IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2011 - 1

FRoM IIDA

t’s impossible to be a designer today and be detached from the tumultuous world around us. Relentless reports of unprecedented global political crises, cataclysmic natural disasters, and the increasing fragility of our planet that won’t let us look away. Inevitably we ask what, as interior designers, we can do to make a difference. It’s also reasonable to stay focused on our careers and our work at home. But is it a case of either/or? The articles in this annual Power of Design/NeoCon issue explore how intertwined these two perspectives can be. Today, the power of design has never been more potent. It’s a power that’s delivering measurable impact on the quality of lives abroad and in our own backyards. Humanitarian design is one such path for impact, and in this issue we expressly deliver a call to action for Interior Designers to engage in pro bono work for causes and organizations that are meaningful to them. For the profession, this work raises public awareness of design as a societal force to be reckoned with. For ourselves as Designers, it provides a dynamic process that expands our horizons creatively and positions us as valued strategic partners. It’s advocacy in its most essential form—exemplifying the profound change that designers can effect within the design community as well as in the public arena when they take action. We also explore how design impact can imply creative action that awakens new perspectives, educates and inspires, connects divergent communities, nullifies a stagnant status quo, and encourages a greater understanding of human nature and its needs. It’s not surprising, therefore, to discover that defining Interior Design is a challenge. At IIDA, we’ve spent the past year wrestling with a concise definition of ourselves as professionals and as a profession (see how a few leading Designers describe what they do on our back page). Already this year, we’ve traveled to Paris, Milan, Cologne, and Dubai, as well as many U.S. cities, such as Cleveland, Kansas City, and Madison, probing the global implications of international Interior Design, the cultural inferences, and the resulting initiatives. We’ve participated in deep dialogues that highlight the value, vision, scope, and reach of design, and explored how the creation of spaces, objects, and ultimately experiences must encompass the aesthetic, intellectual, and strategic. At the same time, IIDA is raising its profile among designers from around the world with exposure garnered through the Global Excellence Awards, presented in February in Paris in conjunction with BMW Designworks, and the visibility continues. Most importantly, we are excited to introduce our new editorial team of design veterans—John Rouse as Publisher, Jan Lakin as Editor in Chief, and Susan Merrell as Creative Director—whom we’ve brought on to provide a voice and eye to Perspective that we hope will inspire, educate, and provoke. We want to know what you think. Keep the conversation going at perspective @iida.org.

The Association for Design Professionals Perspective is the journal of the International Interior Design Association, © 2011. International Interior Design Association (IIDA) 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 567 Chicago, IL 60654-1103 USA Phone: 888-799 IIDA Fax: 312-467-0779 Email: perspective@iida.org www.iida.org Price: $4.95

VIVECA BISSonnETTE, FIIDA, Assoc. AIA, CID, LEED AP 2010–2011 President

ChEryL S. DUrST, Hon. FIIDA, LEED AP IIDA Executive Vice President/CEo

perspective

http://www.iida.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2011