Ramping up to the DDS Pre-Summit, set to take place in Saint-Étienne on 3-5 April 2019, two more international projects are launched today. Responding to the “Call to Action” from the historic Montréal Design Declaration, the Design Declaration Summit (DDS) Steering Committee is initiating the DDS Government Design Policy Project and the DDS Design Research and Education Project. These are accompanied by a third initiative, the DDS Metrics Project, launched earlier this month.
All three Projects will be featured in dedicated sessions in Saint-Étienne. Twenty-nine (29) international and national entities have already confirmed participation in the event.
Unleashing the Potential of Design Policy
The DDS Government Design Policy Project is a global collaborative effort to catalyse design policy that targets “Design for People”, and will source and showcase various best practices in government design policy.
The DDS Government Design Policy Project session will feature presentations from expert contributors profiling public, private and civil society perspectives on design policy followed by opportunities for panel and roundtable discussions amongst participants.
The Project is being developed by a Project Management Committee (PMC) and is enriched by the contribution of experts from both within and outside of the design world.
The Project Management Committee is Co-Chaired by:
- Mr. Flemming Borreskov, Past President, International Federation for Housing and Planning,
- Ms. Eija Salmi, Secrtary General, Cumulus International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design and Media
With expertise from:
- Mr. Jeffrey Soule, Steering Committee member, World Urban Campaign
- Mr. Thomas Vonier, President, International Union of Architects
- Mr. Sune Knudsen, Chief Operating Officer, Danish Design Center
- Ms. Päivi Tahkokallio, Vice President, Bureau of European Design Associations
- along with insights on policies at various scales from local to global
When asked to elaborate on the significance of policies focused on “Design for People”, Mr. Flemming Borreskov states, “It is only in this way that design can change the world. We need committed, inclusive, adaptive and nimble leaders within business, government and civil society to become aware of the potential than can be unleashed through good government design policy.” He adds, “Design for People” is meant to benefit the common good, but for this we need “People for Design”. We need more than policy, we need leaders who will champion the power of design.”
But competent leadership and good governance and policy requires capacity building on “both sides of the table”. Co-Chair Ms. Eija Salmi, reflects “The research and education community can play a pivotal role in developing good design policies and educating future leaders with the design world. This is what the DDS Government Design Policy Project is seeking to do: bring together both those within the design world and those beyond to innovate and implement design policy.”
Synergies & Circularities in Design Education & Research
The DDS Design Education and Research Project is an international coalition seeking to advance the recognition of design education and research on a global level, as a key long-term strategy for achieving United Nations Sustanable Development Goals (UN SDGs), and on a local level, embedding greater consideration for design in the day to day, both within the private and public sectors, at work and at home.
In the words of IxDA; “Within our practice there is a rich debate about what fundamentals a designer should be equipped with as an outcome of their education. Increasingly, these skills are being recognized in business and beyond, so that design literacy is becoming a core skill of many professions. Moreover, as the world around us and the context for designing changes and adapts, we understand that education is a lifelong learning process.”
The DDS Design Education and Research Project will explore the scope of design education and research for the benefit of practitioners, students and those who seek to leverage design skills and processes to succeed in creating a world that is environmentally sustainable, economically viable, socially equitable, and culturally diverse.
The session on Design Education & Research is a gathering of various facets, approaches and models of design education and research:
The Project Management Committee is Co-Chaired by:
- Mr. Alok Nandi, President, Interaction Design Association
- Mr. Christian Guellerin, Past President, Cumulus International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design and Media
With expertise from:
- Ms. Rozina Spinnoy, Founder, BIDs Belgium
- Mr. Mariano Alesandro, Head of Future Thinking & Technology, INDEX: Design to Improve Life
- Ms. Charlotte Høeg Andersen, Education Director, INDEX: Design to Improve Life
- along with leading voices on the interface between industry with design education and research
For more details, please contact:
Jovana Milović
Programme Manager
jmilovic@designdeclaration.org