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Design

How to create a portfolio to apply for a design role in government

A laptop computer on a wooden desk, its screen shows the title page of a design portfolio

What should a portfolio look like when applying for a design role in government? Whatever your experience level, in this post you’ll find advice on how to shape a good portfolio, what is expected of you and why having and updating a portfolio is important.

Designing the GOV.UK coronavirus page

A person holding a mobile phone showing the GOV.UK coronavirus page reading: ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19)’ – stay alert, control the virus, save lives

The GOV.UK coronavirus page went from concept to publication in 4.5 days. Since going live, it has helped millions of people find important COVID-19 information. Read the blog post to find out how we designed gov.uk/coronavirus.

How designers across government are working remotely

A visual representation of many connected nodes on a computer screen, most of them grouped together in one of five coloured clusters, a headline above the map reads: ‘Prison leavers communities and relationships’

Designers in government have adapted to the new circumstances, altered their ways of working and adopted new tools. For this blog post, we reached out to various service designers from different government organisations to hear how they are working under the changed environment.

What it’s like to run a gov design jam

A small of group of people working together during the Gov Jam, in focus: two young women of different ethnicities, one holding a LEGO figure, coloured sticky notes are behind them on the wall

End of October, public servants from multiple government organisations co-organised Gov Jams in Blackpool, Leeds and London. The hackathon-like events were part of a global event series that took place in 26 cities internationally. In this blog post, 3 organisers share how it worked, what it was like, and how to get involved.

User-centred design in local government: where it’s at

Announcement graphic for Local #govdesign Day on 25 November 2019 at Birmingham Council House from 11 to 5 o’clock; supported by Birmingham City Council

Many local councils all across the UK are increasing their design, user research, and content design capability. Designers and design-minded people are improving the public services provided by Local Authorities. We are running a Local #govdesign Day to bring these people together and showcase their work.

International Design in Government events this summer

A poster promoting the International Design in Government Day. It contains a quote from Lou Downe: “The future of government transformation is better design”. The poster also contains the logo of the organisers – Code for America and the International Design in Government community – and the date of the event: 29 May 2019

After running the first ever International Design in Government Conference in London last summer, we asked our community who would like to bring it to their country. In this post, we share where designers in government will get to gather next.