Montreal (Canada) – Thousands join around the globe on 29 June to for the 12th edition of World Industrial Design Day™ (WIDD), marking the establishment of the World Design Organization (WDO)™ on this day more than 61 years ago.

The theme for the international day of observance was chosen in alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #3: Good Health and Well-being with an aim to encourage participants to focus on ways in which industrial design can incite happier, healthier and more enjoyable lifestyles. Touching on very broad subjects such as medical research, access to nutritious food, transportation systems, living and working conditions, air and noise quality, to name just a few, the theme serves merely as an anchor for the day, which ultimately encourages all facets of industrial design to be recognized for its intrinsic value on improving our economic, social, cultural, and environmental quality of life.

“Over the past few months, we have encouraged a global dialogue around design-driven solutions to issues affecting physical, mental and social quality of life,” stated Luisa Bocchietto, WDO President. “We have gathered inspiring features from designers, students and project hosts in relation to these topics and promoted success stories from the design community that showcase innovative products, process and projects”.

Events have been organized by WDO members and the design community in a number of cities around the world and include activities such as workshops, conferences and cocktails, video releases and book launches, as well as an initiative that translated the World Design Organization Code of Ethics in Traditional Chinese.

The day has also been seized to launch a World Design Talk™ in Izmir on the topic of ‘Co-Living’. Hosted by the Izmir Mediterranean Academy, Branch of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality and coordination with WDO members: Izmir University of Economics, Department of Industrial Design; Industrial Designers’ Society of Turkey, Izmir Branch; Vestel Electronics, and other design communities from Izmir, the event took place at the Historical Gasworks Cultural Center. Please visit Colivingizmir.org for more information on the World Design Talk.

Follow these and other WIDD activities happening on social media via the hashtag #WIDD2018.

For more information, please visit wdo.org/programmes/widd or contact WIDD@wdo.org

 

About World Industrial Design Day™
World Industrial Design Day (WIDD) is an international day of observance celebrated throughout the world in recognition of the establishment of the World Design Organization™ (WDO) on 29 June. First declared in 2007 on the organization’s 50th anniversary, WIDD increases awareness of the profession of industrial design and champions the power of design to strengthen economic, social, cultural, and environmental development.

 

About WDO

The World Design Organization (WDO)™, formerly the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid), is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1957 to promote the profession of industrial design. WDO advocates industrial design driven innovation that creates a better world, engaging more than 150 member organizations in collaborative efforts and carrying out international programming—World Design Capital®, World Design Talks™, World Design Impact Prize, World Industrial Design Day™, and Interdesign™. WDO has United Nations Special Consultative Status.

www.wdo.org