World Design Organization

Jacques Viénot first presented the idea to form a society to represent the industrial designers internationally at the Institut d’Esthetique Industrielle's international congress in 1953. The International Council of Societies of Industrial Designers was formally founded at a meeting in London on June 29, 1957.[3] The name of Icsid demonstrates the spirit which is to protect the interests of practicing designers and to ensure global standards of design. The individuals first elected officials to the Executive Board therefore did not act upon personal conviction, but represented the voice of society members and the international design community.

The organization then officially registered in Paris and set up their headquarters there. Icsid's early goals were to help public awareness of industrial designers, to raise the standard of design by setting standards for training and education, and to encourage cooperation between industrial designers worldwide. To do this, in 1959 Icsid held the first Congress and General Assembly in Stockholm, Sweden. At this first Congress the Icsid Constitution was officially adopted, along with the first definition of industrial design which may be found on their website (please see external references). During this Congress, Icsid's official name was changed from the International Council of Societies of Industrial Designers to the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design to reflect that the organization would involve itself beyond matters of professional practice.

Throughout Icsid had continued to grow and now has members from all over the world in both capitalist and non-capitalist countries. Icsid has now hosted the Congress in places such as Venice, Paris, Vienna, Montreal, Slovenia, Glasgow, Taipei, Toronto, Sydney, Kyoto and London.

In 1963, Icsid was granted special status with UNESCO, with whom Icsid continues to work on many projects, using design for the betterment of the human condition. As their humanitarian interests grew, Icsid decided to create a new type of conference that would join industrial designers in a host country to study a problem of both regional and international significance. This new conference held in Minsk in 1971, became the first Icsid Interdesign seminar. These seminars provided opportunities for professional development of mid-career practicing designers, and to allow them to focus their abilities on resolving issues of international significance. This first Interdesign conference and the ones that followed, consolidated Icsid's position as a driving force of international collaboration.

In 1971, the 7th Congress of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID), organised by the Agrupació de Disseny Industrial del Foment de les Arts Decoratives (ADI/FAD) in Eivissa (Ibiza), turned out to be an event without precedent in Spain: a process of socialisation and an example of how the energy of collaborative work, vitality, intellectual reflection and leisure can be placed at the service of dialogue-based projects with the capacity to generate imaginative approaches and structure new behavioural patterns.[4]

In 1974, the Icsid Secretariat moved from Paris, France, to Brussels, Belgium, moving onto Helsinki, Finland, and in 2005, it settled to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where it currently resides.

In the 1980s, collaboration became even more important so a joint Icsid/Icograda/IFI Congress was held in Helsinki. The impetus for this joint conference was a direct recommendation made by Icsid members to explore closer ties with other world design organizations. At their General Assemblies, all participants unanimously approved a directive to investigate options for a closer working relationship in the future. These organizations then joined with UNESCO to bring together doctors, industrial and graphic designers, and assistants to develop basic furniture for rural health centers, packaging, transport, refrigeration, and injection of vaccines and the design of data collecting devices for field use.

In 2003, Icsid and Icograda ratified an agreement between both organizations during their respective General Assemblies to form the International Design Alliance, a multidisciplinary partnership that supports design. In 2008, the IDA partners welcomed a third member, IFI (International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers).[5] Together in 2011, all three partners held a historical joint Congress in Taipei, Taiwan called the IDA Congress. The alliance was terminated in November 2013.

In 2017, in January the Icsid officially became the World Design Organization (WDO).

The WDO Executive Board is the governing body that directs and supports the WDO's mission and vision. It is composed of international industrial design professionals selected by WDO members during the General Assembly. A total of 11 members make up the Executive Board: President, President-elect, and 9 Executive Board members. Each board member serves a two-year term and may be re-elected for a second term, but cannot run for a third term, unless running for President-Elect.[6]

The Senate is composed of past Presidents of the WDO Executive Board, acting as an advisory board. The most current past President serves as the Convenor of the Senate until the next General Assembly.

