more often than other companies (Diagram 18).

9.2. The number of new products/designs implemented into production


and launched over the last 3 years

The surveyed companies vary strongly in regards to the number of new designs
launched over the last 3 years. A large part of them have implemented only a few
designs – 22% of the companies have launched no more than two new products
over the last 3 years, and less than 10% of the companies have over 50 new
designs to their credit (Diagram 19). Please take note that the survey has not
covered the companies which have not launched any new product in that period,
and the information passed by the persons carrying out the survey show such
companies are not few or far between.
The leaders, with respect to the number of new designs launched over the last
3 years include the “clothing/footwear”, “ceramics and glass” and “furniture
and interior furnishings” sectors, which boast the greatest number of companies
having over 50 new implementations (Diagram 20).
The average number of designs launched over the last 3 years is 19. There is
a strong internal differentiation with respect to this in each sector, which is
shown by the large values of standard deviations (Table 4).

25)
sector average number of new standard deviation
designs over 3 years

1 domestic appliances and audio/video de- 8.8 15.5


vices, computers, multimedia equipment

2 investment products and finishing 7.6 7.8

3 means of transport 10.4 15.6

4 furniture and interior furnishings 21.9 36.6

5 ceramics and glass 19.5 28

6 clothing, fabrics, footwear 58.6 116.8

7 lighting 9.8 19.3

8 sports goods 11.2 12.3

Table 4
Average number of new designs launched - by sector

25)  High value of the standard deviation means that the companies representing particular sectors are highly diversi­
fied in terms of the number of new designs introduced into the market within the last 3 years. The greater the standard
deviation is the greater differences occur among the companies of a given sector.
078

Together with the growing size of companies, the percentage of companies hav­
ing over 50 new implementations to their credit over the last 3 years is also
growing. At the same time, large companies less often than small or medium
ones, declare the minimum level of new implementations, which includes 1-2
new products. However, we should stress out that medium-sized companies are
only slightly surpassed by large companies with respect to the average number
of new designs (Diagram 21). Again, the standard deviations for individual aver­
ages are large, which outlines the existence of strong differentiation within the
analysed categories (Table 5).

company size average number of new de- standard deviation 26)


signs over the last 3 years

1 10–49 employees 13.6 23.2

2 50–249 employees 21.7 59.6

3 250+ employees 23.3 58.5

Table 5
Average number of designs launched – by company size

By definition, design leaders distinguish themselves clearly from other compa­


nies. Half of them have launched more than 50 new designs over the last 3 years.
They have on average 89.8 new designs to their credit, while the other surveyed
companies – 7.1 designs (Diagram 22).
The companies which consider the role of design as key for their business, have
over the last 3 years, launched on average 4 times more new designs than other
companies (54% compared to 13%). Similarly, companies which consider the com­
petition in their sector to be very strong, have over the last 3 years, launched on ave­
rage 2.5 times more new designs than other companies (33% compared to 13%).

9.3. The number of new products/designs implemented in production


and launched over the last 12 months

Similarly as in case of the number of new designs launched over the last 3 years,
which clearly differentiates the surveyed companies, as is in the number of new
designs launched last year. A considerable part of companies have very modest
achievements in that area. Every third surveyed company has launched only one

26)  High value of the standard deviation means that the companies representing particular size categories are highly
diversified in terms of the number of new designs introduced into the market within the last 3 years. The greater the
standard deviation is the greater differences occur among the companies in a given size category.
079

new product within that period, and every tenth has not launched any products
at all. On average, 6 new products have been launched over the last 12 months
(Diagram 23). Similarly as in case of the number of designs launched over the last
3 years, the leaders are in the “clothing/fabrics/footwear”, “ceramics and glass”
and “furniture and interior furnishings” sectors (Table 6 and Diagram 24).

sector average number of standard deviation


new designs over the
last 12 months

1 domestic appliances and audio/video de- 3.4 7.1


vices, computers, multimedia equipment

2 investment products and finishing 2.4 2.4

3 means of transport 5.1 9.5

4 furniture and interior furnishings 8.2 14.3

5 ceramics and glass 8.8 15.3

6 clothing, fabrics, footwear 14.3 27.7

7 lighting 3.3 7.7

8 sports goods 4.2 6.3

Table 6
Average number of new designs over the last 12 months - by sector

Also, the achievements in the last year confirm the result that large companies
have more new designs to their credit, than small and medium ones. However,
medium-sized companies are only slightly outdistanced by the large companies
(Table 7 and Diagram 25).

company size average number of new de- standard deviation


signs over the last 12 months

1 10-49 employees 5.1 10.4

2 50-249 employees 6.9 15.6

3 250+ employees 7.2 15.9

Table 7
Average number of new designs over the last 12 months – by company size

As is in this case, the design leaders, by the definition of that category itself,
visibly distinguish themselves in a positive way from the other companies. On
080

average, they have produced 29.7 new designs during the last 12 months, com­
pared to 2.9 designs for other companies (Diagram 26).
Almost eight out of ten surveyed companies claim that they are in the progress
of working on subsequent, new design/designs. Nevertheless, over 20% of com­
panies do not carry out such work (Diagram 27). In most of the surveyed sectors,
the frequencies of such claims look similar. However, they appear slightly less
often in the “lighting” and “domestic appliances and audio/video devices, com­
puters” sectors than in the other ones (Diagram 28).
Large companies are more active in that area than small and medium-sized
ones. Currently, such companies are in the progress of working on new design/
designs (Diagram 29). Design leaders are not only characterized by a larger out­
put with respect to the number of new designs/products launched over the last
3 years or 12 months, but also by actively working on new designs more often
(Diagram 30).
Surveyed companies are currently carrying out work on new designs equally
often as they are planning to commence such work (on subsequent designs) in
the nearest future. Only every fifth company fails to claim such plans for the
coming 6 months (Diagram 31). The “lighting” and “clothing/fabrics/footwear”
sectors claim such plans more frequently than in other sectors. It should be
stressed that the latter sector also distinguishes itself positively with respect to
the frequency of claiming that current work is being carried out on new designs
(Diagram 32).
Large companies are more active than small and medium ones with respect to
planned works on new designs (Diagram 33). Design leaders also surpass the
other companies in that respect (93% compared to 77%) (Diagram 34).

9.4. Self-assessment of company’s position with respect to the use of de-


sign

Most surveyed companies are of the opinion that they follow the prevailing and
changing trends in industrial design. Approximately one out of seven surveyed
companies considers themselves design leaders, and only a few companies find it
difficult to keep up with the prevailing design trends (Diagram 35). In their own
assessment, companies from the sectors of “furniture and interior furnishings”,
“lighting” and “ceramics and glass” had a tendency to classify themselves among
the leaders more often than others. A difficulty with following design trends is
reported most often by companies from the “means of transport” sector (Diagram
36). The companies’ self-assessment concerning their position with respect to
the use of industrial design does not vary in a significant way across small, me­
081

dium and large companies (Diagram 37). Companies defined as design leaders
for the purposes of the conducted analysis, assess themselves as leaders three
times more often than other companies (Diagram 38).
When comparing themselves to other companies from the same sector, as many
as 84% of surveyed companies are of the opinion that they distinguish them­
selves from them positively with respect to the use of design. Almost every fifth
believes that it distinguishes itself clearly favourably, and only a few tend to
admit that others are better than them, and that they themselves are lagging
behind (Diagram 39). The conviction of their own domination particularly of­
ten characterizes companies from the “furniture and interior furnishings” and
“ceramics and glass” sectors (Diagram 40). Large companies are more likely to
admit that they distinguish themselves favourably with respect to the use of
industrial design, than the small and medium ones. Without a doubt, this is as­
sociated with the fact that they possess larger funds, which they can allocate to
design (Diagram 41). Design leaders express their conviction that they distin­
guish themselves decidedly favourably from other companies in the same sector
3.5 times more often than other companies (Diagram 42).

9.5. Principles and terms of industrial design management in companies


Atmosphere in the company related to design

Companies from the surveyed sectors are aware of the importance of industrial
design in relation to the market position of the company. This translates to the
fact that for most of them, there is a climate, which is favourable to design (77%).
Only a few of them (7%) signal a lack of an appropriate, stimulating climate
(Diagram 43). A positive attitude to design is mentioned most often by represent­
atives of the “ceramics and glass” sector, as well as of the “clothing/fabrics/foot­
wear” sector, where no responses indicated the existence of any unfavourable
climate (Diagram 44). There are no visible differences between small, medium
and large companies with respect to the frequency of declaring a climate very fa­
vourable to design, while a generally favourable climate characterizes more often
large rather than small or medium companies. A climate, which is unfavourable
for design, occurs slightly more often in small companies (Diagram 45). The De­
sign leaders are 3 times more likely to claim that their companies posses a very
positive culture in regards to design, than the other companies (Diagram 46).

Position of industrial design in the organizational structure of the company

Just over half of the surveyed companies possess a department or position dedi­
cated to industrial design, and a little under half of them employ their own
082

designer. Regular cooperation with an external designer is claimed by every


seventh of the surveyed the companies, and occasional cooperation – by every
third. The representative of every twelfth surveyed company admits that in fact
their company does not make use of industrial design. These are most often
companies that prepare new designs based on observing the market or receive
ready-made designs from foreign or external partners (Diagram 47). The exist­
ence of a department or position dedicated to industrial design, most often char­
acterizes companies from the “ceramics and glass”, “clothing/footwear” and
“furniture and interior furnishings” sectors. Such departments/positions can be
found least often in companies from the “means of transport” sector, as well as
from “domestic appliances and audio/video devices, computers “lighting” and
“sports goods” sectors (Diagram 48). Companies from the “ceramics and glass”
sector are also in the lead when it comes to employing their own designer. They
are among the leaders as well with respect to the frequency of regular use of ex­
ternal designers’ services, and are only slightly outdistanced in that respect by
the companies from the “investment products” sector. Most claims on not using
industrial design appear in the “means of transport” sector, which is the only
one to deviate in a statistically significant way from the “furniture and interior
furnishings” sector, characterised by the least number of such responses.
The larger the company, the higher the probability that it possesses a department
or a position dedicated to industrial design and that it employs its own designer.
Large companies are also 2.5 times more likely to make constant or regular use
of external designers’ services, than small and medium ones (Diagram 49).
Design leaders are companies which clearly more often than others: possess de­
partments/positions dedicated to industrial design, employ their own designer,
make constant or regular use of external designers’ services, as well as to occa­
sionally employ external designers, depending on their needs (Diagram 50).
Almost half of the companies, which claimed the existence of departments/posi­
tions dedicated to industrial design, did not employ more than two people in/at
them. Over a quarter of such companies employ 5 or more people at positions
dedicated to industrial design (Diagram 51). As we could expect, the number
of staff employed at positions dedicated to industrial design is clearly related
to the size of companies. In small companies, there are most often (76%) one or
two people employed at such positions. In medium-sized companies, this varies
across the companies. There is a rather large part of companies (43%), which
similarly to small companies employ no more than two people at those type of
positions, but equally frequently (41%) we encounter companies, which employ
more than four people. Of course, large companies are leaders in employing
083

a larger number of staff at positions related to industrial design. Without a doubt,


this is associated with the more frequent presence of whole departments dealing
with matters of design in such companies (Diagram 52). In general, design leaders
dedicate more positions to industrial design than other companies (Diagram 53).

Strategy of using industrial design in work over new product designs

Different companies use industrial design in different ways and also manage
it in different ways, according to their needs, preferences, as well as capabili­
ties. Over the last 3 years, only one in every ten of the surveyed companies uses
new industrial design exclusively, when working on new product designs. Most
companies have modified existing designs to a smaller or greater extent. There
is also a small group of companies (3%), which have exclusively modified al­
ready existing designs (Diagram 54). The leading sectors, which have used new
industrial design exclusively most frequently, are: “ceramics and glass”, “cloth­
ing/fabrics/footwear”, “investment products”, as well as “furniture and interior
furnishings”. The “means of transport” sector is one of the companies where the
existing designs are in most cases modified exclusively (Diagram 55).
There is a small tendency indicating that it is small and medium size companies
that use solely new design more often than the large ones (Diagram 56). How­
ever, the observed differences are small and insignificant statistically, and their
verification would require survey based on a larger scale. At the same time, over
the last 3 years only the small and medium sized companies have solely modi­
fied existing designs. Generally, large companies use new industrial design
more intensively – they claim more often than small and medium companies
that for the most part, they use new designs either exclusively (41% compared to
34% and 29%, respectively).
Design leaders decidedly deviate in a positive way from other companies with
respect to the “intensity” of using new industrial design when working on new
product designs. Obviously, this is related to the way we have defined this cate­
gory. However, we should stress out, that over the last 3 years, design leaders
have used new designs 4 times as often when working solely on new product
designs (Diagram 57).

9.6. Assessment of the role of industrial design in the company’s sector

Most companies that wish to maintain or strengthen their market position are
aware of the importance of industrial design. The competition forces the com­
panies to follow the constantly changing consumer tastes and trends. Of course,
the situation looks somewhat different in different sectors. There are sectors
084

where changes in industrial design are imposed on faster and such where the
product designs remain “current” for longer. Most of the surveyed companies
are of the opinion that the role of industrial design in their sector is significant,
and 3/4 of them claim that role as an important or even a key one (Diagram 58).
The conviction of the key role of industrial design in their sector is expressed
most clearly by companies from the “ceramics and glass”, “furniture and interior
furnishings” and “clothing/fabrics/footwear” sectors. A limited or insignificant
role of design most often appears in the opinions expressed by companies from
the “sports goods”, “investment products” and “means of transport” sectors. The
occurrence of “sports goods” here is surprising and can only be explained by the
specific companies surveyed from this sector (Diagram 59). The companies de­
fined as design leaders are much more likely than others to underline the role of
industrial design as key in this industry – there are no mentions of the insignifi­
cance in regards to the role of industrial design at all among them (Diagram 60).
Representatives of the surveyed companies have been asked to evaluate possible
changes in the role of industrial design in their sector over the last few years.
Most of the surveyed companies (65%) are convinced of the growth in the impor­
tance of industrial design. Only very few of them (2%) mention a decrease in that
importance (Diagram 61). A clear increase in the importance of design in the
sector is mentioned especially often by companies from the sectors of “furniture
and interior furnishings”, “ceramics and glass” and “clothing/fabrics/footwear”
(Diagram 62). Companies from the design leaders’ category, express a belief in
a visible increase in the role of design in the sector over the last years, much
more often than other companies (53% compared to 24%) (Diagram 63).
Representatives of the companies have also been asked to assess the forecasted
future role of design in their sector. Over 2/3 of the surveyed companies think
that the role of design in their sector will be growing over the next few years,
with about a 1/4 of them estimating that the growth will be considerable (Dia­
gram 64). Similarly as in the case of assessing the change in the role of industrial
design over the last few years, so is in case of the changes expected over the next
few years, the companies from the “clothing/fabrics/footwear”, “furniture and
interior furnishings” and “ceramics and glass” sectors distinguish themselves in
light of others. It is their representatives who most often expect a clear increase
in the importance of industrial design (Diagram 65). And again, in comparison
with other companies, design leaders are decidedly more likely to expect a visi­
ble growth in the role of industrial design in their sector (Diagram 66).
085

9.7. The impact of industrial design on company’s development and ef-


fectiveness of the business. Assessment of the added value of design

Only a few companies (6%) hold a common belief that it does not pay to invest in
industrial design. Most representatives of the surveyed companies (86%) are of
the opinion that this is a profitable investment, and 1/3 of them think that it is de­
cidedly profitable (Diagram 67). A decisive belief that it pays to invest in design
is particularly frequent in sectors like: “clothing, fabrics, footwear”, “furniture
and interior furnishings” and “ceramics and glass” (Diagram 68). Hence, these
are also the exact the sectors, which make intensive use of industrial design,
generally recognise the important role of industrial design and are aware of
the increase in this role. Additionally, we also have the companies representing
the “investment products” sector here. Though that sector is lagging behind the
others with respect to making use of industrial design, a significant part of its
representatives realize that investing in design pays off. The most doubts about
the profitability of investing in industrial design are expressed by representa­
tives of the “sports goods” and “means of transport” sectors. An especially sur­
prising fact is questioning of that profitability by the first of the above-mentioned
sectors. As we have already mentioned, this can follow from the fact of including
specific companies representing that branch in the survey, as well as from the
very strong competition from the world leaders and cheap Asian goods, due to
which even the companies investing in industrial design find it difficult to ope­
rate in the Polish market. The companies belonging to the category of design
leaders are twice more often convinced than other companies that it decidedly
pays to invest in industrial design (Diagram 69).
When assessing the impact of industrial design on various areas of their acti­
vity, the surveyed companies most often perceive its significant importance to
consumer satisfaction (43%), and secondly – to the company’s image (36%), its
competitiveness (34%) and profit growth (32%). The responses relatively least
often confirmed the fact that the industrial design used translates to increased
employment in the company (14%) (Diagram 70).

Below we discuss in detail the results showing the impact of industrial design on
the individual areas of companies’ activity.

Impact of industrial design on the company’ export

Every fifth of the surveyed companies perceives clear benefits associated with
the fact that the design used over the last 12 months translates into companies’
export (Diagram 71). Companies from the “ceramics and glass” sector, mention
086

a significant impact of industrial design on their export, more often than com­
panies representing other sectors. The impact of design used on the export vol­
ume is perceived least often by companies from the “means of transport” and
“domestic appliances and audio/video devices, computers” sectors (Diagram 72).
In large companies, the use of industrial design has translated in a significant
way to the volume of export over the last 12 months, twice as often than in the
small and medium sized companies (Diagram 73). Companies specified as de­
sign leaders in the survey confirm the fact of a significant translation of the
design used to the company’s’ export, over three times more often than other
companies (Diagram 74).

