+ Advocacy for design as an economic building block

+ Build/connect a creative community

+ Promote region as ‘Design Centric’

+ Help attract and retain design focused companies and designers

Design West Michigan

Design and the Economy

+ Design alone does not ensure economic growth, but without design there can be no economic growth

+ Most major new design trends have come from economic struggles, defining and meeting unmet needs and/or wars.

West Michigan is Design Centric

+ Higher number of industrial designers than other areas of U.S.

+ More packaging designers than other areas

+ Significant number of graphic designers

+ Growing number of digital interactive designers

+ Over 1,000 designers members of DWM

Michigan as a Design/Innovation Center

With the design and innovations from just the automotive and office furniture industries, Michigan has more greatly influenced the way people live and work than any other state.

Talking about Design

+ Understanding design depends on the exposure one’s had to designers and design thinking

+ Design is a noun, a verb, a process

+ It is not about just making something pretty

+ It is not the purvue of a select few

+ It is an intangible asset, hard to measure

Difference Between Art & Design:

Art is about self expression

Design is about serving others

Relationship Between Innovation & Design

Dental Floss

Design & Styling

Good Design Makes a Market Vs Responding to a Market

Issues in U.S./North America

 

• The two words that kill any new design and innovation are; “Prove It”

Roger Martin, Dean University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business

(Econ Club talk available on DWM web-site)• Whirlpool Duet Case study (DWM web-site)• Haworth HQ Case study (DWM web-site)• Landscape Forms Case study (DWM web-site)• www.designwestmichigan.com

So What?, Why promote Design?

 

Design Education in U.S.

Design Education in China

Design’s Importance to Business/Economy

“The dumbest mistake is viewing design as something you do at the end of the process to ‘tidy up’ the mess, as opposed to understanding that it’s a ‘day one’ issue and part of everything.”

— Tom Peters, author “In Search of Excellence”

“….design thinking converts need into demand”

— Peter Drucker

3 Major Regions for Industrial Design*

*www.coroflot.com

Rich with Design Experience

Historically Known for…

+ Automotive

+ Furniture

Other areas of Expertise…

+ Medical Design

+ Home Appliances

+ Housewares

+ Consumer Goods

+ Apparel

+ Consumer Electronics

Award Winning Design Studios

The New North

Tiger Studio

TWISThink

Sunberg Ferar

Fredricks Design

PTI Design

Thinklabs Design

and many more…

Stryker System 7

Industrial DesignMultiple Firms

Industrial DesignMultiple Corporations

Fertile Ground for Design Development

Engineering

87,000 Engineers

Prototyping & Manufacturing

14,000 Manufacturing sites

75,000 Skilled Tradespeople

Growing New Design Talent

Design Schools

Kendall College of Art & Design

College for Creative Studies

Cranbrook Academy of Art

Far Reaching Impact

Brand & Experience DesignCommunication / Experience / Interaction

Award Winning Firms

Auxiliary AdvertisingBrightly StudioConduit StudiosCynergy SystemsExtra Credit ProjectsMr. & MrsSquare One DesignThe ForestVisualhero DesignPeople DesignUniversal Mind

Human-Centered DesignMultiple Firms

Apple Retail User Experience

HealthcareDesign Research/Graphic Design

Amway - Research InnovationOpportunities Herman Miller – Customer Development

Graphic DesignMultiple Firms

Apple Retail User Experience

Universal Mind – Print Brochure Hudsonville Ice Cream – WebsiteJoe Coffee - Packaging

BrandingMultiple Firms

Apple Retail User Experience

Art Prize – Logo, Business Systems x-rite – Logo, Identity

Interaction DesignMultiple Firms

Apple Retail User Experience

HealthcareDesign Research/Graphic Design

Schoolview - Data Application Wolverine – Ecommerce Website

Architectural DesignCommunity Based Projects / Corporate Commitment / Revitalization

Local | Regional | National Award Winning Firms

AMDG ArchitectsC2AEConcept DesignCornerstone ArchitectsElevate StudioFTC&HGMB Architecture + EngineeringInter Active StudiosIntegrated ArchitectureIssac V Norris & AssociatesLott3 Metz ArchitectureLucid ArchitectureProgressive AETower PinksterVia Design

Community Based ProjectsGRAM | Rosa Parks Circle

GRAM entry facing Rosa Parks Circle Free summer concertsWinter ice-skating

Community Based ProjectsThe Rapid | Downtown Market

The Rapid Operations Center record setting 11.9 million rides in 2011

Grand Action Downtown Market year-round indoor/outdoor marketplace

Grand Action Downtown Market supports local famers and independent businesses

Community Based ProjectsJohn Ball Zoo | Bissell Treehouse

Overlooking downtown Grand Rapids Situated on one of Grand Rapids highest points

Interior space open for retreats, banquets, weddings

Idema Funicular

Corporate CommitmentSteelcase | WorkLab

Former warehouse opened up to campus Test environment for new product Connection to industrial designers space

Corporate CommitmentSteelcase | WorkCafe

Work Café stairs from lobby Informal meeting areas Outdoor lounge areas

Corporate CommitmentGordon Foods | Headquarters

Headquarters site Welcome / values / legacy area Lounge / meeting areas

Corporate CommitmentGrid 70

Creative talent from 6 major corporations – Meijer, Amway, Steelcase, Pennant Health, Wolverine World Wide, and Process Automation Concepts

RevitalizationGrand Rapids Brewing | Founders Brewing | Brewery Vivant

First USDA Organic Brewery in Michigan | GRBC First LEED Certified Brewery in US | Brewery Vivant 26 million expansion underway | Founders

Testimonial

“Newell Rubbermaid is excited to be moving our design group into the Kalamazoo area. We know of and embrace the Design Centric nature of West Michigan and look forward to being an active participant in the design future of the region”.

Chuck Jones, EVP, Chief Design and Technology Officer

Questions?

Thank You