The whole trip was pretty astounding. The IDA conference was your typical conference. Some good speakers, some not so good. Some good break out sessions, some not so good. The organization of it was mind blowing. Taiwan, and the the investment they made in this whole thing was nothing short of astounding.
The thing that struck me most were the exhibits. The Taiwan Design Scene is rocking. Some pretty amazing work on display…student work in particular. What caught me most was the exposure to Design the kids of Taiwan were getting. Children were being brought to the expos by the bus load. I believe that kind of exposure to this industry is going to have a profound affect in 10 - 20 years.
If you had that kind of expo in North America, you would be able to shoot a cannon through the hall and be hard pressed to hit a person, let alone a child.
I also attended the ICSID General Assembly as a representative for Art Center College of Design. That was nothing short of a life changing experience. I’ve been wading around in Design’s version of the kiddie pool up here in Vancouver. I got a chance to interact with some of the best Design Minds in the world. Chat over lunch, over beers, etc. A true global community of Designers in one room. Simply amazing experience.
If you haven’t considered getting involved on the leadership level of design…be it ICSID, or IDSA, or some other group…I highly recommend it.