—Ernest Hemingway, (1889-1961)

Taipei, Taiwan

Two weeks ago today I was honoured to have the opportunity of presenting a keynote lecture in the ‘Economic Development’ stream of the 2011 IDA World Design Congress in Taipei. Here’s my presentation abstract:

Design’s contribution to corporate profitability is well proven and oft touted. Less understood is the pervasive impact that design has had on the shaping of today’s world—an over-consuming, non-sustainable tumult of social and economic instability, cultural erosion, and ecological destruction.

As globalized societies morph rapidly from an information era into an age of ideas, designers increasingly find themselves thrust into a leading role as change-drivers. This presentation will examine a necessary shift in design’s role, share diverse perspectives from around the globe, and challenge us to “think about our thinking.”

Congress participants who wish to receive a downloadable link to a PDF of my presentation can contact me here.

Taipei, Taiwan

It’s been a week since I returned from the 2011 IDA World Design Congress in Taipei (IDA = the International Design Alliance, comprised of Icograda, Icsid, and IFI) and the 24th General Assembly of Icograda, the International Council of Communication Design… and my head’s still reeling.

The sold-out benchmark congress event drew together over 3000 delegates from around the globe, and was accompanied by a successful Design Expo (which enjoyed over 1 million visitors); scores of parallel exhibitions, conferences, and seminars further illuminated the city of Taipei’s position during this time as the centre of attention in the world of design.

The 2011 IDA Congress lived up to its billing as a unique gathering of thought leadership exploring the intersection between design and five key sectors of global relevance: economic development, the Internet, biotechnology, urbanism, and international migration. As such, it brought together designers with non-design stakeholders to promote the value of design and explore design-led approaches as an enabler of innovation. “The Congress theme—Design at the Edges—highlights the edges between design practice and other fields having a stake in design; the blurring of the boundaries between the design disciplines, as well as their unique attributes; and ‘cutting edge’ work and ideas—thinking that pushes the boundaries of all disciplines.”

Over the past two years I’ve had the pleasure of acting as an adviser to the Taiwanese hosts/organizers, and I was also pleased to have the opportunity of presenting a keynote lecture in the ‘Economic Development’ stream. I’ve learned a lot about Taiwan (this was my 7th trip there), in no small part through the process of researching and writing a feature article that appears in the current issue of Communication Arts magazine (November/December 2011 issue).

A huge ‘thank-you’ goes out to the local hosts in Taipei; the Taiwan Design Centre, as well as to the visionary Taiwanese ministries whose mission for sustainable economic development has placed Design at the center of their strategic thinking for the future. Thanks also to the many Taiwanese designers who contributed their works and viewpoints to my CA article… 謝謝!

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Taipei, Taiwan

While in Taipei last week, I joined the teeming throngs (over 1 million visitors!) in a visit to the Design Expo held in conjunction with the 2011 IDA World Design Congress. I had earlier contributed four posters to Intertidal Age | 2011 International Graphic Design Exhibition in response to an invitation to submit works to “a grand celebration of outstanding designers around the globe… a showcase of multidisciplinary cultural, artistic, and societal designs.”

The call for entries had outlined four thematic axes— “Love, Link, Simple” and “Haven”—with the stated objective “to express and represent the stories of our era.” As somewhat of a departure from how I usually approach poster design projects (the terms of reference were vague, almost obtuse—I decided to respond in kind) I had compiled and submitted four colorful compositions, playing with juxtapositions of images, symbols, and saturated hues.

Shown above: my posters for “Love” and “Simple” along with some in-situ snapshots from the exhibition venue (my posters were shown in both wall-mounted exhibits [each “theme” had a separate gallery] and as large, moving, projected images that rotated around the entire exhibition space).

Timely, wise words of caution from Noam Chomsky…

(further to my post yesterday, with some type mixed in…)

Winnipeg, Canada

It’s been a while since I’ve sported a moustache… so this should be fun. Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in Canada and around the world, during the month of November.

With their “Mo’s,” these men raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer. On Movember 1st, guys register at Movember.com with a clean-shaven face. For the rest of the month, these selfless and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts. Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. Through their actions and words, they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.

At the end of the month, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas celebrate their gallantry and valor by either throwing their own Movember party or attending one of the infamous Gala Partés held around the world by Movember, for Movember.