Design is a basic business process, which is often poorly understood. There is no established terminology for design. Desig is defined here to refer to the work of visual designers, excluding the work of engineering designers. General aspects of design in economy and within a company are described. The study gathers together findings from several previous studies about the relatiohship between design and company performance. The relationship is complex and hard to study. The studies’ results support the belief that design has a positive effect on company performance. Design has economic value. A preliminary industry categorization basing on design attributes is presented. The state of design in Finland is discussed in more detail. Design is actively used in only a narrow base of companies. Finnish design consultancy firms are very small and internationally uncompetitive. The use of design should be practiced in a wider base of companies. The design consultancy firms must also solve their competitivity problems. – design ; design consultancy firms ; company performance
