Over the last few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to attend several very inspiring events. I co-presented IIDA’s Global Excellence Awards at Maison & Objet in Paris, France on January 25; then went right to Scottsdale Arizona for the BIFMA (Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association) 360 Conference, then returned to Boston for Design Museum Boston’s UNITE panel. A lot of miles and planes in one week, but well worth it to be part of some exciting conversations about the future of design.
While the audiences, and locales were quite different from event to event, there were common themes in the discussions – the impact of culture on design, and the importance of designing for the human experience.
At IIDA’s Global Excellence Awards, winning designers traveled from around the world, including Hong Kong, Estonia, Lebanon, Great Britain, Greece and China, to accept their awards. What impressed me most was not only the incredible design talent, but as the winners accepted and discussed their projects, we heard over and over how their design impacted the lives of people, and their community. There was also a great spirit of camaraderie and genuine respect among the winners, and a visible blurring of cultural lines in a way I had never seen (kind of like the design Olympics!).
One of the highlights of the BIFMA Conference was Sir Kenneth Robinson, who spoke about fostering creativity and innovation (If you are not one of the 25 million people who have watched his TED Talk – do that here!). He illustrated the importance of nurturing people and creating culture – that organizations need to be thought of as organisms, not mechanisms – they are about people. And he cautions us that technology does not add to culture, it changes culture – technology is moving so quickly that no one can predict the consequences.
At Design Museum Boston, the theme of designing for the people continued. Held in the STA designed MOO (an online printer built on the philosophy that great design should be accessible to everyone) Boston offices, the panel discussed how design impacts every aspect of the culture of a workplace, and the experience of the employee and customer – from product development, to service experience, and environment.
I’m inspired that these thought leaders are discussing the importance of creating culture and designing for the human experience, and I challenge all designers out there to make that their focus. After all, isn’t that what being a designer is all about? Why else would we design if it is not for the human experience, to make a person safe, productive, energized, comforted, inspired, healthy, happy?
The events by IIDA, BIFMA and Design Museum Boston are demonstrating the highest level of visionary design thinking, and the leading edge of the conversation about the future of design, and I am very excited to have the opportunity to engage in this dialogue.
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