Quick Facts

Our aim is to increase Norwegian businesses' understanding, knowledge and use of design. We want to build a design nation of Norway!

What is the Norwegian Design Council?
The Norwegian Design Council is a national strategic body for design in Norway. Our aim is to communicate the benefits of design to Norwegian businesses.

Vision
Norway - A design nation!

Mission statement
Our mission is to promote the use of design as a strategic tool for innovation, in order to achieve greater creation of value in Norwegian trade and industry.

Purpose
Our aim is to increase Norwegian businesses´ understanding, knowledge and use of design as a tool for innovation. In order to achieve this we:

• Give companies advice on how to use design as a strategic resource and source for innovation
• Promote the innovative effects of design through our website, publications, workshops, seminars and exhibitions
• Collaborate with other organizations - such as Innovation Norway - in order to make design accessible to companies all over Norway
• International promotion of Norwegian design and Norwegian designers

Finance
We are funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry.

History
The Norwegian Design Council (NDC) was established in 1963 by the Norwegian Trade Council and the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO). We are financed by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), and we are part of the ministry's policy to increase the competitiveness of the Norwegian trade and industry. Her Highness, the Crown Princess of Norway is our royal protector.

Location
We are located together with Norsk Form at the Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture (DogA) in Oslo. Find us?

Design Awards
One of the Norwegian Design Council's main activities is the annual Award for Design Excellence and the Honours Award for Design Excellence given to companies and designers who have developed successful design solutions. Other awards include the International Design Award, Classic Award for Design Excellence and the Young Talent Award.
Read more about our Design Awards and who has received it in the past

Services
We have a consultancy service where our consultants may assist in establishing and carrying out designbased business development projects.

We can also recommend alternative sources of information, such as the below:
Innovation Norway
The Association for Graphic Designers (Grafill)
The Association for Industrial Designers (NID)

Funding of design projects
The Design Council is a strategic body, so we don't offer funding or endorsements directly to individuals. However, we have established some funding schemes through our partnership with Innovation Norway and The Norwegian Research Council (SkatteFUNN).
NRC SkatteFunn | Innovation Norway Design Services

We have a consultancy service where our consultants may assist in establishing and carrying out designbased business development projects.