Impact of industrial design on the company’ image

90% of surveyed companies expressed the opinion that over the last 12 months,
the industrial design they have used has influenced the company’s image, while
1/3 respondents perceived this influence as considerable (Diagram 75). A clear
impact of industrial design on the company’s image is particularly often noticed
by companies from the “ceramics and glass” sector (Diagram 76). The compa­
nies most convinced of a small or nonexistent impact of design on the company’s
image are those from the “means of transport” and “clothing, fabrics, footwear”
sectors. The result obtained for the “clothing, fabrics, footwear” sector is some­
what surprising. It might be that, to a greater extent than elsewhere, these are
companies either possess an established image or do not possess a clear cut
image. The conviction of the impact of the industrial design used on the compa­
ny’s image looks similarly in companies of different sizes (Diagram 77). Design
lea­ders are twice more likely to express an opinion of a considerable impact of
design on the company’s image, than other companies (Diagram 78).

Impact of industrial design on consumer satisfaction

The surveyed companies notice a clear connection between their use of indus­
trial design and the level of consumer satisfaction. This fact is mentioned by
almost all of the surveyed companies (Diagram 79). The companies which par­
ticularly often mention a significant impact of industrial design on consumer
satisfaction over the last 12 months are those from the “sports goods”, “clothing,
fabrics, footwear” and “furniture and interior furnishings” sectors (Diagram 80).
Representatives of small companies are much more likely to notice a clear, posi­
tive impact that their use of design has on consumer satisfaction, than repre­
sentatives of medium and large companies. On the other hand, large companies
are relatively less likely to notice a visible impact of their design on customer
087

satisfaction than others (Diagram 81). Design leaders are convinced of a large
impact of the design they use on consumer satisfaction over the last 12 months,
more often than other companies (Diagram 82).

Impact of industrial design on profit growth

Every third of the surveyed companies is convinced that the design it has used
over the last 12 months, has to a large extent contributed to an increase in their
profits (Diagram 83). In most of the surveyed sectors, the conviction of a clear
connection between the design used and profit growth looks similarly. A weak or
null translation of design into company’s profits is mentioned by representatives
of companies from the “means of transport”, “domestic appliances and audio/
video devices, computers” and “investment products” sectors more often than
by others (Diagram 84). The conviction of the impact of the design used on the
growth in the company’s profit companies looks similarly in companies of dif­
ferent sizes (Diagram 85), while design leaders are much more likely to notice
a clear impact of the design used on the growth in the company’s profit, than
other companies (Diagram 86).

Impact of industrial design on development of new markets

Almost 30% surveyed companies express the belief that the industrial design
they have used over the last 12 months has clearly contributed to the develop­
ment of new markets (Diagram 87). This belief prevails particularly often among
companies from the “investment products”, “furniture and interior furnishings”,
“lighting” and “ceramics and glass” sectors (Diagram 88). Absence of impact or
low impact of the industrial design used on development of new markets is most
often declared by companies from the “means of transport” sector. The belief in
the impact of the industrial design used on development of new markets looks
similarly in companies of different sizes (Diagram 89), while design leaders are
convinced that they owe the development of new markets to a large extent to the
use of industrial design, twice more often than other companies (Diagram 90).

Impact of industrial design on market share growth

Over a quarter of the surveyed companies express the belief that the industrial
design they have used over the last 12 months has clearly contributed to an
increase in their market share (Diagram 91). The sectors where over the last 12
months the industrial design has most often clearly contributed to an increase in
the company’s market share are “furniture and interior furnishings” and “cloth­
ing, fabrics, footwear” (Diagram 92). The belief in a positive impact of the in­
dustrial design used on an increase in the market share does not depend on the
088

company’s size (Diagram 93), while design leaders confirm a clear impact of the
industrial design used on the increase in their market share, more the twice as
often than other companies (Diagram 94).

Impact of industrial design on the company’s competitiveness

Every third of the surveyed companies express the belief that in their case, de­
sign has had a significant impact on the company’s competitiveness (Diagram
95). The conviction of a significant impact of design on increasing the com­
pany’s competitiveness is claimed particularly more often by companies from
the “clothing, fabrics, footwear” and “furniture and interior furnishings” sec­
tors (Dia­gram 96). Medium-sized companies slightly more often than small and
large companies mention a significant impact of design on the company’s com­
petitiveness (Diagram 97), similarly as design leaders compared to other com­
panies (Diagram 98).

Impact of industrial design on employment growth

Among the analysed factors, employment growth is least often associated with
the use of industrial design in the surveyed companies. However, just a little
bit under one fifth of the surveyed companies cannot see a connection between
them at all (Diagram 99). Companies from the “clothing, fabrics, footwear” sec­
tor are slightly more likely to notice the existence of such a connection during
the last 12 months, than others. The absence of any impact of design on employ­
ment growth is most often mentioned by companies from the “means of trans­
port” sector (Diagram 100). The belief in the impact of the use of design on em­
ployment growth looks similarly in companies of different sizes (Diagram 101),
while design leaders confirm a significant the impact in the use of design on
employment growth, slightly more often than other companies (Diagram 102).

Impact of industrial design on turnover growth

Every fourth surveyed company is of the opinion that in their case, industrial
design contributes in a significant way to turnover growth (Diagram 103). Such
a belief is similarly often expressed by companies representing all the surveyed
sectors. However, we would like to note that companies from the “means of
transport” sector report a weak or nonexistent connection between these ele­
ments, more often than others (Diagram 104). Small and medium companies
notice a significant connection between the design used and increase in the
company’s turnover, more often than large companies (Diagram 105), similarly
as design leaders (Diagram 106).
089

Impact of industrial design on general development of the company

Over 1/4 companies admit that in their case, industrial design has had a large
impact on the general development of the company during the last 12 months.
Just 1% of the surveyed companies deny the existence of any connection be­
tween their use of design and the company’s development (Diagram 107). Com­
panies from the “furniture and interior furnishings” sector notice a significant
connection between the design used and the general development of the com­
pany, more often than others (Diagram 108). The belief that the impact of the
use of design on the general development of the company does not depend on
the company’s size (Diagram 109), while design leaders are twice more likely to
notice a clear connection between the use of industrial design and the general
development of the company, than other companies (Diagram 110).

Good industrial design versus other factors influencing sales of compa-


ny’s products

Product sales are influenced by diverse factors, associated with both, the pro­
duct itself and with a broader economic context. The surveyed persons, when
given a list of seven factors influencing the sales of the company’s products to
choose from, mention good industrial design as the third most important fac­
tor, just after good quality and attractive pricing of the products (Diagram 111).
Companies from the “furniture and interior furnishings”, “ceramics and glass”,
“clothing, fabrics, footwear” sectors are much more likely to classify good design
among the most important factors having impact on the sales of their products,
than companies from other sectors (Diagram 112). Good industrial design as
a substantial factor influencing the sales of products is least often mentioned
by companies from the “means of transport” and “investment products” sec­
tors (Diagram 113). Among small and medium sized companies, we are able to
observe a tendency to indicate good design as one of the most essential factors
influencing the sales of products more often than when compared with large
companies (Diagram 114). Design leaders express the belief that the sales of
their products are influenced first of all by good quality and good design, more
often than other companies. Other companies stress the role of an attractive
price of their products more often (Diagram 115).

The role of industrial design in determining the company’s economic suc-


cess compared to other factors

The respondents have evaluated the importance of several selected factors re­
lated to company management in determining economic success of the company,
090

on a 1 to 7 scale. “Sales and marketing” have been ranked first (of key impor­
tance – 46% responses; average score – 6.1), followed by “efficient management”
(38% and 6.0, respectively) and “finance management” (38% and 6.0) (Diagram
116 and Table 8). The role of industrial design is less appreciated by the compa­
nies, though considered important – 20% of the surveyed companies indicated
design as a key factor influencing economic success of the company.

evaluated factors
27)
average value on the 1-7 scale standard deviation

1 finance management 5.95 1.11

2 research and development (R&D) 5.09 1.51

3 human resources management 5.51 1.24

4 industrial design 5.39 1.36

5 efficient management 6.01 1.06

6 internal communication 5.74 1.15

7 sales and marketing 6.13 1.09

Table 8
Importance of internal factors influencing economic success of the company

Added value of industrial design

During the survey, representatives of the surveyed companies were asked to es­
timate on average, by what percentage the use of a good product design, which
meets the needs of the market, increases the product value/price in their sector.
Every fourth of the surveyed companies estimated that a good design increases
the product’s value by over 25% (Diagram 117). The added value of design is
especially clear in the “furniture and interior furnishings” and “ceramics and
glass” sectors, where 26% and 20% of the surveyed, respectively, said that good
design increases the product’s value by over 40%. At the same time, a significant
percentage of the companies (17%) could not evaluate the impact of design on
the product’s value, which is a proofs an absence of credible, objective measures
which would allow the companies to determine the added value of industrial
design. The added value of design is estimated at the lowest level in sectors like
“investment products”, “domestic appliances and audio/video devices, comput­
ers” and “means of transport”, where a prevailing number of companies show an

27)  In analysis “1”meant “is of no importance to economic success of the companies” and “7” meant “is of key im­
portance”.
091

increase in the product’s value due to the use of good design not exceeding 10%
(Diagram 118). On the other hand, design leaders evaluate the added value of
design decidedly higher than other companies. They believe almost three times
more often that good design increases the product’s value by even more than
40% (Diagram 119).

Variables used in the analysis

Questions representing indicators in the use of industrial design:


P7. Over the last 12 months, has your company used professional design in the
following areas of its activity?
A. Communication and brand (information brochures, packaging, graphics, sta­
tionary, logo).
B. Industrial product and design.
C. Interiors and exhibition activity (purchase point design, arrangement of of­
fice/production premises, lighting, exhibition stands).
D. D. Multimedia (website, animations, multimedia presentations).
P74. And what was the company’s expenditure on industrial design in 2006?
P75. If you cannot quote the exact expenditure of the company on industrial
design, could you please tell us in the range it was included in?
Questions representing indicators of company development and size:
P66. What was the company’s turnover in 2006?
P67. If you cannot quote the exact turnover of the company, could you please tell
us what range it was included in?
M9. How many people are employed by your company (on either full-time or
part-time basis)?

Initial operations on variables

Before the commencement of the analysis, it was necessary to prepare the above
variables in order to introduce them into models, which examine the dependen­
cies between industrial design and company development. The variable describ­
ing expenditure on industrial design (P74) was supplemented by the information
from the variable P75. The persons, who have not supplied the exact amount
spent on industrial design but only an interval containing that amount, were
assigned values representing the middle of the intervals they indicated. In this
way, the variable determining the amount spent on design was supplemented.
Despite applying the above operation, 151 companies still remained, where the
expenditure on industrial design was impossible to determine. A similar trans­
formation was carried out in the case of the company’s turnover. The variable
092

determining the level of turnover (P66) was supplemented by the information


from variable P67. Also here, the middle points of the intervals indicated by the
respondents were used. In this case, the researchers did not manage to deter­
mine the turnover level in 135 companies. Further analyses were only carried
out based on the companies, for which the researchers managed to determine
the values of the above variables.

Description of the applied analysis

Linear regression analysis and variance analysis were used, to analyse the re­
sults of the survey.
Regression analysis aims at building a linear equation between a series of in­
dependent variables and a dependent variable. During the construction of the
equation, the coefficients corresponding to each independent variable are de­
fined in a way which allows for predicting values of the dependent variable in
the most exact way possible. Thanks to this method, we can determine how much
the values of the dependent variable will change depending on the changes in
the individual independent variables. In regression analysis, it is assumed that
the variables should at least be at the interval level of measurement.
Variance analysis is a method whereby we can determine if a given series of in­
dependent variables (measured on the nominal measurement level) are connec­
ted in a significant way with the dependent variable. More exactly, it allows us
to answer the question if the differences between the average levels of the depen­
dent variable on various levels of the independent variable can be recognised as
significant on the level of the population represented by the drawn sample.
Regression analysis was used to build a model of the dependence between the
amount of expenditure on industrial design (independent variable) and the level
of the company’s turnover (dependent variable). It was assumed that the more
the company spends on design, the higher turnover it should achieve. Since the
dependence between the company’s turnover and expenditure on design may be
influenced by the company’s size itself, an additional control variable represent­
ing the number of employees was introduced. Thanks to this, the researchers
were able to check how industrial design would relate to the company’s turnover,
assuming that all companies have the same number of employees; i.e. that in ge­
neral all companies are of a similar size. Such a possibility was achieved by intro­
ducing an additional independent variable “employment level” into the model.
A series of variance analysis were conducted in order to check whether the use of
industrial design in the individual areas of the company’s activity (communica­
tion and brand, product and industrial design, interiors and exhibition activity,
093

multimedia) is related to the level of the company’s turnover. The independent


variables adopted in the analysis were incorporated into the design in the in­
dividual activity areas, while the independent variable was represented by the
company’s turnover level. Additionally, like in the analysis described above, the
employment level was controlled. Thanks to the use of this method, it was pos­
sible to verify the hypothesis saying that companies using industrial design in
a given area achieve a higher turnover.
Based on a simple regression model, we can confirm that the answer to the ques­
tion, “Is expenditure on industrial design related to the company’s turnover?”
is positive – increase in expenditure on industrial design by PLN 1 results in
the increase in turnover by PLN 17.67. However, this model did not take into
consi­deration the size of the company, while both the expenditure in industrial
design and the company’s turnover to a large extent depends on the company’s
size. After introducing a variable related to the employment level into the model,
the independent impact of expenditure on design on the company’s size de­
creased and lost statistical significance. Such impact might exist – but we cannot
prove it based on the data from a limited number of cases, which we had at our
disposal in this survey.
Variance analysis was also used to check whether the use or absence of use of
professional design in 4 selected activity areas of the company is connected in
some way with the company’s turnover. This dependence was again controlled
with respect to the employment level. Based on the results obtained, we can say
that while the use of professional design in the “product and industrial design”
and “interiors and exhibition activity” areas shows a relation to the company’s
turnover, we cannot observe such a dependence in case of the use of design in
the “communication and brand” and “multimedia” areas.
We should clearly stress here, that the presented results would need to be veri­
fied in a survey carried out on a larger scale, using precise, hard variables (which
is difficult to achieve in the situation where as a rule, Polish companies refuse
to answer questions about economic ratios). To carry out valuable analysis, we
would need data from a representative sample numbering at least 300 entities.
In the survey, the respondents were also asked if the role of industrial design
in the company had increased or decreased over the last years, and if the com­
pany’s turnover had increased or decreased over the last years. The conducted
analysis show existence of a connection between the variables: wherever the
role of industrial design grows, the company’s turnover also grows. The employ­
ment level does not change this dependency.
094

The analysis discussed here were carried out on the data found by the resear­
chers – the main goal of the analysis was to prove that the use of industrial
design influences (is a reason of) a better culture or development of companies.
However, causative dependencies are difficult to prove without using experi­
mental research for that purpose. The data on which the analysis was carried
out allows us to establish a dependency between the use of industrial design and
the company’s turnover. Yet we do not know whether the use of design results
in an increase of the turnover, or maybe conversely – larger companies have
more funds for investments in design. The observed relationships may also have
their cause in a third variable, not controlled in the survey. In order to achieve
a higher certainty of conclusions, employment level was controlled, thanks to
which the relation between the variables we were interested in could be separat­
ed from the company’s size. However, we cannot conclusively establish whether
other essential factors, which also influence the use of design and the company’s
turnover, had not been omitted.

9.8. Methods of acquiring product designs (sources on information about


designers, the way of acquiring offers, position of the designer in the
organization)

In general, we can say that Polish companies develop new product designs on
their own. They acquire new product designs most often through an in-house de­
velopment of a design based on observing the competition in the domestic or fore­
ign market (Diagram 120). Trade fairs and exhibitions are an important source
of information, which allows the company to develop a design of their own, as
well as the information published in the press and in the trade publications.
Every fourth surveyed company acquires product designs from foreign partners.
Less than one fifth of companies order new product designs from professional
designers. Polish companies buy licences even less often: this way of acquiring
product designs is employed by just every tenth of the surveyed companies. Of
course, this depends on the sector specifics – not all the sectors manufacture
products for which a licence is granted. The services of professional designers
were most often used over the last 3 years by companies from the “investment
products” and “ceramics and glass” sectors. Such services were relatively least
often used by companies from the “lighting” sector, though that sector seems to
be one where professional designers have a lot to offer (Diagram 121).
It can be noticed that large companies use the services of professional designers,
more often than small or medium ones. Without a doubt, this is associated with
the fact that they can afford to employ such a designer more often. Large com­
095

panies also acquire new designs from foreign partners more often. It seems that
small and medium companies are often afraid of the risks involved in employing
a professional designer, whose services they can see as expensive and not giving
a 100% guarantee of cost-effectiveness (Diagram 122). Interestingly, companies
from the design leaders group use the services of professional designers equally
often as other companies, but more often than the latter, also use other varied
ways of acquiring designs (Diagram 123).
The high costs are the main reason why the companies do not use the services of
their own or external designers. This barrier is indicated by four out of ten com­
panies not using designer services. Every third of the surveyed companies is
convinced that its products do not require special design, and hence they do not
have to make use of specialist design services. Every third of the surveyed com­
panies expresses the belief that such services are unnecessary, because they
themselves know how to develop a new product design (Diagram 124).
When deciding to use external, professional services, companies as a rule un­
dertake cooperation with a specific designer. They decidedly less often decide
for cooperation with a design studio, or, for the purposes of economy, with stu­
dents of design (Diagram 125). As a rule, companies place a direct order, when
undertaking cooperation with external designers. The instances when they un­
dertake cooperation, which is based on a closed or open competition is rare
(Diagram 126).
Companies which use the services of external designers in most cases expect
their cooperation on each stage of works on a new product. Nevertheless, a con­
siderable part of companies expect the designer to only deliver the external form
of the design itself (Diagram 127). In general, in the surveyed companies mak­
ing use of the services of external designers, their knowledge of methods for
developing a product with a high market potential is evaluated rather positively,
though only every fourth of these companies evaluates that knowledge very high
(Diagram 128).
Most of the companies taking advantage of the services of external designers
are convinced that during work on the design the responsibilities are always, or
as a rule, clearly defined in relation to each of the parties (the company and the
designer). Nevertheless, every tenth of the companies admitted that in reality
things can look different (Diagram 129).
At the moment of starting cooperation on a new design, most often the parties
agree jointly what the designer’s duties will include and what he/she will be
responsible for. It happens less often that the company unilaterally imposes on
the designer the scope of his/her duties and responsibilities. However, there also
096

situations, though decidedly less frequent ones, where it is the designer who
determines the terms of cooperation (Diagram 130).
It seems that misunderstandings between the designers and representatives of
the company at various stages of work on a new design are not rare. This is open­
ly confirmed by over 1/3 companies cooperating with external designers. The
absence of any misunderstandings is only mentioned by a little les than 1/10 of
the companies (Diagram 131). Most of the companies (89%), which confirm the
occurrence of misunderstandings with designers, claim that in a conflict situa­
tion the parties work out a compromise. Others say that as a rule the company’s
arguments are accepted.
Disputes and misunderstandings between representatives of the company and
an external designer most often concern the main idea of the design and various
design conceptions, finances, or result from the insufficient familiarity of the
designer with the technology used by the company (Diagram 132).
The main and most frequently used source of information by the company, on
the designers working for the sector is the Internet (Diagram 133), which only
slightly outdistances the trade press. It is less often the case that companies,
when looking for information on designers, consult professional publications or
refer to such a proven source of information as references from friends. Less
than every tenth of the companies cooperating with external designers look for
information about designers in the Institute of Industrial Design (Instytut Wzor­
nictwa Przemysłowego) publications.

