SEGD_Design - (Page 11) no. 23 From the Editor Now is the Time Economic challenges offer new opportunities. We can all agree that we’ve entered a period of great change. It is certainly challenging. It can be frightening. But it may even be an opportunity. What can you do? You’re not going to just sit around and wait, are you? So how can you be proactive? For several months, SEGD’s board and staff have been asking ourselves, and others, what SEGD can do to be helpful to our members. And in a wider sense, what can our members do to contribute positively to the changes that are happening? We’ve devoted long hours to debating the role of our SEGD Annual Conference + Expo. Does it need to be different from those in the past? How can it provide you with tools and resources? What is it that you want? Why bother? Should the conference be provocative and stimulating? Should it provide practical tools such as technical workshops and business strategies? Should it bring our members together with clients? We believe it should be all of these things. And we’re certain that providing these resources to you at this time is more important than ever. We’re excited about the program we’ve put together for you in beautiful San Diego. So come and commiserate with your friends. Come if you want to network. Come if you want practical advice. Come if you want a pick-me-up. Come if you want to hear first hand what clients want and how they make their choices. That is what you can do for yourself. What can you do for others? Now, perhaps better than at any time in recent years, you can help resurrect a respect for design and innovation. A new administration will provide a huge opportunity for change—change that can alter the way design and designers impact and improve the economy. Last November I represented SEGD at the U.S. National Design Summit, a group of professional design organizations, design educators, and federal government designers that assembled to develop a blueprint for a national design policy. In January, the group presented a proposal to Barack Obama’s transition team, summarizing 10 of more than 60 policy recommendations, including formalizing an American Design Council to partner with the U.S. government; setting guidelines for legibility, literacy, and accessibility for government buildings; creating an Assistant Secretary for Design and Innovation within the U.S. Department of Commerce; expanding national grants to support interdisciplinary community design assistance programs; commissioning a report to measure and document design’s contribution to the economy; and establishing national grants for basic design research. Many countries outside the U.S. actively support and promote design, treating it as a positive force to be tapped for economic development and quality of life improvements. Many establish design centers, market their design resources, and fund opportunities that allow young designers to grow and contribute to society. It’s time for the U.S. to catch up. As designers, we should all contribute to increasing awareness and appreciation of design’s value. For starters, write to your senators and congressmen about the design policy recommendations. Talk to your clients about them. Come to the conference in San Diego and advance the dialogue about how design can make the world a better place. Empower yourself and empower your profession. There is a lot you can do to influence change. Make this your opportunity. “Many countries outside the U.S. actively support and promote design, treating it as a positive force to be tapped for economic development and quality of life improvements. It’s time for the U.S. to catch up.” Leslie Gallery Dilworth leslie@segd.org 8 segdDESIGN
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