This initiative is inspired by the discussions on the online forum
What is Design with India?
“Design with India” is a collaborative initiative inspired by the discussions on the online forum, DesignIndia. This forum will continue to organize online and offline discussions that will help expand the understanding of the creative communities around the world about the opportunities and challenges of partnering with the creative individuals and institutions from India.
Globalization is forcing designers to rethink their role in the context of developing world economies, especially in Asia. India's economic potential has long been attracting major international corporations. Recently, attention has shifted to include a greater focus on the immense spending power of India’s rural sector. As global economic partnerships continue to expand and design becomes the driving force behind innovation, so too does the potential for businesses and designers to successfully partner with India. But at what cost?
Designers can take inspiration from the traditions and craftsmanship that are unique to India. They can look to India to understand design innovation from a deeper, more resource driven perspective. However, it is important to interpret India’s identity and traditions from both a local and global perspective in order to simultaneously cultivate and preserve its rich and historic culture.
Past Events:
Challenges for Design During Hard Economic Times
An Appeal from Uday Dandavate
Design Next' - Inspiring Transformation
The world is changing. The change is driven by every day people who have realized that anything is possible, if they dare to pursue their dreams. The power of imagination is being felt everywhere around us by a sudden surge of creativity of individuals and communities of people
who were never the super powers of the industrial revolution. In this period of change, design will play a big role in inspiring Transformation. The biggest opportunity for designers today is to build systems and tools that can encourage creativity all around us and and help turn cynicism of the industrial age into hope. India offers a perfect setting to be inspired. The challenges that the world faces today, are all present in India. The bug that is driving young people around the world to create and share has also caught the minds of younger generation in India. The design community of India will host a two-day conference the 8th CII-NID Design Summit. This year’s theme is: "Design Next- Inspiring Transformation and will be held as a part of a week-long India Design Festival between February 7th and 14th, in the city of Pune, about 120 miles (or a two-hour drive) from Mumbai. In the era of hope, India could provide inspiration for Transformation.
The Indian Design Festival is taking place at a time when the world is reeling under the weight of recession. Sitting here in the United States I feel the heat more than you possibly do, because I am sitting right at the epicenter of the tremor that has rocked the financial markets around the world and has sent consumer confidence diving. The credibility of the financial institutions, especially the traditional vehicles people use for managing their nest egg, are collapsing. What does this mean for the design community.
It is time to MacroDesign. It is time to think about the world as a whole as opposed to thinking about narrow nationalistic considerations. The fact that our futures are interconnected has never been more obvious before than today when the ripple effects of the Sub Prime Mortgage Crisis have hit the shores around the world.
What does MacroDesign mean? I do belive that when the super structures of
the global economy are under duress, we need to conceptualize new tools for
enabling people to live life with comfort, well being and dignity. *Open Source Model of problem solving and driving innovation in my view is key to finding a new system that will work better*. Rather than trying to align along old ideological issues, we need to build tools where individuals can collaborate with other individuals, no matter where they reside to exchange and build ideas. By connecting minds a new order and a new system of generating value will evolve.
We cannot leave the grave crisis of today to the problem solving abilities of the people and institutions who have just left solutions to emerge from Market forces. It is obvious that greed of those on the Wall Street as well as of the individual investors has led to the focus turning from creating value to spinning perceptions. *Designers and Design researchers need to stay focused on creating value rather than manipulating perceptions.
*
It is also obvious that even in world's biggest capitalist society, the ultimate responsibility of bailing out the failing financial infrastructure has fallen in the lap of the government. *It is important to create partnerships where the social responsibility of the government and the
entrepreneurial spirit of the private sector is harnessed to conceptualize how to serve the needs of individual citizens.
*Technology will continue to play a big role in getting information and resources efficiently to people. We need to make sure that* we continue to develop technology solutions that enable individual citizens to access information that allows them to make smart choices in life and seek help when they are in need.
*Interconnectedness also takes me to another aspect of the social life. With the market driven model being under strain, a lot of people are losing opportunities for earning their livelihood.* We need to build tools for training people and for connecting people with skills to people with needs.
It is time to MacroDesign. It is time to think about the world as a whole as opposed to thinking about narrow nationalistic considerations. The fact that our futures are interconnected has never been more obvious before than today when the ripple effects of the Sub Prime Mortgage Crisis have hit the shores around the world.
What does MacroDesign mean? I do belive that when the super structures of
the global economy are under duress, we need to conceptualize new tools for
enabling people to live life with comfort, well being and dignity. *Open Source Model of problem solving and driving innovation in my view is key to finding a new system that will work better*. Rather than trying to align along old ideological issues, we need to build tools where individuals can collaborate with other individuals, no matter where they reside to exchange and build ideas. By connecting minds a new order and a new system of generating value will evolve.
We cannot leave the grave crisis of today to the problem solving abilities of the people and institutions who have just left solutions to emerge from Market forces. It is obvious that greed of those on the Wall Street as well as of the individual investors has led to the focus turning from creating value to spinning perceptions. *Designers and Design researchers need to stay focused on creating value rather than manipulating perceptions.
*
It is also obvious that even in world's biggest capitalist society, the ultimate responsibility of bailing out the failing financial infrastructure has fallen in the lap of the government. *It is important to create partnerships where the social responsibility of the government and the
entrepreneurial spirit of the private sector is harnessed to conceptualize how to serve the needs of individual citizens.
*Technology will continue to play a big role in getting information and resources efficiently to people. We need to make sure that* we continue to develop technology solutions that enable individual citizens to access information that allows them to make smart choices in life and seek help when they are in need.
*Interconnectedness also takes me to another aspect of the social life. With the market driven model being under strain, a lot of people are losing opportunities for earning their livelihood.* We need to build tools for training people and for connecting people with skills to people with needs.
*As you can understand, I have been busy fighting the onslaught of the
recession on the economy and therefore am unable to travel to India for this conference. However, I plead with you to start thinking about harnessing the power of Individual Imagination in finding solutions that will work better.
Thanks
Uday
recession on the economy and therefore am unable to travel to India for this conference. However, I plead with you to start thinking about harnessing the power of Individual Imagination in finding solutions that will work better.
Thanks
Uday