9.9. Determining motivations and barriers for acquisition, implementa-


tion and launching of new product designs
9.9.1. Motivations for launching of new designs/design products by the
company

When launching new designs/design products, companies expect first of all to


acquire a new group of customers (61%). The second most essential motivation
for such actions is the desire to form an innovative and modern image of the
company (43%). We should stress that motivations connected with the desire to
obtain a higher price for the product were indicated least often (27%) (Diagram
134). Acquisition of a new group of customers is an especially strong motivation
for companies from the “ceramics and glass”, “means of transport” and “sports
goods” sectors, while being perceived as an innovative and modern company is
particularly important for companies from the “investment products”, “domestic
appliances and audio/video devices, computers” and “means of transport” sector.
The fact that the main motivations for launching new designs/design products
097

include simply development of the company is mentioned by representatives of


the “investment products” and “furniture and interior furnishings” sector more
often than by others (Diagram 135). Development of the company is especially
important for large companies, which in turn less often than smaller companies
indicate the desire to acquire a new group of customers, or to shape the image of
the company as a customer-friendly one. Large companies also more often than
small and medium-sized companies want to gain a competitive advantage over
other companies. In turn, small companies somewhat more often than medium-
-sized and large ones want to distinguish themselves from the competition by
launching new design products (Diagram 136).
“Design leaders” do not differ clearly from other companies with respect to the
motivations for launching new design products. We can only notice that in their
case the desire to acquire a new group of customers is stressed less often, and
the desire to gain a competitive importance – more often (Diagram 137).

9.9.2. Barriers to acquisition of new design solutions

Representatives of the surveyed companies were asked to list the main barriers
to acquisition of new design solutions. This was an open question, which the
respondents could answer freely, without being limited to selecting one of the
proposed answers. Over 1/4 of the surveyed representatives could not indicate
any barriers, and every tenth of them directly mentioned the absence of barriers.
This can be interpreted as a positive result – every third company surveyed does
not notice clear barriers hampering their access to new designs. Of course, this
is also due to the fact that part of the companies are not making much effort to
look for new designs. The other surveyed representatives listed a whole variety
of factors hampering acquisition of new design solutions. As could have been
expected, the most essential reason is decidedly the lack of available funds. De­
velopment of new designs costs and not all the companies can afford to develop
new designs frequently. This is especially a problem for small companies, which
more often than medium-sized and large ones stress the importance of just that
barrier (45% compared to 32% and 37%, respectively). Other obstacles were men­
tioned decidedly less often. Somewhat more numerous indications concerned
technological and production barriers, lack of adequately educated personnel
with appropriate technological expertise, decreasing consumer market, strong
competition, legal regulations and bureaucratic requirements. Only a few com­
panies indicated lack of professional design companies or appropriately creative
designers (3%) (Diagram 138).
098

9.9.3. Barriers in implementing and launching new design solutions

Similarly as in case of the barriers related to acquisition of new design solutions,


also in case of the barriers related to implementation of new design solutions rep­
resentatives of the surveyed companies gave free, open answers. Once more, the
basic barrier noted by the companies is the lack of funds for financing designs.
The companies often cannot afford implementation of new design solutions. This
barrier is indicated by almost every third company surveyed, whereby it is men­
tioned more often by representatives of small companies rather than of medium-
-sized and large companies (35% compared to 29% and 23%, respectively). Opin­
ions mentioning the obstacle in the form of lack of guarantee that the design
will be a success, also because of poor marketing, distribution, market demand,
as well as high market requirements connected with strong competition, appear
much less often. Part of the companies say that they lack the appropriate staff,
machinery, equipment and technology. Other obstacles include external factors,
such a deficiencies of materials, including raw mate­rials, or unreliable coope­
ration partners. There are isolated opinions mentioning bureaucracy and legal
regulations hampering implementation and marketing of new designs, as well
as the risk related to the inadequate protection of product designs, and their fast
copying by the competition. Over 1/3 surveyed companies cannot indicate any
barriers to implementation of new design solutions, or simply say that there are
no such barriers (Diagram 139).

9.10. Organization of the process of new product implementation and


launching (the way of organizing the process, existence of procedures,
the way of verifying the product’s potential and minimizing the market
risk, the difficulties perceived)

Just a little over 1/3 surveyed companies possess a separate unit responsible for
development of new products (Diagram 140). More often than in the companies
from other sectors, such units can be found in the “ceramics and glass”, “in­
vestment products” and “means of transport” sectors. Possession of a separate
organizational unit responsible for product development is least often declared
by companies from the “lighting” and “clothing, fabrics, footwear” sectors (Dia­
gram 141). The larger the company, the bigger the probability that it possesses
a separate organizational unit dealing with new products. Small companies
possess this type of unit twice less often than medium-sized ones and three
times less often than large companies (Diagram 142). Companies from the “de­
sign leaders” group do not distinguish themselves in an essential way from other
099

companies in that respect, though we can observe a tendency indicating their


slight advantage in that matter (Diagram 143).
In the surveyed companies, the unit responsible for the development of new
products is most often the marketing department, and slightly less often the new
product department. Another type of organizational units, including such as
the strategy department, construction office, design department, are more rarely
responsible for the development of new products (Diagram 144). Only a small
part of the companies possess organizational units employing a lot of people.
More than every third company has a unit with employment limited to maxi­
mum 2 people. Six out of ten companies employ no more than 4 people in such
a unit. On the one hand, this is probably connected with the various needs of
the individual companies, and on the other hand – with their different financial
possibilities (Diagram 145).
A factor of essential importance for efficient organization of the implementation
process for a new product is whether there are proven implementation proce­
dures in place in the company. Companies which (according to their declara­
tions) have procedures for new product implementation in place prevail. How­
ever, four companies out of ten do not have such procedures (Diagram 146).
Companies representing different sectors do not differ clearly with respect to the
frequency of their use of implementation procedures. We can only observe that
the functioning of such procedures is a bit less often declared by companies from
the “sports goods” sector than by other ones, and a bit more often by companies
from the “ceramics and glass” sector (Diagram 147). A factor differentiating the
companies with respect to the probability of possessing implementation proce­
dures is the company’s size. Large companies clearly more often than small and
medium-sized companies say that they possess special implementation proce­
dures (Diagram 148). Also membership in the design leaders groups facilitates
possession of such procedures. Companies which launch a lot of new products,
and in general make use of completely new industrial design when doing this,
distinguish themselves clearly favourably from other companies (Diagram 149).
A decisive majority of the companies which possess proven implementation pro­
cedures for new products distinguish and document in writing all major stages
of work on a new design, from developing the design assumptions through the
implementation of the new design. The last stage is documented most often
(Diagram 150). However, there are also companies which do not document the
individual stages of work on a new design. We should add here that companies
which have not declared having proven implementation procedures decidedly
less often document in writing the individual stages of work on a new product
100

design. In this way they certainly contribute to the troubles which appear later
(such that e.g. problems with reproducing the actions and procedures if a correc­
tion or modification of the design becomes necessary later).
An important element of the implementation process are clearly defined crite­
ria for evaluating the new design. Though most surveyed companies specify
the design evaluation criteria when establishing the design assumptions, a con­
siderable part of companies do not specify such criteria in advance. This can
lead to disputes with the designer, and can also make the whole implementa­
tion process more difficult (Diagram 151). The sector which most often confirms
the functioning of clearly specified design evaluation criteria is “lighting”. In
turn, their functioning is least often mentioned by representatives of the com­
panies from the “furniture and interior furnishings” and “domestic appliances
and audio/video devices, computers” sectors (Diagram 152). The growing size
of companies is accompanied by a growing probability that establishment of the
design assumptions involves establishment of the design evaluation criteria as
well (Diagram 153). Design leaders slightly more often than other companies
declare that they specify the design evaluation criteria at the stage of establish­
ing the design assumptions. This can be a proof of their more serious approach
to new designs (Diagram 154).
The general importance assigned by companies to new designs is shown by the
fact that in the majority of companies the decisions on selecting a new design
are made either by the top management, or collectively, by representatives of dif­
ferent departments of the company (Diagram 155). In small companies, a clearly
dominant model is that of decisions made by the top management or by the com­
pany’s owner. Though this model is also the most frequent one in large compa­
nies, yet in such companies the decisions on selecting a new design have a more
collective character clearly more often than in small and medium-sized ones,
and are made by the representatives of various departments (Diagram 156).

9.10.1. Ways of verifying the product’s potential and minimizing the mar-
ket risk

One of the most important barriers encountered by companies planning to


launch a new product is the uncertainty of its market success. The more deve­
lopment and implementation of a new design cost, the greater the risk and the
company’s fears. Hence it is extremely important for the companies to under­
take actions which allow to minimize that risk. The most common of them (used
by almost half the companies), as well as an inexpensive one, is observation of
the domestic market. We can think that such a method is to a larger or smaller
101

extent applied by all companies. The second most frequent one is calculation of
financial profitability (36%), and the third – research into customer preferences
(29%). Relatively popular actions include also acquisition of information from
sales representatives or distributors, prototype testing, watching the behaviour
of the main competitors, acquisition of information at trade fairs or observing
the events in foreign markets. Only every tenth company is trying to eliminate
the risk connected with a newly introduced product first of all by a precise speci­
fication of the aims and criteria for design evaluation (Diagram 157).
Research into consumers’ needs and preferences is one of the major tools aimed
at ensuring the market success of new products. However, the representative of
every fifth company surveyed spontaneously admits that his-her company does
not research the consumers’ preferences during work on a new product. Compa­
nies which research the consumers’ preferences most often do it before commen­
cing development of the assumptions for the new design. At other stages of new
product development, research is carried out much less often (Diagram 158).
When indicating the three main sources of the company’s knowledge of consu­
mers’ needs, the surveyed representatives list most often observations of the
market (68%), and following that the information acquired from sales representa­
tives (43%), and obtained at the trade fairs and exhibitions (42%). Four out of ten
surveyed companies mentioned as one of the main sources of their knowledge
of consumers the company’s own expertise. Only 13% companies declared that
their basic knowledge of consumers and their needs comes from the conducted
research. More often it is the case that such knowledge is taken from internal
surveys carried out among the company’s employees (Diagram 159). Hence we
can see that companies choose direct methods of reaching the consumers and
learning their needs, which can lead to wrong conclusions and result in launch­
ing a “wrong” product. Only a negligible part of companies which declare car­
rying out consumer research make use of the services of professional research
companies (4%). Most of the companies carry out consumer research on their
own (Diagram 160).
None of the surveyed sectors does not distinguish itself in a substantially posi­
tive way with respect to making use of the services of professional research
companies when carrying out consumer research. In some sectors, none of the
companies has declared the use of such services, while in others only a few
percents of companies has made such declarations. Since the use of the services
of professional research companies is a rare phenomenon, and the sector repre­
sentation is not too numerous, one can hardly speak of statistically significant
102

differences. However, research carried out on a large sample might be able to


spot the sectors leading in that respect (Diagram 161).
When it comes to the frequency of using the services of research companies,
large companies have only a slight advantage over small and medium-sized
ones (Diagram 162). Also the “design leaders” position does not imply a more
frequent use of consumer research services provided by professional research
companies (Diagram 163).
Part of the companies do not make use of consumer or marketing research servi­
ces for financial reasons, part of them either do not see such a need or do not
trust such research. Sometimes it can also happen that companies are unable to
translate the results of marketing research to specific actions, for the aforemen­
tioned results are either ambiguous or difficult to interpret for them. Companies
which have no decisive opinion as to the usefulness of the data coming from
marketing research dominate (Diagram 164). Every fourth surveyed company
thinks that as a rule the results of marketing research are difficult to interpret,
and decisions made on their basis are risky. Only every third among all the
surveyed companies is of the opinion that as a rule the results of marketing
research provide clear data, which allow for making a decision on launching
a new product.
Almost all (91%) companies which make use of professional research agencies’
services when carrying out marketing research have a positive opinion on their
usefulness and clarity. Companies which conduct such research on their own
are clearly more reserved in their opinions – only according to 30% of them
the results of marketing research as a rule provide clear data which allow for
making a decision on launching a new product (this may follow from the lack
of adequate knowledge and competences for carrying out such research and
interpreting its results).

9.10.2. Difficulties encountered by a company during work on new pro­


ducts

Only 4% among all the surveyed companies either state that they do not encoun­
ter any difficulties during works on new products or cannot specifically indicate
such difficulties (Diagram 165). The basic difficulties follow from insufficient
or wrongly executed works on the initial stage of design development. Most of­
ten the difficulties during the work on a new product reported by companies
amount to the necessity of introducing corrections in the product design, and
– which is related to the former – an insufficiently precise specification of the
assumptions at the beginning of the project. These factors are pointed out by
103

the total of 64% respondents. In addition, close to 1/5 respondents report dif­
ficulties connected with imprecise description of all the elements of the design,
and the same number of them mention difficulties following from the designer’s
failure to take into consideration the capabilities and limitations of the selected
technology. Every fourth company surveyed lists among the basic difficulties
the failure to keep the schedule and exceeding the planned time for preparation
of the product design. Hence we can say that the basic difficulties follow from
insufficient preparation of the companies to the implementation process already
from its very beginning.
The result of errors made by companies at the different stages of the implemen­
tation process are designs which have failed to find their final embodiment
through a market launch. The occurrence of such a phenomenon over the last
3 years is confirmed by almost every third company surveyed (Diagram 166).
These cases are mentioned more often by companies from the “clothing, fabrics,
footwear”, “furniture and interior furnishings”, “ceramics and glass”, “sports
goods” as well as “lighting”, sectors, and more rarely by companies from the
“domestic appliances and audio/video devices, computers”, “means of transport”
and “investment products” sectors (Diagram 167). Failures of works on a new
product design have happened equally often to small, medium-sized and large
companies (Diagram 168). Failed product designs happened twice more often
to companies having a lot of new designs to their credit than to those that have
implemented fewer such designs (Diagram 169). This confirms to some extent
the importance assigned by design leaders to the issues of new product design:
undaunted by failures, they implement subsequent designs.
Half the companies which have experienced failed product designs over the last 3
years say that this has concerned maximally 2 designs, but as many as 13% com­
panies have suffered more than 10 failures. These are as a rule companies which
have launched a lot of new designs over that time (half of them are companies
which have launched over 50 of them), and hence the risk of some of them failing
has been greater than in case of “less productive” companies (Diagram 170).
The reason for the failure of a new design has most often been its divergence
from the consumers’ needs. Almost every third company having bad experience
with new product designs says that the last failed design has been unable to
raise the customer’s interest, has been inappropriate (which includes being too
luxurious or too modern). This result again confirms the importance of research
into consumers’ preferences during the development of a new product. In many
sectors, a failed product design cost many times more than carrying out market­
ing research. Other more important reasons for design failure include lack of
104

acceptance by the orderer, excessive production costs, excessive final price of


the product, too high production or distribution costs, as well as various types of
technological limitations (Diagram 171).
In the responders’ opinion, the effectiveness of work on a new product design is
most often decreased by the necessity to introduce diverse modifications, either in
order to define more precisely the design aims (23%), or due to additional data ap­
pearing in the course of work on the design (22%). Other, more rarely mentioned
factor which decreases the effectiveness of work on a product design is its diver­
gence with technological, budget or market assumptions. Some of the surveyed
representatives indicated also the company’s organizational structure as a factor
decreasing the effectiveness of work on a new product design (Diagram 172).

