Previous Conferences

South District Design Conference 2017

Elevate

As the saying goes, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” Though originally attributed to economic well-being, the phrase can be applied to many things—including design. Our profession is fundamentally collaborative and we frequently work in teams—where pooling our knowledge yields the best results. The end goal, of course, is to mold ideas into tangible products and services that enable better lives and ignite imaginations. But in order to accomplish great things, we must continuously refine our craft. 

The IDSA South District Design Conference 2017 from April 7–8, 2017 at the University of Houston is your opportunity to do just that. It’s a celebration of creativity and ingenuity; a gathering of community; and a convergence of ideas. It’s a moment of introspection and reflection.

West District Design Conference 2017

DESIGN: HYBRID

IDSA’s West District Design Conference 2017 DESIGN:HYBRID lands April 23–24 at the University of Oregon in Portland.

HOW DO WE REACT IN TIME? In our current culture, we are required to be, do and know—more than ever before. We’re bombarded with information from one extreme to the other; from one media source to another. It’s CONFUSING! Yet, this is a time when we can create our own destiny and collaborate remotely with people from all around the globe.

What we need are cool nerves, quick reflexes and a clear understanding of the enormity of the task at hand. It’s a demanding, fast-paced enterprise—not for the faint of heart. However, the rewards of success can be great indeed!

IDSA International Conference 2016: Making Things Happen

Designers are driven to #MakingThingsHappen. We are the hand that introduces the future to the present, all while striving to benefit people, community and industry. Industrial designers play a critical role in advancing the satisfaction of life through experiences, social innovations and enjoyable services.

2016 Northeast Conference

Welcome to the 2016 IDSA Northeast District Design Conference: I am a Designer: AMA

I am a Designer will highlight Influential speakers, leaders in the design community and masters of their craft—all posing the challenge: “Ask Me Anything (AMA).” The purpose of the AMA format: to import the aspirational norms of honesty and authenticity from anonymous internet forums into a public venue during the entire conference. In short—an honest question gets an honest answer. The goal is to design a highly interactive experience—creating connected conversation among presenters, participants and sponsors.

2016 Midwest Conference

Welcome to the 2016 IDSA Midwest District Design Conference: Disrupt, Construct and Transform.

Industrial design is out. User experience design is in. As our roles change and morph, how do we visualize and frame our unique challenges and opportunities, and define and articulate the things that will set apart our ideas and our work? How should we measure and define success?

2016 South Conference

Welcome to the 2016 South District Design Conference: desXgn - experience is everything.

Industrial designers are a melting pot of technical skill, raw talent and a willingness to explore. A successful designer must be able to speak many "languages" expertly to bring ideas to reality—and work with a wide range of other disciplines along the way. The ideal outcome of this multidisciplinary approach—revolutionary products that are beautiful, blur lines, make an impact and change people’s lives for the better.

2016 Central Conference

Welcome to the 2016 IDSA Central District Design Conference: Industrial “Strength” Design brought to you by GE Appliances.

If there was ever a perfect time to unleash the raw power of the fundamentals of industrial design, it’s now! Today, we are experiencing an amazing intersection of mighty forces—connectivity, digitization, mobility, autonomy, sensorification and electrification in numerous product categories. Because of these forces, our world is going to be full of lucrative opportunities and surprising new challenges via the emergence of new business models.

2016 West Conference

Welcome to IDSA’s 2016 West District Design Conference, DESIGN: GIFT Empathy Driven Solutions.

Life is challenging. Often, distractions create tension between the things we have to do—and the things we want to do. Experience the adrenaline rush of working alongside people you have never met before, and analyzing rapidly using empathetic drivers to assess, create, prototype and present solutions. You need cool nerves, quick reflexes and a clear understanding of what a gift it is, to be able to design and find answers. The rewards of this design swarm will be great indeed!

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