In a provocative post at Forbes.com, contributor Steve Denning, a leadership and innovation expert, writes, “The Creative Economy is a huge opportunity that awaits us.”

Denning contends that the creative economy is “one in which the driving force is innovation.” His abundant ideas—a call to action to leaders in business and government—inspired me on many levels, similarly to Richard Florida’s classic book The Rise of the Creative Class (Basic Books, 2003).
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This is a guest post written by my colleague Glenn Roby, AIA, an associate principal and head of the Business Environments team at Kahler Slater, a global architecture and design enterprise. An award-winning architect, Glenn works with a variety of entrepreneurial organizations and Fortune 500 companies.

You can’t turn on a television, pick up a magazine, read a blog, or shop without being bombarded by design. Design is now part of the mainstream vocabulary, no longer owned by an elite few. Whether it is a fashion-inspired design show like Project Runway or one of the dozens of home improvement shows, it seems that Americans are obsessed with design. In fact, TVacres.com reports an incredible number of design shows on television today – more than 200! As an architectural designer, I have to admit that my first reaction was to lament the bombardment of design messages for fear that good design was going to be lost in the noise. That is when I realized we have yet to tap the potential of the popularity of design outside traditional consumer markets.
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On Sunday, the New York Giants and New England Patriots will meet inIndianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI. By and large, the players’ talent and skills will drive the outcome of the game. Yet, by design, their “workplace” will also play an influential role.

Football stadiums and corporate workplaces have more in common than you might think. Today, both can reinforce culture, impact productivity, and foster feelings of connectedness. And if you know where to look, the similarities are easy to spot.
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Image by ©iStockphoto.com/malerapaso

It’s only mid-January, but for most of us the holidays are already a distant memory.

Still, as I look back at my holiday gifts, both given and received, I can’t help but reflect on how design influenced my choices (on what to give others and what to keep from among my own gifts) and how those insights might be helpful to you, particularly as you design or redesign products or services in the New Year.
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