9.11. Methods of intellectual property protection – use and efficiency as-


sessment

Please make a note that 3/4 of the companies included in the research emphasized
the role of design when preparing company’s new projects as key or significant.
Therefore it may seem strange that less than half of the companies use own design
protection methods (Diagram 173). Especially companies from industries such as:
“clothing, fabrics, footwear”, “household appliances and audio/video devices/com­
puters” are not very thrifty in this respect (Diagram 174). This can result from the
fact that design in these sectors is very diverse and even when protecting a design
it is difficult to prevent it from being copied and to track such cases. Many prod­
ucts in these sectors have a “short lifespan” and are quickly outrivaled by new
designs, which could also not be favourable to their protection.
There is a tendency to use means of protection alongside the expansion of the
company as the expansion for own designs also increases. Large companies use
intellectual property protection methods nearly twice as often as small compa­
nies and one and a half times as often as medium-sized companies (Diagram
175). It can also be noticed that in reference to own products, the methods of pro­
tection of intellectual property are more often used by companies with long-term
presence on the market than by companies with shorter presence (22% of com­
panies present on the market less than 10 years and 68% of companies present
on the market for over 30 years). It is somewhat surprising that the leaders in the
area of design are no different than the remaining companies with respect to
the tendency to protect their own designs (44% of them claim use of some intel­
lectual property protection methods).
With reference to products of enterprises included in the research, trademark
registration is the most popular (56%) method of intellectual property protec­
105

tion, whereas utility model protection is the second most popular method (46%)
(Diagram 176). The group, which applies protection methods used by enterprises
and specified as “Other” (2%), the respondents mentioned such solutions as: cer­
tificates, civil law agreements or documentation confidentiality.
Only every fourth company that applies some methods of intellectual property
protection considers themselves to be fully efficient. Every fifth company believes
that the used methods are not very efficient (Diagram 177). Company’s failure to
apply the intellectual property protection methods and their not always proper
efficiency result in the fact that more than every third respondent out of all com­
panies included in the research confirms the fact that their design/designs was
copied by the competition (Diagram 178). Such experiences are more frequent
among companies in the following lines of business: “furniture and interior fur­
nishings”, “investment products” and “lighting” (Diagram 179). It is worth em­
phasizing that these are sectors, which usually apply some methods of protection
to their own designs. Perhaps it is that companies/sectors, which are not so eager
to protect their designs, are also not often consumed by tracking the cases of their
copying (for instance companies from the sector: “clothing, fabrics, shoes”).
It is difficult to asses the problems associated with ethics or breaking the law in
a quantitative research. Especially that it is worth mentioning that 11% of the
respondents admitted to intentional or unintentional copying of design of others
(Diagram 180). Surely not all companies that did it, admitted thereto. This im­
plies that in Poland the attitude towards intellectual property is still rather uncon­
strained. On one hand the companies do not protect their designs very rigorously
and on the other hand they appropriate designs of others quite often. Companies
from the following sectors: “lighting”, “furniture and interior furnishings” and
“clothing, fabrics and footwear” admit to copying designs of others somewhat more
often than other companies. Two first sectors most often signal copying of their
designs by others (Diagram 181). The size of the company does not have an im­
pact on the “tendency” to copy the designs of others (Diagram 182). Intentional or
unintentional copying of the designs of others was a bit more common among the
leaders in the area of design than among other companies (Diagram 183).

9.12. Financial data of enterprises included in the research (2006 turno-


ver, 2006 expenditures for industrial design, share of expenditures for
design in R&D costs)

One of the objectives of the research was to obtain financial data from enter­
prises, including data referring to turnover, expenditures for research and de­
velopment, expenditures for design. Unfortunately this objective turned out to
106

be quite difficult to achieve. Many companies refused to provide their finan­


cial data. When answering at all, the respondents were more willing to provide
answers with reference to value ranges rather than absolute values, which in
consequence made it impossible to calculate the average values or precise indi­
cators. Representatives of enterprises included in the research were also more
willing to answer the questions concerning the dynamics of financial indicators
rather than questions concerning the indicators as such. In consequence the
financial data presented below refers to approximately half of the enterprises
included in the research.

Turnover of the company

In 2006 turnover of every sixth company included in the research did not exceed
500 thousand PLN, and of every fourth company did not exceed 1 million PLN.
Nearly every third company generated turnover within the range of 1-5 million
PLN. The same number of companies generated turnover, which exceeded 10
million PLN (Diagram 184). It is rather obvious that small companies have lower
turnover than medium-sized and large companies. They declare a turnover in
the lowest range of up to 500 thousand PLN more often than these companies
and less often generate income in the top range, which exceeds 10 million PLN.
Large companies clearly generate turnover of over 10 million PLN, more often
than small and medium-sized companies . Such turnover is declared by more
than 2/3 of large companies, of which 1/4 declare turnover of over PLN 50 mil­
lion (Diagram 185.). The design leaders are included in every category of turno­
ver subject to the research, however they most often generate turnover of more
than 5 million PLN (62% in comparison with 43%) (Diagram 186).
Most companies included in the research (nearly 2/3) claim that in their turnover
grew in course of the recent 3. Only some mention a drop in turnover (Diagram
187). The following, include sectors, in which increase of turnover was most com­
mon: “furniture and interior furnishings” and “investment products.” Smallest
turnover dynamics can be observed in the sector of “lighting” (Diagram 188).
Large and medium-sized companies have shown an increased of turnover in
the recent 3 years, when compared to the smaller companies. Small companies
generated a more stable turnover, when compared with large and medium-sized
companies (Diagram 189). Leaders in the area of design, thus companies that
are distinctive with respect to new products, which were introduced to the mar­
ket within the 3 years and the in recent 12 months, have claimed an increase of
turnover in the past 3 years, more often than when compared with the remaining
companies (Diagram 190).
107

Companies, which in the past 3 years recorded an increase in turnover:

> also claim that within that period, the expenditures for design increased 3.5
times as much as when compared with the remaining companies (57% in
comparison with 16%),

> consider the role of industrial design to be a key factor in developing new
designs, up to 1.7 as often than when compared with other companies (20%
in comparison with 12%).

Expenditures for research and development

Polish companies do not allocate extensive resources on research and develop­


ment. In 2006 every fifth company allocated no more than 10 thousand PLN for
this purpose, slightly over half of the companies spent no more than 50 thousand
PLN. Only 8% of companies claimed extensive expenditures for this purpose,
which exceeded 500 thousand PLN (Diagram 191). Alongside company expan­
sion, the percentage of companies, which allocated relatively small resources that
do not exceed 10 thousand PLN (Diagram 192)? Such expenditures are incurred
by nearly every third small company, and only by every tenth large company.
None of the small companies claimed expenditures exceeding 500 thousand
PLN. Such claims were made by every tenth medium-sized company. Among
the large companies every fourth one claimed to have exceeded this amount.
Lea­ders in the area of design more often than other companies spend amounts,
which exceeded 100 thousand PLN for research and development; they limit
their expenditures to the amount of 10 thousand PLN less often (Diagram 193).
Nearly half of the companies included in the research, increased their expendi­
tures for research and development over the past 3 years. In case of half of the
companies the expenditures remained on a stable level. Only a small part of
companies recorded a decrease of expenditures allocated to this purpose during
this period (Diagram 194). The sector, which least often claimed the increase of
expenditures for research and development, is the “household appliances/audio/
video devices and computers.” The sector “furniture and interior furnishings”
can be distinguished positively on this background (Diagram 195). Even thought
the differences in results for different sized companies are not too considerable,
still it is possible to observe a trend, that alongside the increase of the size of the
company, the probability of increase of expenditures for research and develop­
ment in the recent years also increases (Diagram 196). The leaders in the area of
design claim an increase of expenditures for research and development over the
period of the recent 3 years, more often than other companies (Diagram 197).
108

Expenditures for industrial design

Similarly as the expenditures for research and development, also the expendi­
tures of Polish companies for industrial design can hardly be considered high.
More than every third company in the year 2006 allocated not more than 10 thou­
sand PLN for this purpose, nearly 2/3 of companies spent no more than 50 thou­
sand PLN. Extensive expenditures for this purpose, exceeding PLN 500 thou­
sand were claimed by only 6% of the companies (Diagram 198). Small companies
differ more clearly in this respect from medium-sized and large companies. In
2006 nearly half of them spent no more than 10 thousand PLN for industrial de­
sign (Diagram 199). Share of such expenditures in the group of medium-sized
and large companies is clearly lower, even though similar among the medium-
-sized and large companies. Claims concerning high expenditures for industrial
design, exceeding 1 million PLN, appeared only among large companies. In
comparison with other companies the leaders in the area of design nearly twice
less often declare having spent less than 10 thousand PLN for industrial design.
Nonetheless, this refers to 20% of companies in this category (Diagram 200).
Dynamics of expenditures for design in the period of the past 3 years was similar to
the dynamics of expenditures for research and development. The companies includ­
ed in the research are more willing to declare stability in this area rather than in the
area of industrial design (Diagram 201). Taking into consideration the sectors in­
cluded in the research one can notice that the dynamics of expenditures for design
is smaller in the sector “sports goods” and “means of transport” (Diagram 202).
Increase of expenditures for design, even though poorly, still correlates with the
size of the company. The larger the company the higher the probability that in
the past 3 years the company recorded increase of expenditures for industrial
design (Diagram 203). Leaders in the area of design clearly more often than
other companies declare an increase of expenditures for industrial design in the
part 3 years (Diagram 204).

Companies, which in the past 3 years recorded increase of expenditures for de­
sign:

> talk nearly 2 times more often about an increase of turnover in the recent 3
years, than the remaining companies (85% in comparison with 45%),

> say 3 times more often that also the export dynamics grew over the past 3
years, the remaining companies (78% in comparison with 26%)28),

28)  Data for exporting companies.


109

> are convinced 2.4 times more often than other companies that design is some­
thing worth investing in (58% in comparison with 24%).

Percentage of expenditures for design in total expenditures of the com-


pany and expenditures for research and development

Expenditures for design usually constitute only a small percentage of total ex­
penditures of the company. More than half of the companies identify this share
as not more than 4%. Nonetheless there are also companies (more or less every
eighth company), in case of which expenditures for design exceed 20% of total
expenditures (Diagram 205). Less than half of the companies included in the re­
search (49%), includes expenditures for development of new design products in
the R&D costs, the ones that do so were also asked for the percentage of expen­
ditures for research and development in the development of new products. The
answers indicated that design does not constitute a dominant component in the
expenditures that the companies allocate for research and development. More
than 2/3 of companies that include expenditures for design in expenditures for
research and development declare that their share does not constitute more than
10% (Diagram 206).

9.13. Leaders in the area of design

As a reminder – a group of leaders in the area of design was distinguished in


course of the research (this group constitutes 15% of the sample group). Taking
a closer look at this group allows for a characterisation of companies, which suc­
cessfully use industrial design.
Leaders in the area of design are most common in sectors such as “clothing,
fabrics, shoes”, “ceramics and glass” and “furniture and interior furnishings”
(Diagram 207). Therefore it is possible to say that these sectors are the ones that
are leading in the area of use of design.
Leaders in the area of design usually include large and medium-sized compa­
nies (Diagram 208). Affiliation to this group decreases by two-fold in the prob­
ability that the company does not export its goods, whereas it increases the odds
that export constitutes more than 50% of company’s turnover (Diagram 209).
Leaders in the area of design over the past 3 years clearly more often than the
remaining companies recorded an increase of: export (Diagram 210), turno­
ver (Diagram 211), expenditures for research and development (Diagram 212)
and expenditures for industrial design (nearly twice as often as the remaining
companies) (Diagram 213), but also more often than the remaining companies
110

regularly or permanently employ an external designer (Diagram 214) or in-house


designer (Diagram 215) to work on new designs.

9.14. Postulates formulated in relation to the administration (for instance


the Ministry of Economy) and in relation to the Institute of Industrial
Design

The research indicated that nearly half of the respondents do not understand the
role, that the administration could play in order to facilitate introduction of new
design projects to the market (Diagram 216), which probably results from lack
of knowledge about support programmes and instruments available in other
countries. The respondents submit to the administration postulates concerning
mainly different types of subsidies, grants and aid programmes for implementa­
tion of design, as well as legal changes consisting in verification of regulations
and standards that are often not adjusted to the present-day realities, in order to
facilitate the implementation of assumed objectives to enterprises.
Among the other most frequently mentioned proposals in relation to the admin­
istration refer to:

> organizing and financing trade fairs, competitions, catalogue publishing and
general promotion of Polish companies on the international forum, especially
enterprises or entire innovative sectors, following the example of Korea, Ja­
pan or Scandinavian countries,

> lowering costs of conducting business, including taxes, certification and costs
of intellectual property protection,

> protection of Polish enterprises against import, especially the one of Asian
origin,

> control and elimination of grey zone,

> allocation of more resources for research and scientific and technological de­
velopment, which shall generate advantages to the enterprises.

Representatives of Polish enterprises are interested in operation of institution


such as the Institute of Industrial Design that professionally supports the de­
velopment of design in enterprises in the area of promotion, research, analyses,
consultancy and education.
111

9.15. Summary

Polish entrepreneurs are more likely to appreciate the significance of design.


60% of the enterprises subject to the research are talking about the increase in
the role of design within the company in the recent years and most respondents
(65%) are convinced that in the coming years, there will be a further increase
in the role of design. Only in some enterprises there is a belief that design is not
worth investing in. Most representatives of companies subject to the research
(86%) believe that the investment is profitable.
Research results unambiguously prove that design is worth investing in. Com­
panies, in which the expenditures for design increased over the past 3 years:

> in the recent 3 years, speak about the increase of turnover almost 2 times as
often as the other companies (85% in comparison with 45%),

> 3 times more often than the remaining companies they say that the export
dynamics have also grown over the past 3 years (78% in comparison with
26%)29),

> 2.4 times more often than other companies are convinced that design is worth
investing in (58% in comparison with 24%).

It is worth noting that companies that consider the role of design to be key to its
business over the part 3 years introduced on average 4 times more new designs
than the remaining companies (54% in comparison with 13%) and consider the
competitiveness of their products on the domestic market to be very good, nearly
3 times more often (29% in comparison with 11%).
When evaluating the impact of design on different areas of its business, the com­
panies included in the research most often perceive its significance to customer
satisfaction, followed by to the image of the company, competitiveness of the
company and increase of profits. Approximately 1/3 of the companies included
in the research have a positive opinion on the indicators of company’s condition
in the last 12 months:

> competitiveness of the company (34%),

> increase in profits (32%),

> development of new markets (28%),

> increase in market share (27%),

29)  Data for exporting companies.


112

> increase in turnover (25%),

> general development of the company (27%).

Every fourth company subject to the research is convinced that a good design
increases the value of the product by more than 25%.
Even though the role of design is appreciated by Polish enterprises, nevertheless
the designs they use clearly differ from the designs operating in developed west­
ern countries. Only less than every fifth company ordered new designs from pro­
fessional designers in the part 3 years. Every third company included in the re­
search is convinced that its products do not require special design, and hence do
not need to use a specialist design services. Large companies used such services
more often than small or medium-sized companies. The main reason why compa­
nies do not use services of designers consists of high costs of such services.
Financing also constitutes a basic obstacle when acquiring new design solu­
tions, followed by the implementation of new designs and introducing them to
the market. Neatly every third company included in the research mentioned this
as an obstacle. This obstacle is especially severe for small companies. Nonethe­
less companies also encounter other obstacles. What stands in the way is among
others, is a no guarantee of success of the project, as well as extensive require­
ments of the market associated with severe competition.
Among the methods for minimizing market risk used by the companies; the
most popular is observing the domestic market, calculating the financial prof­
itability, examining the preferences of customers, acquiring information from
sales representatives and distributors, observing what the main competitors do,
acquiring information about industry trade fairs and observing the trends on the
foreign markets. Only small number of companies conducts consumer research,
using the services of professional research companies. It is worth noting that
many companies included in the research are convinced that interpretation of
marketing results is difficult and decisions made on the basis thereof are risky.
However, practically all companies using professional marking research have
positive opinion on the usefulness and clarity of the results of such research.
Basic difficulties which companies encounter when working on new designs re­
sult from insufficient of improperly conducted works on the initial stage of design
preparation. In consequence of errors made by companies at different stages of
the development process are designs which were not finalized by their introduc­
tion to the market. Occurrence of such phenomenon over the part 3 years is con­
firmed by every third company included in the research. The reason behind the
failure of a new project is usually its departing from the needs of the consumers.
113

Nearly every third company which had bad experiences with new designs says
that the last unsuccessful project did not meet the interest of customers.
Even though most companies subject to the research emphasize the key or im­
portant role of design when developing new designs of the company, still only
less than half of the companies use any methods of protection of own resources.
Most common method of protecting intellectual property is done by a registra­
tion of the trademark, and the second most common – by protection of the utility
morel. Efficiency of applied methods of protection of intellectual property is not
considered to be very good. It is reflected in the fact that more than every third
company included in the research confirms the fact that their design/designs
were copied by the competition. It is also worth emphasizing that 11% of the com­
panies included in the research admitted to intentional or unintentional copying
of the design of others. This percentage is surely higher and proves the uncon­
cerned attitude to intellectual property which can be still observed in Poland.
Results of the qualitative research 115

10.
Results
of the qualitative
research

SA, SB, SBW line of wall-mounted rangehoods


design: Łukasz Schmidt, Tomasz Gazdowicz
manufacturer: CIARKO Sp. z o.o.
Good Design 2006
116

10. Results of the qualitative research

10.1. Introduction

The report has an analytical nature, which implies that the data contained therein
are the outcome of analysis of information collected in course of interviews. In or­
der to familiarize the research participants with understanding of individual prob­
lems, the conclusions were supported by statements made by the respondents.
Terms used throughout the report are explained below. However, it should be
emphasized that most of them does not function in the natural language of the
respondents and were suggested by Ipsos:

> Design – this term was not present in spontaneous statements made by the
respondents. They rather used the term “design project” within the meaning
of giving the product external useful and aesthetic features. The word “de­
sign” appeared in an assisted manner, as a result of its use in the interview
guideline and in questions of the moderator.

> Innovations – we are using this term as superior in relation to design, as­
suming that design is one of the elements of innovation development in en­
terprises. In the spontaneous language of the respondents the term “innova­
tions” appeared sporadically. Conclusions in the report regarding product,
marketing or process innovations result from the analysis of statements of
the respondents, who did not speak about such innovations out. Therefore in
chapter 2.2. we conclude that the knowledge on design is poorly structured
among the research participants.

> Product – in the language of the respondents it is understood in its funda­


mental meaning, as an offer of the company (everything that a company can
offer to its buyers, which satisfies their specific needs). In this context design
is a part of the product.

> Selling and cross-selling – when talking about “selling” the respondents had
in mind sale of enterprise’s products. “Cross-selling” is understood as a stra­
tegy of selling subsequent products to the customers on the basis of their pre­
vious purchases (for instance buying an entire series of kitchen equipment,
instead of a its single element).
117

10.2. Summary and conclusions

> A favourable attitude towards the issue of industrial design development


and the conviction regarding its importance can be observed among the en­
terprises included in the research. Increase of product sales is considered to
be the basic role of design, followed by increase in equity, improvement of the
image, which in result gives the possibility to control the product price policy
and its competitiveness on the market.

> The belief that the Polish design has an increasingly better quality and vi­
sual presentation, even though it is still distances from the foreign tycoons
is quite common. Most enterprises perceive themselves as competitive on the
Polish market (they try to create trends – especially large companies). Some
of these companies also try to mark their presence on foreign markets, which
is already far more difficult. It creates an area for creative support and promo­
tion of the Polish design (Polish brands) on the European Union market (and
not only) by the public institutions.