Past Presidents

• Srini R. Srinivasan (2019-2021)
• Luisa Bocchietto (2017-2019)
• Mugendi M'Rithaa (2015-2017)
• Brandon Gien (2013-2015)
• Soon-In Lee (2011-2013)
• Mark Breitenberg (2009-2011)
• Carlos Hinrichsen (2007-2009)
• Peter Zec (2005-2007)
• Luigi Ferrara (2003-2005)
• Peter Butenschøn (2001-2003)
• Augusto Morello (1997-2001)
• Uwe Banhsen (1995-1997)
• Mai Felip-Hösselbarth (1993-1995)
• Deane W. Richardson (1992-1993)
• Antti Nurmesniemi (1991-1993)
• Robert Blaich (1989-1991)
• Peter Lord (1985-1987)
• Loek Van der Sande (1983-1985)
• Rodolfo Bonetto (1981-1983)
• Arthur J. Pulos (1979-1981)
• Yuri Soloviev (1977-1979)
• Kenji Ekuan (1975-1977)
• Carl Aübock (1973-1975)
• Henri Vienot (1971-1973)
• John Reid (1969-1971)
• Tomás Maldonaldo (1967-1969)
• Richard S. Lantham (1965-1967)
• Pierre Vago (1963-1965)
• Count Sigvard Bernadotte (1961-1963)
• Sir Misha Black (1959-1961)
• Peter Müller-Munk (1957-1959)

Regional Advisors are former Icsid Executive Board Members who are appointed to represent Icsid through regional events and strengthen the organization's global presence.

The Secretariat team facilitates the exchange of ideas within the design community by implementing a range of projects and initiatives, and raises awareness of the power of industrial design to effect positive change in the world. The Secretariat office has been previously located in Paris, Brussels, and Helsinki. Since 2005, the office is located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

WDO Members are professional associations, promotional societies, educational institutions, government bodies, corporations and institutions, which aim to contribute to the development of the profession of industrial design. These societies collaborate to establish an international platform through which design institutions worldwide can stay in touch, share common interests and new experiences, and be heard as a powerful voice.

Since its first Congress in 1959 held in Stockholm, Sweden, the World Design Congress was the WDO's most notable biennial international industrial design event. A host city is chosen through a bidding process, followed by a program in which keynote speakers, panellists and workshops are developed during the three-day event. The Congress was open to all those interested in industrial design, including WDO members.

In 2011, the International Design Alliance have agreed to replace their individual Congresses to a joint biennale Congress under the multidisciplinary banner of the IDA Congress. A joint model was previously held every six years since 1981, starting in Helsinki, Finland. The joint Congresses were then followed by Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 1987; Glasgow, Scotland in 1993; Sydney, Australia in 1999; and Copenhagen, Prague in 2005.[7]

Taipei, Taiwan was selected as the host city for the inaugural 2011 IDA Congress. Each organisation still holds their individual General Assemblies after the IDA Congress.[8] After the Taipei congress, the International Design Alliance unveiled a new branding identity for its biennial congress which each host city will be able to use and personalise their identity to showcase their unique cultures.

The WDO General Assembly is an WDO member-only event in which member organizations discuss refinements to the Constitution and By-laws, elect a new executive board for the upcoming term, ratify new members, and update the membership on the work done in the past term through the previous executive board's direction.

• Gorman, Michael (1968). Design for Tourism: And Icsid Interdesign. Ireland: International Council of Societies of Industrial Design. ISBN 978-0-08-021481-8.
• Borja de Mozota, Brigitte (2003). Design Management: Using Design to Build Brand Value and Corporate Innovation. New York: Allworth Press. ISBN 978-1-58115-283-8.
• Verganti, Roberto (2009). Design Driven Innovation: Changing the Rules of Competition by Radically Innovating What Things Mean. New York: Harvard Business Press. ISBN 978-1-4221-2482-6.

• Icsid website
• Icsid Archive at the University of Brighton Design Archives
• World Design Capital website
• World Design Impact Prize