Montreal (Canada) – Icsid is pleased to announce that partnership agreements have been signed with Nokia Corporation, Rado and Nestlé (South Africa) (Pty) Limited as the first companies to join the World Design Partner™ Programme (WDPP) – a strategic partnership initiative established to generate funding to support Icsid’s international programming, including the World Design Capital® (WDC) initiative. The programme is forming collaborative partnerships with a selected number of private sector partners with a strong commitment to design in general and industrial design in particular. Nokia, a long time Icsid Member joins the programme at the Main Partner level, whilst Nestlé and Rado join at the Partner level.
The first cycle of the WDPP will be piloted exclusively in conjunction with the WDC Cape Town 2014, which began on 31 December 2013 with a New Year’s Eve of Design celebration. As the WDPP evolves, Icsid’s roster of recognised projects including Interdesigns, World Industrial Design Day and the World Design Impact Prize will also benefit from its financial support. For the right private sector partner, the WDPP provides new ways to enhance their innovation processes, as well as creates design-driven content that greatly impacts communities. It also presents a unique opportunity to develop a customer immersion lab to mine and analyse user experience across a broad spectrum of communities.
“As an INGO, Icsid has established an illustrious reputation as a world leader and advocate for industrial design by collaborating with the global design community to develop initiatives that foster change,” stated Icsid Secretary General, Ms. Dilki de Silva. “However, Icsid’s administrative body is quite small for a non-profit organisation that engages with such a broad international membership base and manages such ambitious programmes as the World Design Capital and the World Design Impact Prize, in addition to the developmental programmes like the signature Icsid Interdesign Workshop and the observation of the annual World Industrial Design Day. As we aim to capacity build to support and grow Icsid’s value proposition, new ways to attract additional revenue to support this work have become increasingly important.”
Icsid has approached a selection of design effective companies committed to innovation through design, to contribute knowledge and expertise to community development and the improvement of quality of life. As active participants in Cape Town’s WDC 2014 programme, the objective will be to provide the partners with an innovative opportunity to focus on consumer engagement. By participating in a global dialogue about design as a problem-solving tool, the participating companies will contribute to the collective knowledge about design for better cities and social change.
Speaking about the partnership, Rado CEO Matthias Breschan said, “Rado is a brand well-known in design circles for our support of young talent, as well as for the distinctive design of our watches – many of which have won awards. We are convinced that this new partnership with World Design Capital is important in promoting design as something accessible for everyone as well as underlining Rado’s dedication to design in all its many guises.”
Nestlé, known for its quality brands and commitment to innovation, recently launched the globally successful NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto system in South Africa. State-of-the-art technology comes together with an award winning design to create this unique multi-beverage system, which delivers coffee shop quality beverages. “The opportunity to partner with Icsid for the World Design Capital programme highlights NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto’s commitment to inspire creativity and celebrate design, while taking coffee appreciation to the next level,” said Grant Phillips, Beverages Business Executive Manager.
Whilst the WDPP is a long-term investment that will require much nurturing, Icsid plans to attract only a selected number of truly committed companies to allow the partners to reap results from their involvement.
For more information, please contact:
Icsid
Natalie Dutil, Communications Officer
t: +1 514 448 4949 ext. 223
e: ndutil@icsid.org
Nestlé
Rudo Nhaca, Coffee Category Marketing Manager
t: +27 11 514 6186
e: rudo.nhaca@za.nestle.com
Nokia Communications
t: +358 7180 34900
e: press.services@nokia.com
Rado
t: +41 32 655 6111
e: press@rado.com
About the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid)
The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) is a non-profit organisation that protects and promotes the interests of the profession of industrial design. Founded in 1957, Icsid serves as a unified voice of over 50 nations through which members can express their views and be heard on an international platform. Since its inception, Icsid has continued to develop its wide-reaching network of students and professionals devoted to the recognition, success and growth of the industrial design community. Together, professional associations, promotional societies, educational institutions, government bodies and corporations create a comprehensive and diverse system on the forefront of industrial design education and progress.
www.icsid.org
About Nestlé
Nestlé South Africa is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nestlé Switzerland. The company was formally registered in South Africa about 98 years ago. The first Nestlé products arrived in South Africa during the 1870s and its presence in South Africa was formally entrenched on 7 July 1916 when it registered as a company. In order to meet the demands of a growing country, local production started in 1927 with the purchase of the South African Condensed Milk Company Ltd factory in Donnybrook, and the Estcourt and Franklin factories. Nestlé South Africa also services neighbouring countries – Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana and Namibia. Nestlé is committed to bringing consumers tastier, healthier choices in their product offering and strives to become the leading Nutrition, Health and Wellness Company.
www.nestle.com
About Nokia
Nokia is a global leader in mobile communications whose products have become an integral part of the lives of people around the world. Every day, more than 1.3 billion people use their Nokia to capture and share experiences, access information, find their way or simply to speak to one another. Nokia’s technological and design innovations have made its brand one of the most recognised in the world.
www.nokia.com/about-nokia
About Rado
Rado is a globally recognised brand, famous for innovative design and its use of revolutionary materials to create some of the world’s most durable watches. Ever since its beginnings in Lengnau (Switzerland), Rado has had a pioneering spirit, with the brand philosophy “if we can imagine it, we can make it” still holding true today.
www.rado.com
About the World Design Capital® (WDC)
While there are many awards that recognise individual accomplishments in design, the World Design Capital designation is unique as it aims to focus on the broader essence of design’s impact on urban spaces, economies and citizens. The designation provides a distinctive opportunity for cities to feature their accomplishments in attracting and promoting innovative design, as well as highlight their successes in urban revitalisation strategies throughout the course of a yearlong programme. Cities are selected every two years by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) – the not-for-profit organisation that established and manages the designation. Past cities to hold the WDC title include Torino (Italy) in 2008, Seoul (South Korea) in 2010 and Helsinki (Finland) in 2012 whilst preparations for Cape Town (South Africa) are underway for 2014. The 2016 designation has been appointed to Taipei (Taiwan, Chinese Taipei).