> Product and marketing innovations are dominant trend among the enter­
prises, and less often – process innovations. Sectors dominant with respect of
design development, are the ones that operate on the market which requires
frequent changes and progress in the area of design.

> The emerging obstacles in relation to design innovativeness in enterprises


result from several main reasons:

… financial obstacles (insufficient resources for implementation),

… market-related uncertainty (is there a permanent demand for the product),

… limitations in the area of technology and human resources,

… legislative obstacles (extensive number of standards and legal regulations


connected with introduction of a new product).

> In the area of design management the companies use mainly own, indepen­
dently developed procedure schemes, instead of a general knowledge in the
area of innovations management. A common proves for management of a new
project emerges out of the diversity of sectors and specifics of operation of
individual companies:

… from preparation of project concept,


118

… through verification of initial assumptions (internally and outside the com­


pany) and budget estimate,

… all the way until the decision (usually decision of the Management Board) on
the approval and implementation of a new project.

> Intellectual property protection is used mainly among larger companies. It usu­
ally consists in registration of a trademark or a utility model, in the sector of in­
vestment products it can additionally be reservation of technological solutions.

… most entrepreneurs have a favourable attitude in relation of protection of in­


tellectual property of an enterprise, however measures undertaken by the
companies in relation to application of intellectual property protection meth­
ods result from a specific need of the company and the situation on the market
it operates on,

… scepticism connected with effectiveness of model protection is visible among


some entrepreneurs. It results from the awareness of globalization and fast
copying of models, extensive legal processes, lack of faith in settlements
advantageous for small companies. Therefore it is worth strengthening the
message concerning the advantages deriving from protection of intellectual
property and increase the availability of these procedures mainly to small
and medium-sized enterprises.

10.3. Attitudes towards innovation in the area of industrial design


General conclusions

Research participants unanimously recognize the importance of development


of industrial design and the advantages thereof. However the power of this con­
viction differs depending on the sector and market on which the company ope­
rates.
Polish design is perceived as less competitive than the European (and global)
one, however it is continuously developing. Mainly large companies consider
themselves to be innovative and competitive (also abroad). Smaller companies
feel as followers rather than creators in the area of design. Regardless of the
position, which the company takes with respect to quality and level of design,
nearly all enterprises actively promote their goods, in order to successfully reach
the end customer.
119

10.3.1. The role of industrial design and attitudes towards it

All representatives of enterprises subject to the research declare positive at-


titude towards the need to develop design and perceive its important role in
efficient operation of their company.
They consider the fundamental role of design to be:

> Increase of sales – important for all companies, however slightly more em­
phasized by smaller companies that are strongly dependent on the liquid­
ity of sales and profit. They are forced to eliminate the risk of failure to the
maximum – we have to survive on the market, this is the basis of out success.
At the same time the ides is to improve cross-selling, increase attractiveness
of the entire series/collection, in order to convince the customer to buy it, for
instance household appliances, and not only a single item.

> The desire to stand out on the market among the competition – important for
the companies (mainly leaders in a given sector) operating on a highly com­
petitive market, with a rather high position with respect to profits, which have
a recognizable brand.

The objective is to obtain a basic advantage with respect to attractiveness of the


product, in its design. Already in case of the first visual contact of the customer
with the product – the product is supposed to stand out among other goods in the
same category (it is supposed to catch fancy, to be noticeable).

> Developing company/brand image – perceived as particularly important by


stabilized companies, which have a recognizable brand and/or high sales.
Whereas enterprises which have smaller human resources and less developed
organizational structures, are more focused on maintaining sales, they do not
put great emphasis on developing own brand.

Developing company/brand image enables:

… easy visual identification of the company (the customer is supposed to recog-


nize us),

… create separate brands of products (ability to reach different groups of recipi­


ents),

… improve the competitiveness of the company (increasing the value of trade


brands),
120

… develop a general image of the company as innovative, expanding (new mod-


el is a basis of expansion).

> Meet the requirements of end customers, who want to have an influence and
appreciate the possibility to impact the shaping of the final good (especially
in sectors offering customization of the products to individual needs of the
consumer, which implies the customer’s ability to influence the final shape
of the product).

> Adjust to general changes on different markets, for instance the trend of pro­
duction of products made of ecological components and their later use (easy
to recycle the product or the packaging).

Selected quotes from statements made by the respondents:

> To put it simply: it is supposed to sell, it is supposed to be pretty, have a good


price, the customers should like it and it should sell well and for a long time, it
comes down to this, whatever else you may say, still the most important thing is
to simply sell the product (...). We are looking at such project through the sales
aspect, whether this will sell, that is the fundamental question, who will buy it
and for what price (large company, sector: sports equipment).

> The opinion is mainly based on my questions, observations and what kind of
opinion is expressed by the customers. What they like and what they dislike,
what would they change, what they consider to be functional and what is not
so functional. Perhaps they would see it differently, or maybe this should be
smaller, bigger, and maybe they would do it in a different way (small company,
sector: investment products).

> The success consists in implementation of the assumed sales target, this is ab-
solutely the only objective measure of success. Because one should understand
it in a way that if implemented sales is assumed, this implies that we produced
a product, which the customer expected (large company, sector: lighting).

> Markets are very dynamic nowadays and they expect changes, something new,
and therefore we have to think and give something new to the customer, to the
market, to satisfy the customer. It is important that the customer is willing to buy
the product, to convince him to like this product, to make him notice our product
(medium-sized company, sector: means of transport).
121

> Design is an element of a strategy. It’s tool that can make our company identifi-
able, to make it have its own image, it is a very important component and tool
for creating new image of the company (large company, sector: lighting).

> We need design to sell the product (large company, sector: household appli­
ances).

> This is also showing that we can afford more, that we can make new products,
that our company is expanding. Showing new things also encourages to visit
our stores, to use our products (small company, sector: ceramics and glass).

> We only want to sell more and to be competitive, because everybody knows
that the competition never sleeps, they come up with new model, nicer-look-
ing, and we are also trying to be competitive (large company, sector: means
of transport).

> For us the most important objective is to make our product beat the competition
and for it to be noticeable and to sell. Because the competition is fierce (sector:
investment products).

However, intensification of positive attitudes is diverse and depends on the


following factors:

> Nature of the industry in which the enterprise operates – the idea is the mean­
ing of aesthetic or functional values in products. Aesthetics is key for clothing,
ceramics (need to follow rapidly changing trends). In case of sectors such as
for instance some means of transport, sports equipment, investment products
(machines and equipment) or technical/sports clothing, design in the mean­
ing of aesthetics of appearance according to the respondents has a secondary
significance in relation to functionality, which mainly determines the attrac­
tiveness of the target product of the customer. In case of numerous brands
there is a balance between attractiveness and functionality of the product (for
instance production of furniture – the product is supposed to meet both the
aesthetic and functional requirements).

> Shortening of lifecycle of products – the shorter the lifespan the more impor­
tant it is to develop subsequent/new industrial designs. This factor is par­
ticularly important to industries where there is an emphasis on product aes­
thetics (for instance clothing, lighting, domestic appliances/audio and video
devices).
122

> Importance of trends and dynamics of changes in the product offer of com­
panies – the greater the dynamics of changes the greater the involvement in
development of new designs (for instance relatively low in case of investment
products, and high in the following sectors: ceramics, fabrics, new media).

> The size of a company and its position on the Polish market and possibly on
the foreign market – the stronger the position of the company, the role of the
leader in a given category, the larger the segment of the market the company
takes, the greater its involvement in design. This result from the willingness
to strengthen a privileged position and – in case of presence on global mar­
kets – from strong pressure of competitive foreign companies.

> Diversity and division of the market between competitors – the more competi­
tors the greater the role of design (necessity to stand out on the background
of the competition).

> Type of main recipient (individual or business) – the greater the role of the
individual recipient the greater the pressure on the role of design aesthetics
(“the customers must like the product”). Business customer puts a slightly dif­
ferent emphasis on the issue of aesthetics. According to the respondents such
customer cares more about functionality and price than about attractiveness
of product’s appearance.

In principle: the greater the demand of the market for innovations or diversi­
fication and modification of products, the greater the importance attributed to
design and the more favourable the attitude of enterprise’s employees in relation
thereto.
If there is no justification of introduction of changes in the product – a given
product line is being continued (for instance in case of sports, transport equip­
ment). This mainly refers to products that sell well, which are (temporarily) re­
sistant to fluctuations on the market or have a circle of loyal customers.

Selected quotes from statements made by the respondents:

> Lifespan of such product is becoming slightly shorter and this is the cause why
designers will have good and long life in this country, this refers to both furni-
ture and other designers (large company).

> We observe trends, which shall be in force in the years to come. On this basis
we are trying to create a design of a new product (sector: household appli­
ances).
123

> In general a product must meet the expectations of the customer, it must comply
with what the customer requires it to be, because if our product has batteries
with electrolyte pouring out of them then the customer will not buy such product,
or it will break when driving and something will fall off (large company, sector:
means of transport).

SWOT analysis of research results prepared by experts from the Institute


of Industrial Design

Strengths
> Perception among the companies of design as an important element in im­
provement of competitiveness or products and diversification of the offer (cor­
responding with the needs of different target groups).
> Design fitting the strategy of companies (refers to some -> large companies
operating on more competitive markets).
> Perception of design as an element that positively influences the development
of a company brand (as a modern and expanding company) and in conse­
quence – on increase of its value.

Weaknesses
> In many companies design is still perceived only as an aesthetic element and
placed as opposed to the functionality of the product.
> Emphasis on the functionality elements in companies operating in the B2B area.
> Treating by companies (especially small and medium-sized enterprises) de­
signing as a cost – rather than an investment.

Opportunities
> Thanks to entering design into strategies of companies, system changes could
occur in there companies and have a positive impact of overall organization
of the development process of a new product.
> Improvement of the ability of Polish companies to compete (thanks to devel­
opment of design) on foreign markets.
> Needs/expectations of the market forcing change in companies, which leads
to development of increasingly more competitive goods (and hence increase
of the significance of design and development of products) and a wider offer
for the consumer.
124

Threats
> Bringing design down to a purely aesthetic element, which leads to failure
to get a designer involved into the entire product development process and
results in lack of fully innovative solutions.
> “Design stagnation” in smaller companies and in sectors with smaller inten­
sification of competition, which in a longer perspective could lead to these
companies “falling out” of the market (especially in case of emergence new
players with a more competitive offer).
> Small companies giving up on design due to lack of resources.
> Giving up on expansion of design due to the fear of getting copied fast by the
competition.
> Low innovativeness of product, which facilitates copying of designs.

10.3.2. Use of design in enterprises

Even though the research participants intuitively sense the significant role of
design, still they do not have a clearly defined knowledge on this subject. Only
some, working in large corporations, which are tycoons on the market, have a ex­
tensive knowledge of innovativeness (including design) and methods of innova­
tions management (both in the area of product and marketing innovations).

When analysing the statements made by the respondents one could get the im­
pression that product innovations are dominant in their enterprises (aiming
towards improvement of the quality of existing products, usually this rather con­
sists in improvement of products) or marketing innovations (connected with
changes in appearance of products – packaging, promotion). Some additionally
mention process innovations, which aim at introduction of new, improved meth­
ods of product manufacturing.
In principle, the sectors leading with respect to design are also the ones, which
operate on the market that requires great activeness in this respect and the ones
which have a strong unique position on the market. Association with design in­
novations, they constitute a benchmark for the competitors, and shaping trends
is a significant element of their competitive advantage.
Companies, which consider design to be the basis of their operation and staying
on the market, are in sectors such as: ceramics, clothing and fabrics, furniture
and domestic appliances and audio/video devices, lighting and new media. This
125

results from the important role of aesthetic trends in these sectors and their
rapid changeability.
Important design, yet the one of secondary importance in relation functionality,
can be observed in the following sectors: investment products (machines and
tools), means of transport and sports equipment.

Selected quotes from statements made by the respondents:

> We can put it this way that there are sort of two lines: design on one end, and
functionality on the other. As the functionality increases, the design is pushed
to the background. It something is less functional, more commonly available
and has a wide scope of application, it is universal, then in such case design is
more important (large company, sector: sports equipment).

SWOT analysis of research results prepared by experts of the Institute of


Industrial Design

Strengths
> Design is perceived as important, especially in consumer goods sectors: ce­
ramics, clothing/fabric, furniture, domestic appliances and audio/video de­
vices, lighting, new media.
> Companies that are leaders in the area of design are usually leaders in their
lines of business, they shape trends.

Weaknesses
> Lack of structured knowledge about design (and new product development)
among small and medium-sized enterprises.
> Generally lack of innovations, in a very specific meaning of this word – new
solutions usually constitute an improved version of old products.
> Design is perceived as less important in the following sectors: investment
products, means of transport, sports equipment (!).
> Use of outsourcing in management of new product development is not a com­
mon practice (third-party specialist are not trusted).

Opportunities
> Companies that follow leaders must bet on design, so that they do not fall out
of the market.
126

> The market forces changes in attitudes and behaviours of companies.

Threats
> More likely to copy a design/product if innovativeness of products is incon­
siderable.
> Unaided development of new design products, by trial and error influences
the increase of costs incurred by the company and poses a threat of the com­
pany getting discouraged from implementation of new solutions.
> In case of sports equipment (mainly, but also other sectors that perceive de­
sign as a less significant element of product development) – are deprived of
the opportunity to be competitive on the domestic and foreign market (in the
world design in sports brand is the basis understood as combination of func­
tionality and aesthetics).
> No real choice for the consumer, if the offers are similar (copies) and not real
innovations.

10.3.3. Perception of quality and level of development of the Polish de-


sign and competitiveness of enterprises in this respect

Among the research participants there is a belief that the Polish design is be-
coming better, developing, even though still distances in relation to the Eu-
ropean and global tycoons (for instance Italy and Spain are the leaders in the
area of design in the clothing, ceramics, furniture production sectors, Japan – in
state-of-the-art technologies, Germany and Scandinavian countries – in light­
ing industry).
Perceived factors of high level of development of foreign design:

> greater openness of the society to innovations,

> inter-cultural exchange, increasing the interest and level of acceptance of


new, unknown models,

> access to state-of-the-art production technologies,

> great expectations of the society with respect to design.

Main obstacles for the Polish design is a certain technological backwardness


and conservatism of the society that is still dominant (less open to avant-garde,
preferring rather “safe”, common solutions), even though certain groups of end
customers are more and more aspiring and becoming similar to other societies
127

with respect to openness to new, developmental design (mainly young, wealthy


consumers and companies drawing a lot of attention to its image, created through
the appearance of offices and used products).
Most respondents had clear difficulties with specification of strengths when
asked by the end of the interview about the strength of the Polish deign. Some
mentioned price competitiveness of designed products and good quality in rela­
tion to foreign products (even though increasing price-competitiveness of goods
manufactured in China is a threat). As far as attractiveness of the Polish design
is concerned – it is considered to be high in sectors such as: ceramics, clothing
and some sports equipment or transport (however mainly only market leaders
in a given sector had a positive opinion thereof). In the remaining sectors the
respondents are mainly under the impression of (delayed) pursuit to catch up
with foreign trends, instead of developing them.
Mainly large companies perceive themselves as competitive on the Polish and
foreign market. Small companies see themselves as mediocre with respect to
design innovations – they believe that they are passive followers rather than
active creators.
Sporadically there is an attitude of general resilience in relation to competition
(among small companies) and the tendency to focus only on short-term sales and
profit, and hence resilience or indifference in relation to introduction of prod­
uct innovations. This sows a difference between companies: large and medium-
-sized companies adopt long-term perspective, they monitor trends, develop com­
petitive strategies, whereas small companies adopt the sort-term perspective
focused on company’s survival “here and now”, and innovations are connected
only with the necessary extent of catching up with the competition.
Most enterprises actively promote their goods, also through:

> Participation in fairs and industry exhibitions,

> Participation in industry competitions (for instance ceramics, furniture pro­


duction),

> Communication on own Internet sites,

> Mailing the customers,

> Standard displays in sales locations (permanent displays in large format


stores, catalogues/folders).
128

Selected quotes from statements made by the respondents:

> Our design is not among the most distinctive ones, and we are fully aware of
it, we are more re-creative than creative in this field. We are more likely to use
the ideas of large companies, we are trying to implement a new idea, which we
have seen somewhere at fairs, which is entirely innovative, yet possible to im-
plement. Then we try to introduce it as fast as possible to our domestic market. It
is impossible to do it the other way around, and in cases that it did happen, we
noticed after a year or so that they did the same thing we did, and then we are
content, but these are individual cases, and still usually the creative thought is
incoming rather than outgoing (large company, sector: sports equipment).

> There are marketing and mailing campaigns, folders are sent out, by mail – as
far as the department of existing customers is concerned. When it comes to
new customers, we reach them through our telemarketing department. This de-
partment searches for new companies. He sets an appointment for our sales
representative. Our sales representative goes there and presents the entire offer
of our company. And we have an efficiently working sales department (sector:
investment products).

> When a new product is being introduces, we always hang posters in stores, in-
forming about it. Also information that we have a new products appears on the
Internet site, there is a description of the product and what it is used for. In our
Internet store we also provide a very detailed information about new products
(small company, sector: ceramics and glass).

> Polish people are insipid, see-through, and creativity still did not get to our
nation, to our awareness. For X number of years we were blocked by certain
standards, which we had to stick to and I think that the Polish people still did
not mature as in other European countries (small company, sector: investment
products).

SWOT analysis of research results prepared by the experts from the In-
stitute of Industrial Design

Strengths
> Polish design is perceived among the companies as developing and as being
on a higher level in relation to the previous years.
> Price competitiveness and at the same time good quality Polish design goods
(a good product = dwell designed and affordable).
129

Weaknesses
> Technological backwardness among Polish enterprises (especially small and
medium-sized enterprises).
> “Conservatism” of the Polish society in relation to modern design (also resulting
from financial options -> more innovative design products, or the so-‑called ”de­
signer” products often cost more than the average Polish consumer can afford).

