More thoughts on Icograda Design Week in Seattle

Icograda Design Week in Seattle was a landmark international design conference which, through a diverse range of presenters speaking on timely and thought-provoking themes, broadened the global design perspective of many of those who attended. More significantly, for those designers seeking to make worthwhile, positive contributions to the world through their design abilities, the conference was a source of valuable information as well as inspiration.

In continuation of the earlier article, Thoughts on Icograda Design Week in Seattle, additional speakers, attendees, and conference organizers reflect on what they found most valuable about the experience.

“Following many, many months participating on the organizing committee, the Icograda Seattle Design Week conference was incredible in many ways.

“The most amazing aspect was to gather this variety of designers from around the world, in the United States, in Seattle. Having attended a great many conferences, I have to say that I was immediately struck by the feeling of commonality and desire for dialog among the representatives even though our lives and work differed substantially—largely because of culture and language. The great openness and willingness to share amongst the conferees was mind boggling, informative, interesting, and refreshing.

"Having attended a great many conferences, I have to say that I was immediately struck by the feeling of commonality and desire for dialog among the representatives ..."

“As Sara Little Turnbull discussed, the need for designers to ‘open up the lens’ to the people and cultures of the world, was reflected in every word spoken. For most of the students, and I would guess many of the designers, this was a first step in thinking about living and working on a broader scale—to consider the globe, not just their own locales. If the conference affected one person to work towards greater things, we were successful. However I believe that the outcome will go much further.

“I personally left the conference with a desire to continue the path towards Global Citizenry. It’s something that is easy to talk about, but takes work to actually begin to earn it. I am committed in a new way.

“The introduction of Icograda to the United States was a beginning. If we consider what that means, it can only get better from here. Going forward,

"I believe that AIGA National must do its job in promoting and encouraging US members to attend Icograda Events, and in so doing, will greatly enhance the members’ knowledge and connectivity with the globe that is essential to their survival."

“Next is Havana (Fall, 2007), and from the word on the street, many conference attendees will attend. Now is the time to get the word out to the rest of the 19,000 AIGA members so they can begin to plan!”

Pat Hansen
President and Chief Design Officer, Hansen Design Company Inc. Speaker Chair, Icograda Design Week in Seattle Organizing Committee

“The ICOGRADA design week was an opportunity to identify design-related issues in the context of globalization and in relationship to developing countries. It also gave me the right context in which to think of strategies on how to tackle some of these issues within UNESCO.

“Now my aim is to promote the enlargement of design within an international context as well as help maintain the international discourse of design and its role in cultural development and cultural diversity by:

1. Networking to demonstrate the value of design for cultural development and cultural diversity;
2. Stimulating cultural diversity through design;
3. Empowering designers in all Member States notably through capacity building and design education enhancement.”

Sali Sasaki
Assistant programme specialist, Division for Arts and Cultural Enterprise, Culture Sector, UNESCO “I think the real value of the conference for me was in connecting with everyone.

“There is great comfort, hope, and reassurance generated when people unite in a common cause, especially when it is for the good of humanity."

“Most designers and design educationalists seem to be an exceptionally caring and optimistic group of people and although we keep talking to ourselves most of the time, I believe that is OK, and is the way we empower each other to go out in the world and make a difference.”

Mervyn Kurlansky
President, Mervyn Kurlansky Design Past President Icograda

“The many people I have met at several Design Weeks have consistently represented to me what responsible citizens of the planet who happen to be designers are like. Design Week brings together people who represent the kind of designer I aspire to be. The board and committee members that I've had the honor to work with have often literally sacrificed their safety, careers and freedom to fight for free speech, equality, environmental responsibility and education.

“All issues bigger than design and bigger than any individual that all people can and should be conscientious of, of course.

"I guess the common thread here is that, for us at Design Week, design is our core talent and the best tool we have to make a difference."

“Did I get this perspective from the design conference speakers at Design Week? Occasionally. But mostly, I gained this insight from speaking one-on-one or in small groups with ICOGRADA members at the Regional meeting and between sessions. Design Week's greatest contribution is bringing together design ambassadors from countries around the world to share their common passion for making the world a better place by design.

“While most conferences are very broad in order to draw in the biggest attendance, the Design Week is focused on drawing in like-minded people fromaround the world. Not everyone is able to attend such a conference but those who do clearly envision a deeper purpose in their design careers.

“Many more inspiring activities/stories like the one presented by SEGD’s Paula Rees and George Lim, "The Rwanda Healing Project", are being pursued, unbeknownst to the rest of us, by hundreds of local designers in their communities.

“That's the most moving reason of all to be involved in ICOGRADA and AIGA XCD—knowing that designers are making a real difference every day. Often in ways that may or may not win design awards but instead might win community service awards or recognition from a grateful community. And if the work gets no recognition at all, we must do it any way because we know that if we don't, others who may have less true empathy for the community and certainly less ability to communicate that empathy and understanding will influence or make the decisions that will affect that community without us.”

