When times are tough and revenues are falling there may be a temptation for business to cut some budgets - money allocated to activities such as design, perhaps.

But design is a powerful tool in a downturn – not least by improving your image, and presenting the benefits of your products and services to your customers.

During hard times investment in design can give a business a competitive edge over rivals who are reining in their design budgets in order to save money.

When times are tough it is change, dynamism and vitality – not battening down the hatches – which are the keys to success. And this is exactly where design can help.

Companies big and small are rising to the challenge of hard times through a conscious investment in design. Their decision to innovate – to rethink and regenerate their products, operations and image – can be taken by a company of any size and in any area. Design and brand strategy can help elevate a firm or its products from the ordinary, the tired or the predictable, demonstrating that the business is alive, dynamic and responsive.

And in a declining market that just might make the difference between growth and collapse.