Opportunities
> Increasing openness of the Polish consumer to innovative solutions, they are
searched for thanks to the globalization phenomenon (flow of new products,
information from other markets).
> Increase of financial (purchasing) options available to the Polish consumer in
a long-term perspective (-> increase of the middle class).
> Increase of group of buyers that bet more on the quality (good design) or
famous brand than the price only (therefore not interested with cheap goods
from China).

Threats
> Sense of inferiority among Polish companies in the area of design in relation
to some countries and unawareness that it is possible to match them.
> Price-related competitiveness of production from China in relation to the lack
of sufficient innovative advantage of Polish products in certain industries (in­
novations, which would justify payment of higher price by the consumer).

10.4. Principles and terms of design management in enterprises


General conclusions

Most companies included in the research use the design management models
developed in-house in course of years of experiences.
When thinking about design management, one should take several dimensions into
account. These dimensions shall be discussed in detail the sub-chapters below:

> Sources of new project concepts.

> Decision-makers in the area of approval of new project and its implementation.

> Budget – planning and budget implementation control.

> Verification of accuracy and evaluation of the potential of a new project.


130

Despite the diversity of sectors included on the research and the specifics of
every single one of them (with respect to the dynamics of development and intro­
duction of new designs, the level of process complexity and risk involved there­
with), certain permanent stages recurring in the companies can be identified:

Project concept > verification of initial project assumptions inside the company >

Verification of project assumptions outside the company > estimate of undertak­


ing’s budget >

Decision about implementation of the new project (list of detailed assumptions


and decision of the Management Board).

After every stage there opinions/feedback addressed to the person responsible


for development of a given concept is formulated (for instance production man­
ger, sales department manager), and in turn this person reports partial results
to the Management Board of the company.

10.4.1. Sources of new project concepts

Initiative referring to new product concept originates mainly from employees


of the company, whereas t is possible to identify two fundamental sources of
stimulation:

> sources external in relation to the company,

> internal sources of the company.

Sources external in relation to the company are all these concepts where the
stimulus derives from the outside, usually in form of market demand generated
in different ways:

> Feedback from the company’s business partners (distributors, dealers).

> Feedback directly from end recipients (for instance submitted to the service
department in the company).

> Information abut planned investments in the region/country (for instance pro­
ducer and installation expert of lighting is observing the construction market
and public procurements for lighting assembly services).
131

Internal sources of the company are all initiatives which derive from structures
of the company, from employees of the company, on different positions:

> Production department – production manager, process engineer, who propo­


ses own product modification concepts. Possibly the concept derives directly
from a designer employed by the company.

> Management Board – determines the product policy/strategy o the company


(for instance as a response to shortening products’ lifespan).

> Marketing department – product manager acquires information through


analysis of: trends (fairs, trade magazines), sales of product/collection, analy­
sis of domestic and foreign potentials and closest competition (its product and
price offer).

> Customer care department – provides mainly information about problems re­
ported by the customers.

> Sales department – informs about the demand for specific good/design.

The issue of fairs and industry exhibitions, in which most companies try to par­
ticipate on regular basis (as an exhibitor or as an observer) requires a comment.
Presence on fair events is:

> on one hand an external source in acquisition of ideas, possibility for the com­
pany to learn more about new trends in a given industry and products offered
by the competition,

> on the other hand it is an internal source – as information/observations col­


lected and then processed and analysed by the marketing department or di­
rectly by the designers.

Generally, in enterprises there is an integration of information deriving from


different sources, which in effect provide knowledge about the requirements
and demand of the market and on the attractiveness of the offer of the producer
(to what extent it meets these requirements and to what extent it is prospective).

Selected quotes from statements made by the respondents:

> It happens in different ways. From a specific market demand, or the marketing
department informs about us about the shortage. We receive signals from cus-
tomers, from the distribution department. Sometimes we just suddenly get the
132

idea that a given product is missing, tracking everything that is happening on


the market and in companies of the competitors (large company).

> Mainly people from the marketing department have a new proposal, and some-
times we collect information from different departments, also the marketing
department, but also from sales and production, regarding what they would
like to launch, whether they see a subject we could pursue. Once such projects
are collected, we meet and analyse these ideas, whether we are able to do eve-
rything, whether we can afford it and then a plan is being prepared, which we
implement in the following year (large company).

10.4.2. Decision-makers and their departments responsible for approval


of design projects

In a typical organizational structure of enterprises (especially medium-sized


and large ones) there are three principal departments/sections: production, fi­
nance, sales and marketing. Usually the Management Board of a company con­
sists of representatives of these departments.
In all enterprises included in the research, regardless of the sector in which the
enterprise operates, the following persons act as the decision-makers in the area
of implementation of a new design:

Small companies:

> owner/manager of the company,

> production manager,

> sales department manager.

Medium-sized companies:

> member of the Management Board responsible for production, sales and dis­
tribution or for finances of the company; persons responsible for production
and sales and distribution must obtain approval of the decision-maker re­
sponsible for finance.

> project manager,

> product development manager/director,

> production director,

> sales director.


133

Large companies:

> member of the Management Board responsible for production, sales and dis­
tribution or for finances of the company; persons responsible for production
and sales and distribution must obtain approval of the decision-maker re­
sponsible for finance,

> sales director,

> managing Director of the company,

> director of development department (of the company, products),

> project manager.

This is not so structured in small companies – the owner of the company or a per­
son qualified to asses the potential of the design project is the decision-maker
(it is quite common that one person has multiple functions – financial, organiza­
tional, marketing).
In medium-sized and large companies the decision concerning implementa­
tion is very structured, which is connected with the expanded organizational
structure of enterprises, according to the company management model. Usually
the Management Board acts as the decision-maker, and considers analyses of
opportunities and threats of a new project prepared and presented by the mar­
keting and sales department. The Management Board is also responsible for
financial issued – approval of undertaking’s budget.
In medium-sized and large companies the marketing division plays a key role
in works connected with planning and implementation of a new product. This
organizational unit provides an impulse for commencement of works on new
product and then makes initial suggestions in relation to the new product (as
own initiative, or in response to the ideas of other departments). This depart­
ment is also responsible for market analyses, for preparing general product con­
cept, for verification of its potential, initial identification of the target group and
the product’s price segment.
Production process engineers and engineers (designers) play an considerable
role in companies from the industrial sector (transport, machinery, sports equip­
ment). The often act as internal designers of final products.
In large companies, fiercely competing in Poland and on foreign markets, which
have several deployments in course of a year, often the product development
already exists or is planned. The task of this department is to conduct works
connected with new products. It consists of persons, who to date were working
134

in the marketing department and were responsible for implementation of new


products.

10.4.3. Planning of the budget for design innovations

Among the research participants there are different approaches to the issue of
planning a budget for undertakings connected with introduction of new de­
signs:

> some companies plan their budget and try not to go beyond its frameworks,

> some companies do not plan the budget and valuate projects ad hoc.

Planning/determining the budget

The analysis the profile of companies, which assume/determine the budget for
new design projects (usually this is an annual budget) and factors, which are
conductive thereto, it is possible to come to the following conclusions:

1. Depending on the size of the company:

> these are mainly large companies which are a part of the foreign concern
(where the budget is set by the headquarters operating outside Poland, and
the only responsibility of the Polish branch of the company is to adopt it),

> these are medium-sized companies, which determine a partial budget (sepa­
rate for every scheduled project).

The basis for determining the amount of future budget is the assessment of the
potential of new projects, but also a sum of production costs incurred in course
of previous successful projects.

2. Depending on the industry and market specifics, these are companies which
operate on a relatively stabilized market, or ones that have a stabilized situ­
ation on the market. The experience gained in course of development of the
company and market specifics makes them plan own expenditures for imple­
mentation of innovation for instance household appliances, means of trans­
port, investment products (machines), sports equipment. These areas of activ­
ity feature a relatively small dynamics of changes on the market and a long
cycle of usage of the product by the end recipient.

Valuation of the potential undertaking emerges, when planning th budget. The


following issues are usually taken into consideration: the cost of the design (or­
dered or ready to use), production costs (or costs of the entire sample range) and
135

of this basis the profitability of the project (ROI – return on investment) is esti­
mated. The following basis is common here: “everything that can generate profit
is implemented”, “if there is a good project, there is a good budget.”
Generally, despite of planning a specific budget, most companies allow devia­
tions (they apply the so-called ranges for every project) and flexibility, which
implies that new, potentially profitable concepts that emerge in course of the
year can count on financing (after a closer analysis and simulation of project
profitability and approval of the management Board).

No planning/determining of the budget

On the basis of analysis of companies, which do not determine budget for new
design projects, it is possible to notice that such attitude is analogously con­
nected with:

1. Size of the company – these are mainly small or medium-sized companies,


which relatively infrequently introduce new designs, and therefore they still
have an insufficient experience and sense of the market, in order to precisely
estimate the amount of budget (they agree to ad hoc decisions). These enter­
prises are learning how to operate on the market and in a more distant future
they would like to introduce a planned budget.

2. The specifics of the industry and the market, on which the company operates:

> Companies operating in industries which feature large consumption dynam­


ics, relatively short product (and design) cycles and high competitiveness
(regardless of the company size), for instance clothing, fabrics, furniture pro­
duction, ceramics, lighting. Decisions depend on the current situation on the
market and are made ad hoc. Enterprises consider such attitude towards fi­
nancial issues as the best solution for proper operation of the company.

> Companies operating on a relatively young market that is not stabile and
highly dependent on trends (even the ones difficult to anticipate). The basis of
success for such company is fast reaction to new product development direc­
tions (for instance new media). Decisions are made ad hoc.

10.4.4. Verification of accuracy and evaluation of the potential of new


projects

Leaving the initial phase out, when defining the market demand, current and fu­
ture trends and analysis of competitiveness, which constitute one of the sources
of new product ideas (see chapter Sources of new project concepts) and initial
assessment of accuracy of the adopted development direction of the company
136

portfolio, the current verification of assumptions and adequacy of a specific de­


sign project is being conducted.
This verification is made on every level of designing stages: starting from (gra­
phic) concept and prototype stage all the way to production of the so-called pilot
series or evaluation of sale of finished products that were already introduced to
the market.
The method of this verification can be more or less formalized: from internal
consultations among the employees to professional marketing research cover­
ing the opinions of business partners (Business-to-Business – B-to-B), as well as
options of end users (Business-to-Consumer – B-to-C):

> Consultations inside the company – among the employees:

… analysis of technological options of the machine facilities owned by the com­


pany, development of construction assumptions and initial calculation of pro­
duction costs (approval from the sales department),

… analysis of financial options of the company (together with the CFO),

… analysis of attractiveness of the product (voting among the gathered employ­


ees of the company),

… assessment of the quality of manufactured product (certificates, safety tests)


– domain of the production manager.

> Research on the option of business partners (characteristic for most com­
panies participating in the research) and experts (only several companies)
– sharing first design projects with them and getting their optioning on the
functionality and attractiveness to potential users (for instance testing sports
equipment by the employees of the University of Physical Education in War­
saw, testing technical sports clothing by alpinists).

> Market research – analysis of competitiveness of product lifespan (for instance


new product replaces a product that is being withdrawn), analysis of trends.

> Research on the opinion of end users:

… qualitative research – tests of products concepts/prototypes,

… quantitative product tests (tests in sales locations, environmental tests, in-


home test – tests of home use of products by end users, in their natural envi­
ronment (for instance household appliances, sports equipment, new media),
137

… customer satisfaction tests – checking the level of satisfaction of current users


with the product, both among the business partners (Business-to-Business - B-
to-B), and among the end users (Business-to-Consumer – B-to-C).

Enterprises use additional methods of protection against the risk of production


losses through:

> Pilot series, sample products – thus evaluation of first sales samples among
dealers or end users and depending on the result a decision regarding wheth­
er to continue with the production or not.

> Agreement with the customer for order of a specific minimum number of ar­
ticles.

The more aware the company is of the risk connected with improper decision
related to a new produce (the higher the implementation costs, the more innova­
tive the enterprise is), the greater importance is attached to the aforementioned
internal and external audits.
Additional R&D (Research and Development) expenditures in the area of new
product functions and development of design can be found mainly among large
companies with strong position on the market.
In principle, the success of a new project/implementation is understood by all
respondents as implementation of the assumed objectives, which mainly de­
termine the profitable level of sales of the new product (implementation of the
assumed sales target including the assumed margin and the assumed profit).
If the level is reached then a decision is being made whether to proceed with
production or not.
Others additionally define success in the categories of aesthetics - whether the
product stands out on the market and whether it is visually attractive to the
customer.
In a situation when the new product is not successful (for instance the pilot or
target series did not generate the effect in form of the assumed level of sales)
the product is usually withdrawn from production and treated as an element of
gained experience.
138

SWOT analysis of research results prepared by the experts from the In-
stitute of Industrial Design

Strengths
> Integration of information deriving from different sources within companies,
which influences better development of new product concept.

Weaknesses
> Development of the design management system/system of unaided new pro­
duct development, on the basis of trail and error.
> No staff specialized in conducting the process of new design product develop­
ment.
> No out-sourcing practice, in the area of managing new product development
(third-party specialists are not trusted).
> Sporadic verification of new concepts together with the end recipient.

Opportunities
> Establishing specialized product development departments in large companies.
> Investing in R&D works (in larger formats), providing the possibility to de­
velop more innovative design solutions.

Threats
> Needs of the consumer are not treated by companies as the main stimulus
for creating new project concepts (followed by their verification), which can
result in development of “irrelevant” goods, which do not correspond with the
needs of the buyers (and therefore do not sell well, are not very competitive).
> No planning of budget for new design projects, which should constitute a ba­
sis, especially among companies operating on highly competitive markets
(modified depending on the market situation).
> Prying on solutions used by the competition (for instance in course of indus­
try fairs), which can be conductive to intentional or unintentional copying of
designs.
139

10.5. Qualitative parameters concerning design effectiveness in compa-


nies
General findings

The research participants agree as to the final benefits resulting from the develo­
pment and implementation of new design projects and these benefits are: an
increase in a company’s value and in its competitiveness.
The consequences of design development are the appearance of product brands
and companies’ motivation to protect their intellectual property (most frequently
in a form of reservation of a trademark or utility design).
There is a series of barriers to the effective implementation of design innova­
tions. The key barrier is the financial barrier, which affects smaller companies
in particular.

10.5.1. Benefits resulting from application of industrial design

For the respondents, the benefits obtained from the application of industrial
design agree, to a significant extent, with the role assigned to design. For the
research participants, the role of design agrees with both the reasons and the
expected benefits for which they develop design in their companies – see the
chapter entitled “The role of industrial design and attitudes towards it”.
Generally, among the final benefits of design development which may be observed
by the respondents, the dominant ones are those which refer directly to the com­
mercial (sales) and marketing success of the company. Therefore, they include:

> An increase in the company’s value, including, inter alia, trademark value
and the opportunity to position a brand (brand supports sale). This allows the
company to build a segment of loyal customers (in various segments of prod­
ucts/ brands), which increases the guarantee of the company’s fixed income.

> The added value of an industrial design for the purposes of the product’s pro­
motion and sale:

… in a literal sense (as a product price policy: better design > better product >
better price),

… in a semantic sense (as a brand identifier and qualities of this brand), which,
in turn, in case of a strong brand, allows the company to set market trends
(trendsetting) and assume the role of category leader.

> An increase in the company’s competitiveness on the local and foreign mar­
kets, whereby:
140

… in the respondents’ opinion, it is easier to set trends on the local market (no
strong competition with regard to innovativeness, design),

… activity on the foreign market is initially limited to keeping up with the trends
found there.

Selected quotes from respondents’ opinions:

> We need to consider the more sophisticated tastes of customers, as we also


sell a lot of products to Western Europe, as well as having captured the Polish
market firmly, and we need to satisfy customer tastes which, unfortunately, also
tend to change (a large company).

> The company is creative in itself, it would like to change its image, it would like its
brand to be remembered and our projects and machines to be the foundations of
our image (a small company, operating in the industry of investment products).

> We cannot create anything very fanciful, as it would not serve its purpose and
role; it must be a machine which will operate and fulfill its role; it must do a lot of
things (a small company, operating in the industry of investment products).

10.5.2. Barriers to the acquisition and implementation of new design so-


lutions

Most of the research participants agree that the basic and most frequent barrier
to the application and development of new designs, particularly at the begin­
ning of a company’s development, is the financial barrier (the economical fac­
tor). It means potential expenses on the development and implementation of a
new product/design, which include the high costs of machine instrumentation,
as well as the introduction of new production technologies and the development
of the machine park. Investment in a designer, also incurs high costs, for exam­
ple, when financing their foreign travels to participate in fairs. Simultaneously,
many companies (in particular small and medium-sized ones) truly do not have
the available financial resources for investment in design, while they simultane­
ously lack access to knowledge regarding external sources of financing.
Other barriers refer to the following areas:

> Market uncertainty – demand which is difficult to determined (particularly in


the case of an innovative product) or the presence of a definite category leader
(a barrier for smaller companies).

> Technological restrictions – the lack of appropriate production machines or


the requirement to make a too drastic change in a standard production proc­
141

ess (this limits the possibility of quick reaction to market changes, seasonal­
ity of sales and changes in customer preferences).

> Legislative barriers, e.g., attestations, certificates, product safety standards


(concerning composition and operation) have definitely increased after Po­
land’s accession to the EU. It refers either to the necessity to adapt Polish
standards to the standards prevailing on a given European market, or to lack
of compliance of Polish standards with EU standards (adaptation to Polish
standards in case of companies importing commodities to Poland or adapta­
tion to the standards of a target market abroad in case of companies exporting
commodities from Poland).

> Limited human resources – a lack of in-house designers, or expensive services


provided by external designers, as well as the fact that the latter do not under­
stand sufficiently the customer’s business and expectations (cf. the evaluation
of cooperation with designers included in the Ipsos report of August 2007,
prepared for the IWP).

> Psychological barriers – more rarely encountered. They are characteristic of


some representatives of production departments and of technologists who
prefer to perform constant works and well-mastered activities during produc­
tion, while the introduction of a new design requires the changes in manu­
facturing a new product.

