Minister Mitchell O’Connor launches National Design Strategy at IADT

L to R: Dr. Annie Doona (President, IADT); Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, T.D.; Stephen Hughes (Consumer Retail Manager, Enterprise Ireland); Karen Hennessy (CEO, DCCoI); and Breege O'Donoghue (Chair, DCCoI) at the launch of Ireland – the Design Island: a consultation paper towards a National Design Strategy at the National Film School, Institute of Art, Design + Technology (IADT), Dún Laoghaire.

Minister Mitchell O’Connor said:

“It is important that we build on the momentum and achievements of ID2015 in order to develop opportunities for growth, especially in relation to exports.

I am very pleased to see that a wide range of education and industry representatives have been involved in this consultation. The resulting document contains a list of issues that need to be examined, from quick wins to long-term strategic goals. This will now inform my department’s plans for developing Ireland’s design capability and for encouraging design thinking across all sectors.

Design will be a specific component of the Action Plan for Jobs process in 2017, both at national and regional levels. I am excited by the possibilities that design represents for our country’s creative future.”