Bennett Peji
AIGA Fellow and National Board Member Commissioner of Arts & Culture for the City of San Diego President, Bennett Peji Design


“The ICOGRADA Redefining Design on a Changing Planet International Conference was a success. I found the event program is well planned and organized, the topic is timely, the opinions expressed are thought-provoking, and the delegates are genuinely engaged. The fact that such discussion is co-organized by the AIGA Centre for Cross Cultural Design, for several reasons, also has its added significance.

"I know that designers today can no longer afford to be ignorant about our many responsibilities and the many different cultures that are co-existed in a bigger world ..."

“Although the curtain has dropped at the conference stage in Seattle, I have a firm belief that this is not an end of the dialogue about design and globalization in our profession—instead, it may mark the beginning of a much need soul-searching process. I believe so not only because

“I know that designers today can no longer afford to be ignorant about our many responsibilities and the many different cultures that are co-existed in a bigger world, but also because I am convinced, through the many feedbacks I received from delegates, that the Seattle Conference has spread the seeds of cultural and social consciousness on our field.”

Linda Fu
Principal, Global iCom Consulting | Linda Fu Design


“As an organizer, I was looking for all of the details that needed to be attended to—because of that, I missed much of the program. The degree of organization and logistics it takes to produce a conference is tremendous.

“I am disappointed that many, many international designers were denied visas to come to the U.S. for this conference."

“Our excitement at having designers from India, Nepal, South Africa, China, Singapore, and Taiwan wanting to come for the conference turned to sadness when we realized that, despite our many calls to U.S. embassies, these designers would not be granted visas in time to attend the conference.

“I am satisfied, however, that despite this difficulty, connections were made, friendships developed and the designers who did attend were exposed to an enriching cultural experience.

“For me, Saki Mafundikwa (Zimbabwe), dressed in his ‘Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ made a particularly memorable impression.

“His presentation of his book, African Alphabets: The Story of Writing in Africa, was very interesting and provided rare insight into the cultural and artistic background of the Afrikan Alphabet.

“The film on the school Saki founded in Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts was powerful. African alphabets flashed on the screen in synch with drumb-beats, one after another, faster and faster until they were almost a blur. The combination of sound and images was mesmorizing. Interviews with people from his school describing their work were very interesting.

“Saki had an incredible presence. He did not say much, but he didn't have to because his visual presentation communicated so much. It is our cultural expectation that he would stand up on stage and give a lecture. We had to open up to the cultural experience he presented to us. Wonderful!”

Shelly Langton
Senior Graphic Designer, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide Conference Facilitator, Icograda Design Week in Seattle Organizing Committee

“My participation at Icograda Design Week allowed me to collaborate with educators and practitioners from diverse backgrounds. It was a great experience to connect with like-minded designers from around the world who are interested in using design not only as a means of communication but also as tool for advocacy and change.

“Often times, when working in the U.S., I focus on the project at hand and very seldom get a chance to reflect on design’s global effect.

"This conference was about learning, supporting, and using design to try to make a real difference."

Equally inspiring, it encouraged me to continue my efforts towards creating opportunities for young people who need it.”

Maurice Woods Designer, Butler, Shine, Stern and Partners Founder, Inneract Project

“I found the mental elasticity, and insightful design approaches delivered by most of the speakers in professional projects very stimulating and fascinating, given the commercial constraints and audiences’ cultural peculiarities they were faced with. I appreciated the many examples of world-class graphic design shown.

“Another interesting aspect of this Icograda/Aiga event was the creative input coming out from the students’ workshops, which I had the pleasure to follow throughout the week: the brief, which consisted of the design of posters in support of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, triggered amazing design work,enriched with inspiring, bold concepts, and managing to increase audiences’ awareness of today’s global core insufficiencies.

“The best way I find to describe this work is by jotting down a few keywords: creative, witty, intelligent, sarcastic, metaphorical, humanitarian, conscientious, enlightening, and most of all refreshing, because the students worked within a loose frame of mind, freed from any pre-conceived cultural ideas, thanks to the precious help of their mentors.”

Paulo de Almeida
Assistant Professor of Communication Design VCUQ Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar

“One of the biggest preoccupations of my Designer Support Group has been getting clients to appreciate the value of design as visual solutions to marketing problems instead of a decorative gimmick. Darrel Rhea of Cheskin and Christopher Liechty of Myer & Liechty went a long way to address the matter, highlighting the designer's unique ability to empathize and translate in real terms the needs of the client. A valuable selling tool indeed.

“At the conference, I was struck by how much "global" design is affiliated with social causes and responsibility, (in atonement for sleeping with the corporate Devil in our daily lives?) and by the perceived gulf between non-profit and corporate management. An on-going debate, no doubt, but I sensed a consensus that the empathy and communicating power of graphic design is relevant no matter who is the client.”

Zelda Harrison
resident Graphic Designer, Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles