It’s official. The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) is entering its 60th year as the World Design Organization (WDO). The global, non-governmental organization was founded in 1957 to promote the profession of industrial design and its ability to generate better products, systems, services, and experiences; business and industry; and ultimately, environment and society. WDO, which holds United Nations Special Consultative Status, has also launched a new brand.
The name change was approved at then-Icsid’s 2015 International Design Congress, attended in Korea by IDSA Executive Director Daniel Martinage, CAE.
Now, WDO advocates ID-driven innovation in 40 countries with more than 140 member organizations, including IDSA, to promote: World Design Talks, World Design Impact Prize, World Industrial Design Day, Interdesign workshops and World Design Capital (WDC).
WDC is designated every two years, recognizing cities for their effective use of design to drive economic, social, cultural and environmental development. Through a year-long program of events, the designated city showcases best practices in sustainable design-led urban policy and innovation that improve quality of life. Previous WDCs include Torino, Italy; Seoul, South Korea; Helsinki, Finland; Cape Town, South Africa; Taipei, Taiwan; and in 2018—Mexico City, which becomes the first city from the Americas to earn WDC status. Apply here for WDC 2020.
WDO’s Board is led by President Mugendi M’Rithaa and includes IDSA Member Srini Srinivasan, founder of LUMIUM DESIGN, INC, and IDSA International Conference 2016 speaker Professor Lou Yongqi, PhD, dean of the College of Design and Innovation at Tongji University in China.