World Design Organization concludes 32nd World Design Assembly

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Montreal (Canada), 25 February 2022 –  World #design Organization (WDO)® today marked the conclusion of its 32nd World #design Assembly™, which was held online from 22-24 February 2022 Hosted in collaboration with the Shunde People's Government of Foshan, the three-day event welcomed participants from across the globe to exchange insights on the topic of #design for the unaimagined.  

A Research and Education Forum on the first day, examined the future of #design education through a series of thematic presentations and discussions, while a #design conference on the second featured groundbreaking keynotes and panel sessions that explored future perspectives through the lens of #design, culture and technology. 

The organization's 32nd members' only General Assemblytook place on the third and final day of programming – it being the first to be held completely virtually in WDO's 65-year history. As part of the event, the organization announced the appointment of  its new Board of Directors for the 2022-2023 term as follows:

President 

• David Kusuma, Senior Vice President of Product Management & Innovation, Oregon Tool (USA)

President-Elect

• Prof. #thomasgarvey, Associate Professor, School of Industrial #design, Carleton University (Canada)

Board members (in alphabetical order)

• Anne Asensio, #dassaultsystemes (France)  
• Luis Calabuig Parras, Associació València Capital del Disseny (Spain)
• Chi-Yi Chang, Taiwan #design Research Centre (Taiwan, Chinese Taipei)
• Eray Sertac Ersayin, ETMK Industrial Designers Society of Turkey (Turkey
• Prof. #liliangonzalez, Universidad Anáhuac (Mexico)
• Prof. #pierpaoloperuccio, Politecnico di Torino (Italy)
• Meghan Preiss, Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) (USA)
• Makiko Tsumura, Japan Institute of #design Promotion (Japan)  
• Pradyumna Vyas, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) (India)

In his address, David highlighted four key elements that he aimed to focus on during his presidency – partnerships, #design policy, membership development and the need for WDO to become more data driven."There is a lack of statistical information available on design-related activities, at every level," stated Kusama in his closing remarks. "So I feel there is an urgent need to begin collecting detailed  statistical data to provide a clear picture on the current #design landscape and future trends. We also need to develop the means  to monitor design's effect on social and economic improvements, and we can look to do this through partnerships with world bodies like the United Nations to segment design's contribution to GDP and HDI (Human Development Index)."

In addition to the election, highlights of the General Assembly also included:

• the announcement of the inaugural WDO President's Award, presented to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) (WDO Promotional Member) for their demonstrated commitment to the progress of WDO and its larger objectives.
• the announcement of the Japan Institute of #design Promotion (JDP) as the host of the 33rd #worlddesignassembly, which is scheduled to take place in Tokyo in 2023.