“Dangerous Ideas”: International Design Conference (IDC) 2018 Gathers International and Local leaders in Business and Design
International
Design Conference (IDC) 2018, an annual thought leadership event organized by
the DTI-Design Center of the Philippines, brings together on September 21, 2018
at the Samsung Hall, SM Aura, Taguig, international and local leaders in
business and design in discussing how a “dangerous” kind of creative thinking
propelled their businesses to the top.
Participants
discuss how new and bold leadership can respond to a rapidly changing world
through revolutionary ideas.
IDC 2018 aims to
be an incubator for so-called “dangerous ideas” a time when hyper-change
challenges the status quo and technological, environmental and social changes
are occurring simultaneously and at unprecedented rates.
“When we say
‘dangerous’, we do not mean hazard or peril. It is a description of the kind of
thinking that forces us out of our comfort zones”, Rhea O. Matute, executive
director of Design Center of the Philippines, explains.
“Creativity can
be a safe default, which puts us at risk of complacency and can harm our
potential for growth. But turn creative thinking around in a different
direction and you end up with a provocative thinking that creates tension and
challenges at the precipice of our ‘creative’ default.”
IDC 2018 begins
with the premise that such a creative thinking process is central to design
leadership to develop transformative leaders and decision makers who find
innovative solutions to real-world challenges. This means growing businesses,
improving products and services and making society better for everyone.
Matute says a
dangerous kind of thinking demands leaders that are childlike, fearless and
hungry for new ideas.
Local and Global Design Leaders
Headlining the
keynote discussions this year is architect Abelardo “Jojo” Tolentino, a home-grown
leader in the architectural design industry. He will share the different
approach he used to make his company a success. Tolentino is the founder, chief
executive officer and president of Aidea, Inc., which ranked 47th in the
Building Design UK’s World Architecture 100 list, a survey of the top 100
design firms in the world. The company grew from a 20-man team to a
powerhouse firm of 200 brilliant designers in the last two decades. Tolentino
leads through strategic ventures and alliances, and eyes expansion in
government, science and technology, infrastructure and transportation sectors.
Michael Barry,
founder of Quotient Design Research and Innovation and a Design Thinking
professor in Stanford d.school, will discuss the dichotomy between crafts and
digitized fabrication to address the craft innovation gap, and how it can
contribute to economic growth in the Philippines. As an accomplished engineer
and product designer, Barry combines practical business acumen and experimental
curiosity to produce innovative ideas. Some of his clients are Google, Sony,
IBM, Kimberly-Clark, HP, Merck, Wells Fargo Bank, Nestle, Intel, Chrysler and
Unilever.
DOOR TO ASIA
(DTA) designer coordinator Mikiharu Yabe will show how collaborative programs
like DTA transform the perception of design as a tool for change and designers
as change agents. Joining Yabe in the discussion are four Filipino designers
who participated in the design residency program from 2015 to 2018. They will
talk about how their residency helped them rethink the roles and
responsibilities of designers in contributing to local disaster risk reduction
and to Southeast regional and, ultimately, Philippine revitalization.
In a panel
discussion on design education/learning and design leadership, SoFA Design
Institute Dean Tobias Guggenheimer, Makerspace Manila founder Gino Cariño and
Curiosity Co-founder design anthropologist and executive research director
Pamela Cajilig discuss learning from education in academic programs. The panel
aims to underline the need for continuous learning beyond the university walls,
as learning is critical in developing new agile learners and skilled global
talents. It emphasizes how creativity and complex problem solving, combined
with entrepreneurship skills, can prepare students for work.
Four Creative Forces of Design
Leadership
The afternoon
sessions feature four leaders who represent archetypes of fundamental creative
forces that drive innovation through their dynamic relationships—create,
collaborate, compete and control.
Driven by the
passion to create and be original, Paco Guerrero, founder and executive editor
of GRID, represents the Artist archetype. Guerrero sees GRID not as a travel
magazine, but a love letter to the Philippines, distinguishing it from usual
magazines that often depict Philippine destinations only in visuals. For
Guerrero, every travel story is an experience of Philippine culture, its
secrets, hopes, dreams, even struggles and difficulties.
Lenise Logan,
president of Kalpa Art Advisory in USA, exemplifies the traits of the Sage
archetype characterized by empathy and skillful communication. The Sage
archetype is a collaborator and community manager that develops strong,
positive relationships for a long-term community development. Logan has
extensive experience in the art world, the business side of design and in
coaching others.
As the Athlete
archetype, Christian San Jose has always exhibited pure competitiveness in a
career that spanned art and creative direction, user interface development and
digital campaigns execution. As managing director of Make by Ace Saatchi &
Saatchi Philippines, San Jose seeks bigger goals to accomplish as he builds
design-led innovation and technology companies.
Improving
efficiency through redesigning and the implementation of reliable technology, I
AM Cardboard envisioned making Google-certified products and high quality 360o content
for everyone. CEO Ibba Bernardo, the Engineer archetype, brought the vision to
the Philippines and has given equal access to virtual reality to local
businesses. I AM Cardboard partnered with the Ayala Foundation for the
recreation of the Ayala Museum dioramas in 360o videos.
45 Years of Design Leadership
This year’s IDC
also celebrates Design Center’s 45 years of service in enriching and elevating
the Philippine design industry. The agency has compiled a remarkable list of
key milestones in over four decades. Its most recent achievements include
spurring various multi-sectoral initiatives for the Philippine creative
economy, development of a New Design Graduates Training Program for a new breed
of young design professionals and international recognition for product
development using newly-developed indigenous materials.
IDC 2018
demonstrates Design Center’s commitment to excellence as the first platform for
international design information exchange in the country.
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