The IDSA Women in Design San Francisco (WID-SF) Chapter exists to foster positive gender equity within our profession and create welcoming environments for women, women-identifying individuals, and allies to network, connect, and learn from one another in San Francisco, California and surrounding areas.

WID-SF generally works independent from the IDSA San Francisco Professional Chapter though collaboration between leaders of both groups ensures that designers in the area have access to quality networking and professional development opportunities. Some of the activities and events that the WID-SF Chapter has produced include lectures, peer-to-peer mentoring, gallery exhibitions, social gatherings, and collaborations with other professional design organizations.

IDSA’s network of Women in Design Chapters formally launched in 2021 with San Francisco and Seattle, WA chapters though the San Francisco group has roots as a meetup group started 2013 by Ti Chang, IDSA. The initiative had the support of IDSA from the start and over the next few years, dozens of professional development events and gatherings built a welcoming community for female industrial designers in the Bay Area. Nichole Rouillac, IDSA assumed the leadership role of WID-SF In 2015 and established new initiatives such as a mentorship program and expanded reach to other related design disciplines. To capitalize on this growth, and because the Bay Area has such a concentration of design professionals, IDSA hosted its Women in Design Deep Dive here in 2019.

If you are interested in serving as a WID SF leader, please contact us at idsa@idsa.org.

Confronting Gender Bias in Design

by Robert Grace, IDSA

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