Where Heritage Fuels Innovation: The North East by Design
- Dr Justine Carrion-Weiss
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
On Monday, I attended the opening of Tyne Design Week, a brand-new initiative that celebrates and interrogates the role of design across the North East. This event is brought to life by a collaboration between Edge Innovation, Northumbria University, Newcastle University, Gateshead College, and the North East Combined Authority.
Rather than listing individual talks or summarising the panel discussion here, I’ve chosen to reflect on the broader picture that the opening event painted: one grounded in the North East’s design history, driven by innovation and focused on shaping better futures. Specifically, I identified six themes;
A Region with Design in its DNA: how the North East’s industrial heritage laid the foundations for a strong design culture
An Evolving Landscape: A snapshot of the region’s vibrant and growing design sector
Design within Organisations: the realities of working with design, whether it is running a design business, building in-house capacity, or rethinking traditional business models for greater impact.
Economic, Social & Environmental Impact: the value of design across the North East, from boosting GVA to supporting place-making, biodiversity, and social equity.
Designing Futures with Care and Intention: reflections on the responsible use of emerging tools like AI, and the importance of building supportive ecosystems where creativity can thrive.
Co-Creating the North East’s Next Chapter: Why design is central to shaping a more inclusive, sustainable, and collaborative future for the region, and how we all have a role to play.
Throughout this post, I will reference the speakers below (in order of appearance):
David Alexander | Principal and Chief Executive, Gateshead College
Simon Green | CEO, Edge Innovation
Professor Katy Shaw | Northumbria University and Director, AHRC Creative Communities
Estelle Blanks | Director of Business Development & Enterprise, Newcastle University
Mark Adamson | Principal Manager - Sectoral Growth and Delivery, North East Combined Authority
Ron Ashtiani | Artist and founder in the games industry
Alan Ramsay | Founder, Roots & Wings CIC
Helen E. Smith | Technical Director - Landscape Architecture, JBA Consulting
Laura Warwick | Senior Change Manager, NHS Business Services Authority
Neil Wilson | Founder, Echokit
Stephen Houghton | Founder, Reach Design
Please, before pursuing your reading, note that this piece is my interpretation and understanding of the content shared by the speakers and panel members. It is a summary that aims to capture, synthesise and depict the views and perspectives shared during the event as closely as possible. This is NOT an opinion essay.
Thank you for your understanding, and good reading! - Justine
A Region with Design in its DNA
Inspired by Professor Katy Shaw & Mark Adamson
The North East’s design legacy is rooted in its industrial past and the Industrial Revolution - so much so it was even part of my high school curriculum in France! Indeed, it was here, in the North East of England, that transformative inventions such as Stephenson's Rocket, Beechin's self-righting lifeboat or Swan's incandescent lightbulb saw the light (no pun intended!) and moved our world forward.
But although this industrial heritage is a source of pride for the region, you might wonder why does this matter? And how is this relevant to today's design landscape in the North East?
Well, actually, these design innovations were not solely the result of technical prowess; they were deliberate acts of creative problem-solving that responded to specific needs and as Katy reminded us of the old Durham miners' motto, "the past we inherit, the future we build".
And today, even if those needs have evolved, the sentiment stays the same. Brought about by the English devolution, we have a unique opportunity here in the North East to merge legacy with innovation to build a vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive future for the region, shaped by design.
An Evolving Landscape
Inspired by Professor Katy Shaw , Estelle Blanks & Mark Adamson
With around 44,000 designers in the North East in 2020, the design capacity is widely represented in the region from fashion and graphic design to industrial design and digital innovation. Here, design giants cohabit with small design agencies, forming a rich, ever-evolving landscape.
And judging by this week's release of the UK's Modern Industrial Strategy for Creative Industries (which pledges £380 million to drive creative growth in the UK's regions) alongside other national and local strategies - this is only the beginning.
But this change is not just about funding. It is about recognising that design is not a luxury or finishing touch. Nope. It is a fundamental capability that enables organisations, communities, and individuals to adapt, flourish, and lead positive change.
Design within Organisations
Inspired by Ron Ashtiani, Alan Ramsay & Laura Warwick
From Creativity to Leadership
Designers are creatives before all, and not necessarily trained to run businesses. Often becoming entrepreneurs by accident, they are required to learn new skills such as managing teams, establishing clear processes or defining KPIs for their business to succeed.
