The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) Executive Board of Directors for the 2009-2011 term was announced at the close of the Icsid General Assembly on 27 November 2009 in Singapore. The biennial election was the highlight of a week-long Icsid World Design Congress and General Assembly. 15 nominations from around the world were received for the nine board vacancies with EchoViz Principal, Michelle Berryman, among the nine elected!

The Korea Digital Design Council has invited Michelle Berryman, IDSA to be a member of the organizing committee for the International Digital Design Congress 2009 (IDDCo 2009), which will take place November 12-14 at the Design Center Busan and BEXCO in Busan, Korea. The theme for IDDCo 2009 is ‘Digital Energy: Time, Zero, Energy, and Principle’. The concept of the conference is based on the “Yin Yang Wu Xing” philosophy of East Asia. “Yin and Yang” are used to describe how seemingly disjointed or opposing forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, giving rise to each other in turn. “Wu Xing” refers to the five truthful ways the fundamentals operate in the universe. Thus, “Yin Yang Wu Xing” reflects all philosophy of East Asia. Within this framework, IDDCo 2009 is eager to communicate with melted mutual energy and rational principle between designers, creating together, a new hope for the future of Digital Design.

Michelle Berryman has been quoted by the TAXI Design Network in reference to her recent jury participation in the 2009 Australian International Design Awards in Sydney. The presentation for the awards will occur on May 29 in Melbourne.

At the invitation of Wu Jianliang, Director General of the Wuxi Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Michelle Berryman attended and participated in the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Wuxi International Industrial Design Expo in Wuxi, China on November 8th. After the ceremony, Michelle was interviewed by Yu Yi of CCTV 2, the economy-focused channel of the China Central Television network, about the state of design in China. On November 9th, Michelle delivered a presentation at the China International Industrial Design Forum on the topic ‘Social & Environmental Awareness: New Opportunities for Design in the 21st Century’.

While in Wuxi, China for the 2008 Wuxi International Industrial Design Expo, Michelle Berryman was invited to visit Jiangnan University on November 10th to tour the facilities, interact with students in the design department and participate in a forum where her friend and fellow IDSA Board Member, Brian Roderman, delivered a presentation on divergent thinking in design. During the visit to Jiangnan University, Michelle was conferred the title of Visiting Professor through December 2011. In addition to this honor, Michelle was also named Honorary Chair of the Editorial Committee for Creation & Design Journal, a publication of the School of Design. This appointment also runs through December 2011. On November 11th, Michelle was invited to participate in the 50th Anniversary celebration of Jiangnan University by cutting the ribbon and officially dedicating the new Museum of Design on campus.

In commemoration of being designated the World Design Capitol of 2010, the city of Seoul organized an inaugural 21-day multi-faceted event, known as the Seoul Design Olympiad, to celebrate the role design is playing in transforming Seoul into an eco-friendly metropolis rich in culture and creativity. Seoul Design Olympiad activities included the Seoul Design Conference and the Seoul Design Competition. At the invitation of Seoul’s Mayor, OH Se-Hoon, Michelle Berryman attended the conference and participated in the competition as a juror. The theme of the competition was ‘Design is AIR – Sustainable City Life of the Future’. Michelle’s category within the competition was ‘Water (Communication in Flow)’. Entries in this category included graphic design, information design and animation.

Said Berryman, “I thought that overall, the entries were very good and represented a strong sense of creativity, social responsibility and vision for Seoul’s future as a world design city. All of the entries had a participatory, communal quality too. They brought a sense of order, community and connectedness to Seoul and the people who live, work and play in the city. Some of the ideas represented big ideas like mapping emotions while others represented more practical ideas like clarity of public signature or encouraging people to park their cars and walk, ride a bike or take public transit. All of the ideas sought to enhance the Seoul experience for everyone. This was a very good experience for me.”

Michelle Berryman has been invited to participate on the jury for the Australian International Design Awards in Sydney. The jury will take place March 2nd to the 6th. The Australian International Design Awards, a division of Standards Australia, is recognized by the Commonwealth Government and the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design as Australia’s peak design assessment and promotion body, and for its important role in fostering a culture of design and innovation in Australia.

Michelle Berryman has been chosen to be an international expert for The Observeur du Design jury, an international competition hosted by the Agency for the Promotion of Industrial Creation (APCI) in Paris, France.

The competition will highlight and reward “stars” to a selection of the best creations resulting from collaboration between companies and designers. An independent jury of professionals will choose the most outstanding achievements from 163 products presented this year. Contestants to this year’s competition are from such diverse locations as France, South Korea, China, Italy and Germany.

Winners will be chosen for outstanding and exemplary achievement in innovation, quality and originality of processes, and implementation of a global corporate strategy. Criteria included user friendliness, safety and ergonomics, improved comfort, reduced costs, formal, sensory and structural research, accessibility, respect for resources and the environment, anticipation of emerging needs, design progression in a new economical sector, promotion of traditional know-how and innovation.

The Observeur design exhibition will take place on October 10th at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, La Villette in Paris. The three-month run exhibition will be displayed until January 14th. The APCI was created in 1983 on the initiative of the French ministers responsible for industry and culture to contribute to the bringing together of culture, research and industry.

Michelle Berryman has been invited to jury the fifth annual Marksman Design Award in February in the Netherlands. This student design competition, endorsed by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID), will focus on the design of a mobile electronic business accessory. The first place design will be awarded $10,000 and the design may be put into production with the student designer following the process from concept through production.

Josh Teague, one of our resident designers, had a big weekend up in Chattanooga, TN at the National Cre824 Web Design Competition. Josh entered the competition with a few old friends and took home top honors. He’s off to compete in Paris for the International competition in February. Look for team ‘Lorem Ipsum.’