African design is growing in popularity, especially in the home decoration industry where demand is outstripping supply. Many African designers have gained a reputation for the quality and the originality of their work and are making headway in the international market. In August 2008, WIPO Magazine contacted several of these designers - all part of the Design Africa program - to discuss their work and the intellectual property issues involved therein.

There is an increasing amount of popularity and support for the creative industry, as more people are recognising the economic viability of creativity and the public is now actively participating in the creation of arts and culture. Jeffrey Meulman looks at the factors in this equation, and what impact they might have on us.

Kevin McCullah, the founder of the London-based product strategy consultancy company, Plan, looks at what it means to be a design leader. This slippery subject has no clear answer, yet the author comes up with ten different types of design leaders to illustrate what these important pathfinders in the design industry might look like.

How can a designer increase the degree to which people bond with a product? This is the question researcher Ruth Mugge tackled, who has recently received her PhD degree on this topic at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering of Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

A moving car is a constant risk. Very young drivers and older drivers are not as good as middle-aged drivers in avoiding crashes. The reason - automobiles, automobile electronics, and highways are designed for "average" drivers, not the extremes of the driving population.

Beyond marketing campaigns and good intentions, it is time to look at the greening of America's businesses from the long-standing perspective of supply and demand.

Martin Darbyshire, Icsid Board member, discusses the challenges and opportunities of working within China as a designer from the UK.

Elaine Ostroff (Adaptive Environments, USA) reports on how real interactions with people offer unique and expanded experiences that provide usable information for the design process.

Prof. Carlos Hinrichsen (School of Design DuocUC, Chile) - This is a presentation that focuses on the Southern Cone, including examples from three South American countries that have worked on Design initiatives and projects intended to gradually turn Design into part of their national cultures and economies.

Kris Kumar (University of Botswana) reports on the development of design and design education in Africa.