A few issues back,Fast Company magazine was focused on design, with a special section titled,  "Masters of Design." A great quote that illustrates how design is a competitive advantage:

"A three-year study of more than 40 Fortune 500 companies by the research firm Peer Insight found that companies focused on customer-experience design outperformed the S&P 500 by a 10-1 margin from 2000 to 2005."

I think we all know that good design makes a difference, AND it’s nice to see it in the numbers.