INNOVATION Magazine

Our quarterly publication providing in-depth coverage of industrial design issues and communicating the value of design to business and society at large.

A collection of INNOVATION magazines hangs on a rack

INNOVATION is the voice of the industrial design profession, providing in-depth coverage of industrial design issues and communicating the value of design to business and society at large. This award-winning quarterly is generously illustrated with images of cutting-edge designs and features a clean yet dynamic layout that brings editorials and top-notch content to life. The magazine was first published in 1982, and IDSA members consistently name INNOVATION as a primary benefit of their membership experience to this day.

Every issue of INNOVATION is distributed to IDSA members, Fortune 500 companies, universities, associations, design consultancies, and other subscribers around the world. Professional IDSA members based in the United States receive a printed copy of INNOVATION four times a year as part of their member benefits. All IDSA members have exclusive access to digital versions of the most recent four INNOVATION issues when logged into this website.

Since 2011, past issues of INNOVATION have been made available digitally ISSUU.com for readers to enjoy on their computers or tablets. This extends the reach of INNOVATION to more industrial designers in North America than any other ID publication. Limited quantities of past issues may be purchased at the IDSA online store. Individuals or organizations may also purchase subscriptions to INNOVATION.

History of INNOVATION

INNOVATION, as it is called now, first appeared in January 1982. Prior to that, the IDSA-produced publication was called ‘Journal of the Industrial Designers Society of America,’ which ran from 1968 through 1972, when the name of the magazine was shortened to simply, ‘Design Journal.’ These early evolutions of the publication suggest that IDSA was in a growth and maturation phase in which it was seeking to find its footing as a content creator (as we now call it) in the publishing world.

Regardless of the name, the core intent of publishing a magazine was to produce a vehicle for industrial design news, trends, and insights. Remember, it was a time before the internet and ubiquitous access to information in the form of Google searches that we all live in today. For nearly 30 years, INNOVATION magazine truly was one of the only places where an industrial designer could look for comprehensive and up-to-date articles related to our professional practice.

Since its founding, the magazine was also meant to be a lasting record of the activities of IDSA. Reports from conferences, Board of Directors meetings, and other matters related to the IDSA membership experience were frequently found within its pages. This continues to this day.

 

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A copy of INNOVATION open on the table