Blog frogs on the road
By Various frogs - September 26, 2009
I've just returned from the IDSA conference in Miami, and I'm both convinced that, in ten years, there won't be an IDSA conference to go to - and that isn't a bad thing. I don't mean this in a disparaging sense; I enjoyed the conference, caught up with old friends, made new friends, and learned a bit. But a trend that I've observed at past conferences is only more evident this year, and it's patronizing to continue to skirt what is becoming increasingly obvious: the IDSA has served a valuable role in the evolution of design as a professional discipline, and has helped advance the field to a point where the IDSA is now essentially irrelevant. Design has outgrown “Industrial Design”, and a professional organization cannot exist only in the form of self-maintenance.
Blog frogs on the road
By Various frogs - July 31, 2009
Last week at our Seattle studio, frog hosted the IDSA and IxDA event “Whole Product Design” where industrial designers and user interaction designers came together to explain the approach and collaborative process behind the products they designed. The event exposed the holistic design process (from form to function), and gave local designers the opportunity to show and talk about their work, as well as connect with other designers in the two disciplines.
Blog frogs on the road
By Various frogs - May 2, 2009
Cooper Woodring has spent an impressive career as an industrial designer, and has played a critical role in the development of the IDSA. Yet his presentation today at the IDSA Mideast District Conference pointed out a major cross-generational problem that seems to plague both the IDSA and the industrial design profession - a left-over emphasis on form, a now dated view of design as stylist, and a rejection of the complexity of design for behavior and culture.
Blog frogs on the road
By Various frogs - September 16, 2008
The Industrial Design Society of America held its 2008 national conference in Phoenix, Arizona. I’ve always been critical of the content at the conference, usually finding value in the networking and casual discourse but not learning a great deal from the actual conference sessions. This year’s event had a slightly different feel to it; while there was certainly a great deal of chaff, I was able to find a strong amount of wheat in the specific breakout sessions.
