ico-D, the International Council of Design, represents the interests of design associations, educational institutions, and promotional organizations globally, and the Guild has been a member since 2007. The ico-D Platform Meetings were held late August in Pasadena, CA, providing an opportunity for members to meet and discuss the work of the organization’s professional and educational workgroups. As head of the workgroup on National Design Policy, the platform meeting was both an opportunity for us to connect with international designers, and the culmination of a lot of hard work.

The ico-D “platforms” were established to provide an opportunity for members to work on projects in between the organization’s annual member meetings. Platforms were established for each of the categories of ico-D members: Educational, Professional, and Promotional. At the first Professional Platform meeting (which the Guild is part of), ico-D member associations listed three topics they wanted to focus on: National Design Policy (NDP), Communicating the Value of Design (CVD), and Design Certification (DC). Workgroups were established for each topic last summer, and as the Guild’s representative to ico-D, I was asked to head the NDP group.

During the past year, the workgroup met frequently via Skype, often at odd hours to so that members from Malaysia, Indonesia, Canada, South Korea, the US, and Australia wouldn’t have to miss their sleep to participate. We also conducted interviews with designers involved with the design policies of their home countries or states – a fascinating peek into the varied “design ecosystems,” the relationships between the design sector, businesses, governmental agencies, and the public. (See the article National Design Policies: Why They Matter.)

At the Pasadena Platform Meeting, the NDP workgroup was allotted a half day for presentations. That permitted NDP workgroup members to present on what is occurring in their countries, from an elegant and proactive system (South Korea), to the first steps to crafting an NDP (Malaysia and Indonesia), to attempts at a regional design policy (Australia), and finally, to a failed attempt (USA). At a member Q&A session, attendees spoke about the political and economic conditions in their home states that hinder (or help) the creation of coherent design policies. I also participated in the CVD “Design has Value” session, co-presenting with designer and ico-D friend Zelda Harrison on Communicating the Value of Design to Government.

The workgroup sessions were punctuated by the ico-D annual general meeting, a tour of the Pasadena College of Art and Design, a fascinating panel discussion on Design and Complexity, and a workshop on sustainable design. Based on the quality of the discussions at the meeting and the interest from members in joining the workgroups, the Platform meeting was a success. But what also became apparent is the amount of work still left to develop valuable resources for ico-D members, and to create a space where international design associations can collaboration on crucial projects.

Photo at top of page: Discussion sessions at the platform meeting brought in fresh perspectives from association representatives and design educators from around the globe.