A recent study in Great Britain has shown a direct relation between design and business success. The Design Council, an organization funded by the UK Department of Trade and Industry, released research findings this month.

Sixty-three public companies were tracked over a ten-year period (1994-2003). A broad range of design awards were used to select companies. Design Council experts also made nominations with no detailed knowledge of previous stock performance.

The results? Over the decade, through markets bull and bear, design-intelligent companies beat the UK FTSE 100 index by 200%. (The FTSE follows the 100 largest companies on the London Stock Exchange. It is the British Dow Jones or S&P.)

Research findings are available for download online.