There are a few interesting articles out there for the Industrial Designers that surf through this blog. Over on BusinessWeek there’s “Wanted: VPs of Design” (Link) that’s worth taking the time to read. Compare and contrast that article with Michael Bierut’s piece “You’re So Intelligent” (Link) on the Design Observer.
On news that an old design school friend, Frank Tyneski, is taking over as President of the Industrial Design Society of America (Link), both these pieces got me thinking. When I remember Frank, I don’t really recall him being the kind of designer that eventually sits at the “legendary table where all the big decisions are made”. Not really. I still mostly think of Frank as the surfer dude – complete with bleached hair and matching attire – stuck about as far from a real beach as one could get.
Maybe his disillusionment with automotive design after his internship in Detroit was indicative of something deeper; something I missed back then. Perhaps he really does belong more to the BW article than to Bereit’s piece. And maybe that’s why we got along so well in the first place.
With any luck, we’ll see important changes in the IDSA. I’d thoroughly enjoy seeing Frank be the catalyst of that change. I’d even consider joining.
Hmm I picked up alot of business acumen very strangely. During a quarter life crisis I decided to quit design and be a stock analysis. The was the best and worst decision of my life. But coming back to design, I found I was suddenly a more effective designers.
Regardless, I doubt there is a need for any official training as in most instances the education is not tailored towards the needs of designers. Instead move designers into lateral departments such as business development, sales, marketing, and research and development.
A designers recognizing his/her ability to wear many hats is vital for this.
We are on a cusp of a new revolution, and I think design will become a standard just like accounting, finance or marketing.
I think frank will be an interesting influence on IDSA, his varied background is the key. But from his photo, does not strike me as a surfer!
DO’s article falls along the lines of my post on the branding of design discipline. I think a little branding does go a long way.
Warm regards, dt
Your foray into stock analysis definitely shows in your posts, afaic. And while I suspect there may not be a big need for additional education, I do believe that those art schools that don’t include broader offerings to improve graduating designers’ abilities to work effectively with other disciplines are going to see their reputation’s – and perhaps enrollment – suffer.
And while I’d like to believe the design profession will become equal to accounting, finance and the rest, I’m still hesitant to believe this will occur in my lifetime.
As to Frank, while I’m hopeful, I’m not sure his experience is really any more varied than most designers. I’m aware of most of what he’s done since graduation (including his stint with Fisher Price, which is why, imo, some of his early work for Motorola has a toy aesthetic to it). The thing he’s done more than most is travel to and work with other cultures. Whether or not he was any more involved outside of design, I’m unsure. Some of what I’ve read of his sounds like he has experience outside of ID, so that’s mostly why I’m hopeful.
And no, he no longer has the surfer look. Kind of a shame actually. It did suit him.
Thanks csven,
I agree, it will happen but it will still take a while. Along the same sort of thinking, it would seem that the design education focused on a multi-disciplinary approach seems to be better for designers in the long run.
And I think most school’s are starting to get the message that they need to provide a more multi-disciplinary approach (outside of requiring classes in other areas of art & design).
I wonder… do any design schools have classes that focus on niche product development?