In connection with the difficulties related to the design and introduction of new
ideas, the majority of companies try to minimize the risk of failure through ac­
tions described in detail in the chapter entitled “Verification of accuracy and
evaluation of the potential of new designs”.

10.5.3. Methods of cooperation with regard to design acquisition


In-house designers

Most of the research participants declare having their own designer or team of
designers employed full-time. Depending on the industry’s requirements, they
are industrial designers, artists, architects, engineers or constructors (technolo­
gists). People with a technical, rather than an artistic, education are mainly em­
ployed in industries producing means of transport, or sports equipment – wher­
ever the development of a tool or equipment’s structure is more important than
its aesthetic appearance. The reverse situation occurs in industries such as tex­
tiles or ceramics, where the designer’s artistic background and their aesthetic
sensitivity are of great importance.
142

The justifications (and, simultaneously, reasons) for such a model of cooperation


are:

> huge dynamics and intensity (annually) of working on new designs/models


– it requires a constant, close cooperation between the designers and individ­
ual departments involved in the development and introduction of a concept.

> the need for the designer to have a very good knowledge of the market and
industry, including technological issues –this supports a greater efficiency of
cooperation with the designer.

> the psychological factor – the employed designer is more motivated to work
creatively, treat projects as their “own”, which supports their active role in the
company – the designer motivates others to develop new solutions, stimulates
the work of other departments (can be a visionary).

This type of cooperation is usually a source of mutual understanding and satis­


faction for both parties.

External designers

Some of the companies cooperate solely with external designers (selected by


way of a tender), including: design offices, artist’s offices, marketing agencies
providing a full customer service, also with regard to design services.
External designers are employed in a situation where:

> there is no need to employ a full-time designer, due to the smaller frequency
in introduction of new designs in the company,

> the company avoids incurring the designer’s living costs (apart from constant
costs, there are also costs of travel to fairs in Poland and abroad and the costs
of design software); and it thinks that using services of external design of­
fices makes these offices more competitive (with regard to prices), which, as
a result, is more favorable for the employer.

The disadvantage of this type of cooperation is the insufficient understanding of


the customer’s business (especially technological issues, which often determine
a decision on the introduction of a given model).

In-house and external designers

Few respondents indicate using a combined model, i.e., apart from the work of
their own designers, they also use services of external specialists in this field
143

(invoicing these services is a dominant standard). Such a model of cooperation


is, first of all, imposed by the company’s current requirements (greater work
intensity).
SWOT analysis of research results prepared by the experts fom the Insti-
tute of Idustrial Design

Strengths
> Permanent employment of designers in companies introducing lots of new
designs per year, which influences a better knowledge of the market by de­
signers and thereby – creation of designs which correspond to market needs
in a better manner.

Weaknesses
> Lack of in-house designers, in companies, in a literal sense of the word (-> re­
garding a design engineer or an artist as a designer), which may influence the
solutions applied in new designs, i.e., without balancing the functional and
aesthetic elements in a designed product.

Opportunities
> Companies, which employ a designer on a permanent basis regard this as
a positive solution (bringing calculable benefits).

Threats
> In case of smaller companies – the financial barrier in application of design.
> Regarding the following items as costs (and not as investments):
… expenses on new technologies, instrumentation, new machine park,
… expenses on employment and professional development of the designer.
> No well-developed methods and tools for the proper evaluation of a risk re­
lated to the introduction of a new product design.

10.6. Methods for protection of the intellectual property and their effec-
tiveness
10.6.1. Use of protection of the intellectual property in companies

When analysing the declarations made by research participants, it may be no­


ticed that protection of the intellectual property is applied, first of all, in large
companies, while it is applied occasionally in medium-sized companies and
is almost never applied at all in small companies. Usually, it is registration of
144

a trademark or utility design; in addition, the reservation of technological solu­


tions occurs in the industry of investment products.
Generally, the attitude of research participants towards protection of the compa­
ny’s intellectual property is positive; it is, however, determined by of the compa­
ny’s specific situation in the field of its activity.
A description of reasons for, and barriers against, the application of this type of
protection is presented below.

10.6.2. Reasons

The reasons for application of protection of a company’s intellectual property


refer to the following aspects:

> Protection of a trademark (all product brands or a selected series/name of a


product range) – basic protection for the company, especially in a category
dominated by design copying (e.g. household appliances – kitchenware; ce­
ramics). It guarantees the enforcement of calculable damages for using the
trademark. This motivation may be strengthened by negative experiences
with copying the design by other companies and is to prevent “piracy” (e.g.,
new media).

> Operational standards within the company – characteristic of large compa­


nies with established and recognized brands, acting on the Polish and for­
eign markets. The forms of property protection which are most frequently
mentioned in the research include the reservation of designs and technical
solutions (e.g. household appliances, means of transport), sense of solution
ownership (attachment to a design) and the intention to make it outstanding
in customers’ perception, as well as to strengthen identification of a design
with a manufacturer (we would like a customer to know that this is our product
and not to confuse it with any other product).

> Psychological comfort for the manufacturer, a sort of a protection against be­
ing accused by competitors of design copying.

10.6.3. Barriers

The barriers against application of protection of a company’s intellectual prop­


erty result from several sources:

> The nature of the industry and the product lifecycle – a short cycle of prod­
uct sale (e.g. casual wear), highly susceptible to rapidly changing trends and
fashion. Inappropriacy of the duration of the design or patent reservation pro­
cedure with respect to the “lifetime” of a product range.
145

> The nature of the product:

… the level of its innovativeness, uniqueness – the more common and regular
the design is, the smaller the need and will for its reservation (e.g. a fabric),

… the level of its universality vs. its individuality – individually ordered prod­
ucts offered in small batches or several examples do not need protection; in
case of very niche products it does not pay the competition to copy the design
(e.g. a lighting installation designed for the purposes of a given building).

> Small financial resources (especially in small companies).

> Lack of belief/confidence that protection is effective (there is still a risk of cop­
ying the technology and product designs by competitors), as well as a sense
that the gain from a successful lawsuit is insufficient when compared to the
time and costs, imposed by such lawsuit on the company bringing an action at
law (a sense that a small company will never win against a huge concern).

> Specific product parameters, the necessity to provide for many parameters
and a duty to patent even the smallest change (e.g. in case of a modification
to a machine or sports equipment – too large number of details requiring pat­
ent updating; these procedures therefore demand too large expenses of work
and funds).

Selected quotes from respondents’ opinions:

> We have the right to it and we exercise this right. Naturally, we exercise it to
protect this property. And to protect it from what – it is obvious, from attempts
made by competitors who, for sure, would often like to copy our designs (a large
company operating in the lighting industry).

> The reservation of the intellectual property does not prevent violation of prop-
erty rights. It helps solely in the struggle for eventual damages, it may be a sup-
port, in case of a lawsuit (a large company).

> If we conceive something interesting and it is possible to patent it, i.e., it is


eligible to be patented, with respect to both design and technical solutions, we
do it. In case of our industry, the whole world goes to shops, buys products from
this industry, takes them to the smallest pieces and copies every little detail to
reduce costs, introduce some more interesting technical solutions, copy some
function which has turned out to be a hit, etc., so if something is possible, even
the weirdest things can be done (a large company).
146

SWOT analysis of research results prepared by the experts fom the Insti-
tute of Idustrial Design

Strengths
> Application of protection of the intellectual property in large companies is
included in their standards.
> Application of protection of the intellectual property gives the manufacturer
psychological comfort (-> protection from an eventual accusation of copying).

Weaknesses
> Small companies have no financial resources for carrying out the procedures
related to protection of the intellectual property.

Opportunities
> An increase in regarding the design as an essential factor in company devel­
opment and, in connection with this, an increase in the need to reserve/pro­
tect designs.

Threats
> Product innovativeness is too low, which does not support the need to protect
intellectual property.
> Companies do not believe in effectiveness of protection of their designs from
being copied.
Good practices – Case studies 147

11.
Good practices
– Case studies

NOON 55 yacht
design: Janusz Kasieczko
manufacturer: Noon Yachts S.A.
The exhibition: „Designed in Poland” Berlin 2005/2006
fot. Giuliano Luzzatto „Main Sail Magazine”
148

11. Good practices – Case studies

11.1. LEO PLASTIC air heater –Flowair company (investment products)30)

Company
FLOWAIR Głogowski i Brzeziński Sp. J.; Gdynia.
Established in 2003.
Capital: Polish (100%).
Company size: small (15 employees).
Industry: investment products; heating and ventilating industry.
Sales mostly on the Polish market, but also on the foreign market.
Products: products for heating medium- and large-sized facilities (including wa­
ter and gas heaters, air curtains).
Designers cooperating with the company: Studio 1:1 (Jarosław Szymański, Rafał
Dętkoś, Piotr Wierczyński).

The LEO PLASTIC air heater, produced by the Flowair company from Gdynia,
was among the finalists of the ‘Good Design’ contest held in 2006, in the cat­
egory “Work Zone”. LEO PLASTIC is a highly specialised product, designed for
heating large-sized facilities. In 2006, this innovative product was also awarded
the MEDIUM-Installation Leader title during the international “INSTALLA­
TIONS” fair in Poznań.
The LEO PLASTIC air heater is a good example of the application, by the manu­
facturer, of a proper business strategy, which is customer-oriented and based
on the modern technology and design. The device combines very good design
parameters and a modern appearance with innovative control features – conven­
ient yet economical, with regard to both operation and investment.
LEO PLASTIC was introduced on to the market in September 2005 and debuted
successfully on the German market in 2006. From the beginning of its sales,
a dynamic upward trend has been noticeable – in 2007 the company recorded
the heater sales growth of 146% on the previous year.

30)  Elaborated on the basis of the articles: Good practices, Itta Karpowicz-Starek, „Biuletyn” IWP, 2007, 2, Leo Plastic
air heater, Paweł Szymański, Installation systems, 2007, 3 and information from the Flowair company. The heater’s
photo was obtained by courtesy of the Flowair company. Text in Polish.
149

LEO PLASTIC – case study


What to produce and for whom? – or finding a market niche

The heater market research carried out by the Flowair company showed that
there was no manufacturer specializing in air heating. The product available on
the European market was neglected with respect to both design attractiveness
and used materials as well as technical solutions. The offer was little varied:
metal cuboids made of bent sheet metal. There were no devices which could be
used in public places where not only functionality but also an aesthetic appear­
ance of a product is important.
With its innovative idea – the application of an aesthetic plastic housing – the
Flowair company made a sort of a revolution in the industry.

Is it worth to employ a designer? – or breaking negative stereotypes

The stereotypes, which often linger in companies (especially small ones), are:

1. A design is very expensive. A new company, debuting on the market, cannot


afford a design. We will manage on our own.

2. Designers are “artists” – they do not have any idea of strictly technical products.

3. Products made in cooperation with a designer are exclusive and expensive.

The first experiences of the company related to this project are, on one hand, a suc­
cess in creation of an innovative heater controlling system and, on the other hand,
attempts to adapt the plastic housing to the device in an aesthetic manner, which
proved unsatisfactory even for design creators. The manufacturer was aware of
the fact that without aesthetic qualities even a technologically modern device has
no reason for existing. The development of the heater design was entrusted to
a team of designers from Studio 1:1, composed of Jarosław Szymański (team lead­
er), Rafał Dętkoś, Piotr Wierczyński. From the manufacturer’s part, the engineers
from the ventilation, mechanical, electrical, etc. industry joined the team.

Design assumptions or marking a path for designers

The team started common work with recognizing the industry and formulation
of the final product assumptions. It was determined that heater consumers were
both direct investors and designers for whom technical parameters, high quality
of the devices and simplicity of daily operation are important and installators
who appreciate easiness of assembly and reliability most.
150

Selection of the technology – new solutions or use of what we already have

Flowair is the subcontractor-based company therefore it avoids a problem of many


manufacturers who create products according to the machine park they have.
The technology does not limit designers – its selection is in their hands. It was
so also in case of the LEO PLASTIC heater – everybody produced devices using
sheet metal whereas Flowair started using plastic.

The effect – LEO PLASTIC heater

As a result of the works, the family of LEO PLASTIC water heaters was cre­
ated. They serve for air heating of large-sized facilities such as production halls,
workshops, warehouses, etc. The use of plastic, as a material for construction of
the device’s housing, allowed to get an attractive appearance of the heater. Due
to this, the device may be installed in such locations as showrooms, churches,
sports facilities, shops and supermarkets.
The use of plastic for construction of the heater elements brought many benefits,
including:

> reduction of the device’s weight (by over 30% when compared to traditional
solutions), due to the use of plastic for construction of both the housing and
fan rotor),

> avoidance of corrosion,

> the plastic housing is less susceptible to scratches,

> the higher ability to damp mechanical vibrations (the device works more si­
lently),

> eligibility to be recycled.

The advantage of the heater is a cooperating automation system, enabling smooth


(from 0 to 100%) regulation of the fan’s rotational speed. It enables precise regu­
lation of the fan’s efficiency and thereby the delivery of such an amount of heat
which is required at a given moment.
Thanks to the application of a specially designed driver, the heater is able to
work in the auto mode. This type of work is based on auto regulation of the
device’s efficiency depending on the difference between the requested tempera­
ture (set on the controller) and the room air temperature. Once the difference
between temperatures decreases, the fan’s revolutions decrease either. There­
fore, thermal comfort conditions in the room are kept at the fixed level almost
all the time. Such a solution decreases energy consumption due to the fact that
151

an exact required amount of heat is delivered to the room. An amount of electric


energy consumed by the fan decreases as well, due to a decrease in its efficiency
along with a decrease in the difference between temperatures. In addition, the
comfort of the device’s operation increases, as, when the rotational fan speed
decreases, the air flow speed decreases as well, thereby, the noise generated by
the fan becomes smaller.
In case of LEO PLASTIC M it is possible to control even ten devices by means
of one driver. There is also an option to connect heaters to central controlling
systems.

Photo 1 LEO PLASTIC heater (produced by Flowair)


152

Specially for the device from the Leo Plastic family, a 3D rotational assembly
panel was constructed. Thanks to the 3D panel, the device may be installed
at any position, at any angle – both vertically and horizontally. It is due to the
Studio 1:1 designers.

Product’s promotion or it is not a problem to produce...

The promotion consisted in, first of all, showing the product “live”. Special
stands were mounted in installation wholesale stores, at industry fairs. The in­
formation campaign was also carried out in the industry media. The image of
LEO PLASTIC was also strengthened by advertisements and the participation
in the prestigious “Good Design” contest in 2006.

What benefits were brought to the company by the well-designed product?

LEO PLASTIC sold well, not only in Poland, but, first of all, abroad. It turned
out that the cooperation with professionals resulted in a great added value for
the product and implementation costs were not as high as it had been initially
assumed. As the company director, Maciej Głogowski, says: on this occasion we
learnt how to cooperate with a design company. Keeping the ball rolling, we intro-
duced another product – LEO SMART, the next ones are being developed. Thanks
to the use of the advantage resulting from the application of design, we have be-
come a well-recognized brand on the market and a company followed by others.
153

11.2. ON office chair – PROFIm company (furniture industry)31)

Company
PROFIm; Turek.
Established in1991.
Capital: Polish (100%).
Company size: large (1300 employees).
Industry: furniture industry.
Products: office chairs.
Production volume: ca. 850 thous. units per year.
Export volume: 55% of production.
Sales value in 2006: 136 million PLN.
Designers cooperating with company: Grzegorz Olech, Piotr Kuchciński, To­
masz Augustyniak, Ronald Straubel, Wolfgang Deisig.
The ON chair is a modern office chair, being an example of well applied design
– it combines functionality with a nice appearance. Technologies used for its con­
struction made the chair fully compliant with ergonomic requirements while its
aesthetic function was not neglected. It has been designed as a response to the
demand and according to the expectations of the target group.

Family of ON Office Chairs – case study

Having analysed the market situation and its own product offer, in the autumn of
2004, the PROFIm company made a decision on expansion of its offer by a model
of a modern office chair.
The process of the product development has been carried out pursuant to the
procedure applicable in PROFIm, including: determination of design assump­
tions, selection of a designer, formation of a project team, design implementation
and introduction on the market.
The adopted assumptions were that a swivel chair is to be constructed, using
advanced technologies and ergonomic solutions, at an affordable price.
Given the plans to introduce the products onto the Western European markets
and in connection with that – the necessity to adapt the chair design to the
trends prevailing on those markets, a German designer – Wolfgang Deisig – was
asked to cooperate.
Within the framework of the project, the scope of responsibility has been divided
between the designer and company.

31)  Elaborated on the basis of information provided by the PROFI m company. The photo of the ON chair by courtesy
of the PROFIm company.
154

The designer was responsible for:

> concept works and design development,

> research of materials and technology,

> initial 2D and 3D drawings of the individual chair elements,

> presentation of models, demonstration of various solutions and alternatives,

> leading the project until the moment of putting into production,

> was not responsible for engineering/technology.

The PROFIm company was responsible for:

> engineering/technology, preparation of prototypes,

> use of 2D and 3D drawings and translation of them into production of indi­
vidual elements,

> supporting the designer in creation of models, design consultations,

> assistance to production of metal parts for prototypes,

> coordination of the implementation process, organization of meetings both in


Poland and Germany.

