Montreal (Canada)– The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) held the inaugural executive board meeting of the 2009-2011 term at the Secretariat on 30-31 January in Montreal (Canada).  This event brought together nine design luminaries from five continents at the Icsid Secretariat, giving the opportunity for the board to work together with the Secretariat staff to outline the organisation’s future work.

One of the highlights of the meeting was the board’s selection of the theme for the third annual World Industrial Design Day on 29 June 2010, which is:

Industrial Design:  Humane solutions for a resilient world”

This topic was selected to facilitate collaboration within the industrial design community with the goal of producing tangible solutions. President Mark Breitenberg stated, “This theme stems from the immense response received from our recent ‘Uniting Designers in Disaster‘ initiative launched on Facebook on 22 January in light of the disaster in Haiti and conveys the important role industrial design can play in global issues.”

In an effort to continue to truly represent all member organisations, the executive board discussed recommendations put forth during the recent General Assembly in Singapore.  Workshops were tailored to draw insight and knowledge from the multinational Icsid Membership and helped the board create a representative and effective strategic plan for the new term (2009-2011).

The broad international representation on the board was reflected in the meeting’s outcomes to develop and expand regional events.  Board members are committed to bridge the international industrial design community with regional advisors, members and the local design communities in their respective areas through consistent collaboration.

Progression of the organisation’s work can be tracked at www.icsid.org and executive summary minutes of this meeting will be available for download in the resources section of the members’ area of the website in the coming weeks.

For more information, please contact:

Rafael Mayor-Mora
Icsid Communications Manager
t: + 1 514 448 4949 ext. 223
e: rmayor@icsid.org

About the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid)
The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) is an international non-governmental organisation for professional industrial design. Founded in 1957, Icsid currently counts over 150 members in more than 50 countries, representing an estimated 150,000 designers worldwide. Icsid members are professional associations, promotional societies, educational institutions, government bodies, corporations and institutions – all of which contribute to the development of the profession of industrial design.

Icsid facilitates co-operation and interaction among these societies and supports a global network through which design institutions worldwide can collaborate. Through shared interests, experiences, and resources, Icsid provides an international platform for its members to be heard as a powerful voice.

Icsid also holds consultative status with UNESCO, UNIDO, ISO and WIPO to support and highlight design in international forums.