Montreal Hosts ICSID Executive Board Meeting: Theme Chosen for 3rd Annual World Industrial Design Day

Montreal (Canada) – The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) held the inaugural executive board meeting of the 2009-2011 term at the Secretariat on 30-31 January in Montreal (Canada).  This event brought together nine design luminaries from five continents at the Icsid Secretariat, giving the opportunity for the board to work together with the Secretariat staff to outline the organisation’s future work.   

One of the highlights of the meeting was the board’s selection of the theme for the third annual World Industrial Design Day on 29 June 2010, which is:

"Industrial Design:  Humane solutions for a resilient world"

This topic was selected to facilitate collaboration within the industrial design community with the goal of producing tangible solutions. President Mark Breitenberg stated, "This theme stems from the immense response received from our recent 'Uniting Designers in Disaster' initiative launched on Facebook on 22 January in light of the disaster in Haiti and conveys the important role industrial design can play in global issues."

In an effort to continue to truly represent all member organisations, the executive board discussed recommendations put forth during the recent General Assembly in Singapore.  Workshops were tailored to draw insight and knowledge from the multinational Icsid Membership and helped the board create a representative and effective strategic plan for the new term (2009-2011).     

The broad international representation on the board was reflected in the meeting’s outcomes to develop and expand regional events.  Board members are committed to bridge the international industrial design community with regional advisors, members and the local design communities in their respective areas through consistent collaboration.