As a result of the project, which lasted from January 2005 till July 2007, a family
of ON office chairs was created. The family includes swivel-chairs and chairs
on legs and runners.
A characteristic element of the ON model is an ergonomic backrest made of a
mixture of plastic and special glass balls. Thanks to this solution, the backrest is
both high-resistant and high-resilient which enables active sitting. Additionally,
to improve resilience, the backrest has incisions and special plastic inserts are
put inside, enhancing both resilience and resistance of the backrest.
A special technological solution was also applied in the ON chair, allowing to
achieve an effect of the optimal adjustment to a user’s backbone, also during
moves made by the user.
Creation of the flexible backrest was a great challenge for the PROFIm company.
It was both difficult and very expensive implementation. It resulted from the
fact that the assumptions, adopted for the project’s purposes, included, inter alia,
construction of the flexible plastic backrest which would meet both ergonomic
requirements and resistance and stability standards. The most difficult task was
155

to find a balance between the shape of the backrest, thickness of plastic and the
type of plastic itself. The optimal selection of these parameters ensured achieve­
ment of this goal, i.e., construction of the backrest which is flexible yet stable
and resistant.
The ON chair is characteristic also due to the application of a modern synchron­
ic mechanism which enforces keeping the proper sitting position and mitigates
an unpleasant impression of “pulling the jacket” while bending back.
The interesting details are the aluminium elements joining the backrest with
the seat mechanism – apart from the design and aesthetic function they also act
as regulators of the backrest’s height. In this respect, the chair is an innovative
product on the Polish market.
A backrest regulating mechanism, enabling adjustment of the lumbar support
to the height of a sitting person, was located at the place of junction of the seat
and backrest. The front of the backrest is finished with the upholstery, filled with
form-poured polyurethane foam which additionally improves the comfort of sit­
ting. There is an option for the user to replace the upholstery, due to which the
chair may be used for many years and its appearance may be easily modified (at
a relatively low cost).
Other solutions determining the ergonomic nature of the model include: seat
depth regulation, seat deflection by 3 degrees, regulated elbow-rests and, as an

Photo 2 ON chair (produced by PROFIm)


156

extra option – a headrest, which was fixed to the backrest by means of a flexible
connector, to improve the user’s comfort. Thanks to many options of finishing and
selection of details, the chair may be used for many modern office arrangements.
The ON chair was granted the ergonomic certificates: by the Institute of Oc­
cupational Medicine and by the LGA. The LGA tests are carried out according
to criteria developed by Prof. Diebschlag, PhD. Granting of the aforementioned
certificates means that the model is designed in the manner enabling optimal
customization of the product to the user’s working needs and conditions and
meets criteria included in strict ergonomic standards. The model was also sub­
ject to a series of precise tests, which covered individual structural elements.
The chair was presented for the first time at the Orgatec Fairs in Cologne in
2006, where it was received with great interest, which confirmed the company’s
decision on introduction of the product on the market.
In 2007, the entire family of the ON chairs was awarded with the gold medal
during Poznań Fairs and honoured in the category “Diamond of the Furniture
Industry”.
The ON chair was placed on the market on 1st July 2007. Placing the product on
the market was supported by an advertising campaign and PR in press and on
the Internet, issuance of a commercial catalogue as well as direct presentations
led by company salespeople during meetings with customers.
After several months of sale, the level of its volume amounted to several hundred
units, which was regarded by the company as a success (as a product usually
starts selling well after six months of its presence on the market). The chair sells
well both on the Polish and foreign market.

11.3. Case studies based of the conducted qualitative research – exam-


ples of successful implementation projects
General findings

When analysing the selected case studies concerning successful implementa­


tions, an influence of several factors may be noticed:

> a proper moment of appearance of a product on the market and a response to


new, strictly determined needs/adaptation to trends,

> the use of innovation in a literal sense of the word (e.g., a new component of
a fabric, new information technology), creating the uniqueness and value of
a product,

> a suggestion of individual customization of a product in a situation when


a customer is sensitive to selection of detailed device parameters.
157

These factors may coexist but also only one of them may determine the success,
depending on what is an expected value in a given category and for a given
group of customers.

Case studies32)

1. Product – vegetable and fruit dryer, production started in 2007, in a large


company operating in the industry of household appliances. The product has
been present in the company’s offer for a few years and it hasn’t sold very well
so far. In 2007, a significant increase in sales was recorded. The emergence
(increase in popularity) of a trend for drying vegetables and fruit is consid­
ered to be a reason for the success.

2. A product by a medium-sized company operating in the industry of new me­


dia: computer games – very popular, following world trends. It is believed that
a reason for the success is the application of the state-of-the-art technology
(best parameters of the game engine) and employment of the best Polish game
designers and programmers which contributed to establishment of a strong
brand and position of the company on the market.

3. A product by a small company operating in the industry of sports equipment– an


apparatus for strength exercises aimed at business customers (owners of gyms,
fitness clubs). As the reasons for the success two main factors are given:

… a good moment on the market > a trend for physical activity, practising sports
and

… a suggestion of individual customization of the product to the customer’s


needs: selection of decorative elements, colouring, according to the custom­
er’s own preferences.
On the other hand, strict cooperation between the designer and a person having
knowledge of human anatomy resulted in construction of an apparatus, ena­
bling a highly precise use (according to a part of a body which should be trained
– issues to which customers are sensitive).

4. A product by a medium-sized company operating in the industry of outdoor


wear/ women’s casual wear, autumn/winter 2007 collection. A huge increase
in sales was observed, as well as very positive customer opinions. The intro­

32)  Due to a requirement of keeping the respondents’ data private, pursuant to the Esomar code, company names, as
well as details which could enable the company’s identification, must not be revealed.
158

duction of a new, unique and very attractive visually material (cotton + cash­
mere) is regarded as a reason for the success.

5. A product by a small company from the industry of investment products (e.g.


office equipment/binding machines) and articles related to digital photogra­
phy. The product, defined as the successful one, is a maintenance-free album
for digital photos (the machine prints photos, binds them and inserts into the
album). Benefits: quickness, possibility to place hundreds of photos in the
album. According to the company, a reason for the success is a good moment
of the appearance of the product on the market, i.e., intense development of
digital photography and a response to new needs of customers (possibility of
taking and a need of processing of a far larger number of photos than in case
of traditional photography).
Designing as a method for running own business 159

12.
Designing as a method
for running own business

BONA line of table accessories


design: Triada Design
manufacturer: ARTEFE Sp. z o.o.
The exhibition: „Designed in Poland” Berlin 2005/2006
160

12. Designing as a method for running own business

In the quantitative research (described in this report), carried out in 2007, almost
a half of the companies declare that they employed their own, in-house designer.
31% of the companies cooperate with the external designers, as may be required,
and 14 % cooperate with the external designers on a regular (permanent) basis.
The external designers cooperate with the companies on the basis of contracts
of specified tasks or cooperate as the business entities – design studios or one-
-person companies.
Each form of the activity has both advantages and disadvantages. One of the
basic advantages of the permanent employment, perceived by both designers
and entrepreneurs, is a better understanding of needs of a given company (its
expectations and technological possibilities) and customers at which the com­
pany’s offer is aimed.
The benefits resulting from working on one’s own account include:

> freedom, independence in making decisions (self-deciding),

> stimulation of the professional development (thanks to the cooperation with


various customers),

> greater effectiveness and efficiency of the activity,

> favorable tax settlements (50% lump-sum costs of the contract of specified task).

The perception of disadvantages of running one’s own activity is different, de­


pending on whether a questioned person is a one-person company or an owner
of a design studio.
In case of designers having their own design studios, the following difficulties,
resulting from a necessity to combine a function of a designer with studio man­
agement, are mentioned:

> responsibility for other people (team) and for all works,

> limited time for designing,

> a necessity to select compromise solutions.

People acting independently, while mentioning difficulties resulting from their


own activity, put a greater emphasis on:
161

> costs (of professional equipment, software, travels to fairs, etc),

> lack of financial continuity,

> “loneliness” during operation (lack of stimulation resulting from teamwork,


which often results in more creative solutions).

The designers mention the following factors constituting the barriers to the pro­
fessional development:

> financial barriers (lack of capital for investments in development),

> lack of the suitable professional equipment, including the expensive special­
ised software (related to an issue of lack of financial resources),

> lack of an ability to cooperate with the companies, particularly, to work in


teams,

> lack of the knowledge/ability to reach companies and other potential custom­
ers.
Further on, designers mention:

> lack of place/opportunity to present and promote their work and achievements
in a professional manner,

> lack of an opportunity of professional certification (formal recognition of the


appropriate level of knowledge and achievements in professional practice).
Methodology of report preparation 163

13.
Methods
of report preparation

TopSpin chair
design: Stanisław Charaziak
manufacturer: Zakłady Mebli Giętych FAMEG S.A.
Good Design 2003
Ministry of Economy Award – Design of the Year 2003
164

13. Methods of report preparation

The formal and legal basis for the implementation of the research task entitled
“Analysis of the industrial and functional design market in Poland”, ordered to
The Institute of Industrial Design by the Department of Economic Development
at the Ministry of Economy, is the contract of 20th August 2007.
The report was drawn up on the basis of:

> results of own research:

… quantitative – carried out using a sample of 300 Polish companies,

… qualitative – carried out using a sample of 30 Polish companies,

> published reports implemented in other EU countries,

> case studies (so-called good practices), describing successful Polish design
products, obtained by way of interviews with companies,

> compilations, experiences and opinions of the IWP experts.


Bibliography 165

14.
Bibliography

GENTLEMAN rug of Five o’cloth line


design: Anna Maria Suchodolska
manufacturer: Sztuka Beskidzka Rękodzieło Ludowe i Artystyczne
finalist of Silesian Icon 2005
166

14. Bibliography

Bernsen J., Design in small and medium size companies, Danish Design Centre, (In-
ternet: www.ddc.dk).
Cox G., Cox Review of Creativity in Business: building on the UK’s strenghts; 2005.
Danish Design Centre, 2004, The Economic Effects of Design. Dania: Kopenhaga,
(Internet: www.ddc.dk).
Definition of Design; ICSID; 2007, (Internet: www.icsid.org).
Design in Britain 2005-06; Design Council, (Internet: www.designcouncil.org.uk).
Działanie 1.4-4.1 Wsparcie dla przedsiębiorców na prace badawcze i rozwojowe, Pa-
kiet informacyjny; PARP, Zespół Badań i Rozwoju/Zespół Instytucjonalnego Systemu
Wsparcia; Warszawa 2007.
Działanie 4.2 Stymulowanie działalności B+R przedsiębiorstw oraz wsparcie w zakre-
sie wzornictwa, Pakiet informacyjny; PARP, Zespół Badań i Rozwoju/Zespół Instytu­
cjonalnego Systemu Wsparcia; Warszawa 2007.
Działek J.; Projekt pilotażowy „Małopolskie Spotkania Branżowe”; CITTRU; Uniwer-
sytet Jagielloński, Kraków 2007.
European Design Report; BEDA; DesignAustria; 2007.
Ginalski J., Liskiewicz M., Seweryn J., Rozwój nowego produktu; ASP Kraków; 1995.
Ginalski J., Wzornictwo Przemysłowe, prezentacja dla IWP; 2007.
Gralec W. (PARP), Wsparcie projektów wzorniczych z POIG; 2007.
Grzecznowska A., Mostowicz E., Miszczak M., Efektywność ekonomiczna aplikacji
wzornictwa; Prace i Materiały IWP, 18; Instytut Wzornictwa Przemysłowego; Warszawa
2006.
Grzecznowska A., Mostowicz E., Oporski J., Wzornictwo jako instrument pod-
noszenia innowacyjności produktu; Prace i Materiały IWP, 12; Instytut Wzornictwa
Przemysłowego; Warszawa 2005.
Grzecznowska A., Mostowicz E., Udział wzornictwa przemysłowego w rozwoju
przedsiębiorstw; Prace i Materiały IWP, 9; Instytut Wzornictwa Przemysłowego;
Warszawa 2004.
Mamica Ł., red.; Wzornictwo Przemysłowe w Małopolsce – oczekiwania firm i stu-
dentów; Centrum Design w Krakowie; Kraków 2007.
167

National Survey of Firms 2002, A report prepared by PACEC on behalf of Design


Council (G. Britain), London 2003, (Internet: www.pacec.co.uk).
POIG 5.2 Wspieranie instytucji otoczenia biznesu świadczących usługi proinnowa-
cyjne oraz ich sieci o znaczeniu ponadregionalnym; Fundusze Unii Europejskiej; 2007
(Internet: www.fundusze-ue.com.pl).
Prawo własności przemysłowej, Dz. U. z 2003 r. Nr 119, poz. 1117 z późniejszymi
zmianami.
Program Operacyjny Innowacyjna Gospodarka; Polska Agencja Rozwoju
Przedsiębiorczości; 2007, (Internet: www.parp.gov.pl).
Ramlau Hovgaard U., In Denmark, Design Tops the Agenda; Design Management
Review, Fall 2004.
Roy R., Potter S., The commercial impacts of investment in design, Design Studies, Nr
2; 1993
Stowarzyszenie Projektantów Form Przemysłowych, (Internet: www.spfp.diz.pl).
Ustawa o prawie autorskim i prawach pokrewnych, Dz. U. z 2000 r. Nr 80, poz. 904
z późniejszymi zmianami.
Ustawa o zwalczaniu nieuczciwej konkurencji, Dz. U. z 1993 r. Nr 47, poz. 211.
Report distribution and contact 169

15.
Report distribution
and contact

5th Avenue Pro bike


design: NPD Department in KROSS
manufacturer: KROSS S.A.
Exhibition: „Designed in Poland” Berlin 2005/2006
170

15. Report distribution and contact

Distribution and public quoting of the report requires the reference to the re­
port’s author, i.e., the Institute of Industrial Design.
The Institute of Industrial Design is entitled to use the report, wholly or partially,
in its own projects or publications.
Pursuant to the IWP’s experience, we recommend to prepare abridged or dedi­
cated report versions for the purposes of the widespread disclosure of the report
to the media, companies as well as administration and institutions of the busi­
ness environment.
The scope and range of the research is comparable with the research carried out
in other EU countries, while the results show a huge development potential of
the Polish economy. We suggest to prepare a presentation of the research results
for the media, combined with a press conference.
The contact person with regard to reports and analyses at the Institute of In­
dustrial Design is dr Iwona Palczewska, Director of Research and Development
Division; e-mail: iwona_palczewska@iwp.com.pl, phone no.: +48 22 860 02 37.
Limitation of the author’s liability 171

Limitation
of the author’s liability

218 Mc railbus
design: Arkadiusz Sobkowiak, Marek Adamczewski
Jakub Gołębiewski, Mariusz Gorczyński, Barbara Kusz, Bartosz Piotrowski
manufacturer: PESA BYDGOSZCZ S.A. Holding
Directors’ Award from the Institute of Industrial Design – Designer of the Year 2006,
Good Design 2006
172

16. Limitation of the author’s liability

The report’s author, i.e., IWP, bears no liability for consequences of decisions
made on the basis of the present report.
The Institute of Industrial Design 173

17.
The Institute
of Industrial Design

EM-11C ORKA aircraft


design: Edward Margański, Grzegorz Sadłek, Tadeusz Zboś, Mariusz Wolak
Łukasz Kielar, Tomasz Jasiński, Paweł Zyzak
manufacturer: Zakłady Lotnicze Margański & Mysłowski Sp. z o.o.
Design of the Year 2006, Good Design 2006
174

17. The Institute of Industrial Design

The Institute of Industrial Design is an All-Polish institution, with 50 years of


experience with regard to the popularization of design and development of new
products, providing expert and advisory services for companies and administra­
tion.
The current activity of the IWP is focused on 3 main areas: design promotion and
popularization, research and development, education.

It organizes national and international exhibitions, conferences, contests and


events promoting design. The leading programme, organized by IWP since 1993,
is the “Good Design” programme including monitoring, contest and exhibition
of the best designed products on the Polish market. It is the most prestigious
– having the expert nature - programme dedicated to design in Poland.
Design Centre prepares and publishes publications, including “e-Biuletyn” and
manages the Internet website www.iwp.com.pl. For 50 years, it has been collect­
ing and sharing books and magazines on design and currently it owns one of the
largest European libraries dedicated to design, resources of which are gradually
digitalized and shared online.

It carries out scientific research with regard to ergonomics and biomechanics as


well as design management and development of new products. It develops re­
quirements, ergonomic and anthropometric standards for designers and manu­
facturers. It carries out market research with regard to design application and
market trends. It compiles expert opinions and advisory projects ordered by
companies, institutions, state and self-government administration.

It runs trainings, workshops and conferences for designers and entrepreneurs


with regard to design management and introduction of a new design product on
the market. Since 2008, it has been running, together with SGH, postgraduate
studies on design management aimed at product managers and designers.
175

In 2007, IWP compiled the following expert opinions and reports:

> Design as an opportunity for development of the jewellery and amber industry
in Poland – an expert opinion ordered by the Department of Economic Regu­
lations at the Ministry of Economy;

> Analysis of awareness of the customer needs in companies during the develop-
ment and introduction of a new product – an expert opinion compiled for the
purposes of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development and the Ministry
of Economy;

> Gdynia for imaginative people – a concept of a strategic programme for the
self-government of the City of Gdynia, ordered by the City Hall of the City of
Gdynia;

> Gdynia Design Days 2008 – a concept of a programme for a design festival,
ordered by the City Hall of the City of Gdynia;

> Expert opinions, ordered by courts, on disputable issues concerning protec­


tion of the intellectual property.

Instytut Wzornictwa Przemysłowego Sp. z o.o.


ul. Świętojerska 5/7
00-236 Warsaw
Poland

tel.: +48 22 860 00 66


fax: +48 22 831 64 78
e-mail: iwp@iwp.com.pl
http://www.iwp.com.pl
176

Instytut Wzornictwa Przemysłowego would like to thank the following manufac­


turers for the provision of product photos and given their permission to use them
in the report (in alphabetical order):

> ARTEFE Sp. z o.o.,

> CIARKO Sp. z o.o.,

> Com40 LIMITED Sp. z o.o.,

> Fabryka Mebli BALMA S.A.,

> Fabryka Porcelany KRZYSZTOF S.A.,

> Flowair Głogowski i Brzeziński Sp.j.

> GlobalDom Sp. z o.o.,

> IKER Sp. z o.o.,

> KROSNO S.A.,

> KROSS S.A.,

> Moho Design Sp. z o.o.,

> Noon Yachts S.A.,

> NOTI,

> PESA BYDGOSZCZ S.A. Holding,

> PROFIm Sp. z o.o.

> Puff-Buff Design,

> Sztuka Beskidzka Rękodzieło Ludowe i Artystyczne,

> Zakłady Lotnicze Margański & Mysłowski Sp. z o.o.,

> Zakłady Mebli Giętych FAMEG S.A.,

> ZELMER S.A.

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