By doing so, they are required to balance creative work in the business with strategic thinking on the business, which can be difficult. But a sustainable design business is be more than a vessel for great design work; it is resilient, strategic, and future-ready - and if you've read my LinkedIn post from last week, you know how much I relate to this!
Building In-House Capacity
Of course, not all designers own a business. But what all designers have in common when they work within an organisation (whether it is design-led or not) is that they must contribute to building in-house design capacity to unlock team's creativity and enable collaboration.
And when they succeed, design becomes a catalyst for thinking differently and working smarter. Amongst many things, it allows them to 'make magic' and do less with more. Which is absolutely critical in the current economic context, especially in public and third-sector settings.
The North East is a great place to be. There is so much happening, especially around designing for social good. - Laura Warwick
New Models of Design Enterprise
Away from traditional design business models, some organisations are redefining their model altogether by prioritising social and environmental impact. As such, the North East is bursting with B-corp-registered design organisations. Taking this further, one North East studio, Roots & Wings, challenges the status quo and redefines what a design business should be by operating as a Community Interest Company. That means that not only is every project selected by their team for its values alignment, but all profits are reinvested into work that serves the common good.
Economic, Social & Environmental Impact
Inspired by Professor Katy Shaw, Mark Adamson, Ron Ashtiani, Alan Ramsay, Helen E. Smith, Laura Warwick, Neil Wilson & Stephen Houghton
As one of the fastest growing UK Design Economy regions (alongside the North West and Wales) between 2012 and 2022, the North East's design contribution is measurable and significant. In 2019, the design sector in the North East generated £1.87 billion to the GVA.
But the value of design in the North East isn’t just financial. It is also visible in the places we live, work, and gather; the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, the Glasshouse, and the Angel of the North are not just iconic structures; they are symbols of civic identity and creative ambition. They stand as permanent reminders that design and by extension, creativity, belongs at the heart of our life.
Design also plays a less visible, but no less vital, role in landscape architecture and environmental restoration. Across the region, polluted and post-industrial sites are being reimagined to support biodiversity, wellbeing, and community resilience. These transformations demonstrate the power of design to heal, not just build.
And at a more human scale, design supports social cohesion. Whether it is developing services that support vulnerable populations, crafting experiences that foster inclusion, or inventing products made from recycled materials, design enables people to live better lives. It creates space for care, equity, and ingenuity even when resources are scarce.
Designing Futures with Care and Intention
Inspired by Alan Ramsay, Helen E. Smith, Laura Warwick & Stephen Houghton
AI, unsurprisingly, made its way into the conversation. While automation offers the promise of efficiency, it is clear that the real opportunity lies in using AI as a support tool; taking care of the mundane so designers can focus on the meaningful.
But this comes with responsibilities; the environmental cost of AI cannot be ignored, and organisations (I would argue not just 'design' organisations but ALL organisations) should be intentional in how and when they use these technologies. It is not about rejecting or embracing AI as a whole. Instead, it is about making space for an ongoing reflection and inquiry guided by strong values.
However, designing futures means more than interacting with technology. It means building ecosystems where talent can thrive, where collaboration is the norm, and where creativity is nurtured across generations - something that the North East seems particularly good at! Here, the goal is not just growth; it is sustainable growth, and it is a future where the design sector supports thriving communities, not just profitable ventures.
There is still a lot of space for humanity. - Alan Ramsay
Co-Creating the North East’s Next Chapter
Inspired by Mark Adamson, Professor Katy Shaw & Tyne Design Week
The North East has long found itself at the bottom of many social and economic league tables. But design offers a way forward. Not as a decor or as an object, but as a method and as a way of understanding needs, defining challenges, and crafting thoughtful, human & planet-centred responses. Design helps us imagine what the future could be, and then shows us how to get there.
Design isn’t just about aesthetics. Rather, it is a process that enables us to create a plan, an approach or a strategy to address a challenge or achieve a specific purpose while focusing on real needs and experiences.
This is the power of design: to bring people, ideas, tools, and systems together to foster creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving. To deeply understand the realities of a situation and shape new ways forward. In the North East, this potential is being harnessed across sectors and communities alike.
It is clear that design will play a pivotal role in how this region grows not just economically, but socially and environmentally. And if Tyne Design Week’s opening is anything to go by, this growth will be rooted in care, empathy, and collective ambition.
Acknowledgements
A heartfelt thank you to all the speakers and panel members mentioned above for generously sharing their knowledge, expertise, and perspectives. And a big thank you to the organisations behind Tyne Design Week for bringing this important and inspiring event to life.
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