Highlighting the quiet genius of ordinary products one might take for granted, Benilde Industrial Designers (BIND) narrowed down yet amplified such products’ relevance with the theme of “Today and Beyond” for World Industrial Design Week 2020 last June 29 to July 3.
Formulated by its project team, the phrase was then coined by BIND’s President Aleksander Wieneke. In an interview with The Benildean, their goal was to “to understand their critical role in today’s society,” as they ventured into the new normal of “utilizing good design, seen in everyday products.”
“With this theme, we sought to go beyond, focusing on the design of everyday products by exploring how we interact with them, recognizing its importance, and recognizing their potentials,” ID 117 Wieneke said.
Online opportunities
BIND rose above the impediments that a global pandemic would normally bring. Compared to its previous years, it was the first time that the entirety of the five-day event took place online.
“This WIDW 2020 allowed us to have the most international speakers than ever before, totaling at around eight international speakers, including Unravel x Ergocon speakers,” Wieneke added as they were able to gather more partnerships this year.
From national to international, the event has representatives from Canva, experts on the myriad of Adobe programs and even collaborations with the likes of the Department of Trade and Industry-Design Center of the Philippines (DTI-DCP), Rastrullo Design, and the GetCre8tive Corporation. These in turn spurned a whopping total of eight workshops with various design programs as well as product photography and personal branding.
Industry designers commenced 13 webinars such as Mr. Michael Barry and Ms. Michelle Jia‘s “Empathy in Chaotic Times” which delved into design thinking; while Mr. Yuri Zaitsev‘s talk which lent a fresh take on Game Principles and the design process.
WIDW 2020 also featured EMOD or Environmental Modification as an online and interactive exhibit on Google Slides that enabled students from different universities to showcase their work. EMOD: A Circular Future, which was a collaborative effort of BIND and our own Industrial Design faculty member Mr. Gabriel Lichauco, zeroed in on the properties of natural materials and their useful connections to sustainable design.
Moreover, BIND also established key ties with the Industrial Management Engineering Society (IMES) of De La Salle University and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of the Philippines (HFESP) to pave way for the fusion of Unravel, which is an annual competition hosted within WIDW, and Ergocon which is an annual Ergonomics Convention.
Unravel x Ergocon provided a webinar segment delivered by three key speakers namely Mr. Patrick M. Sunico, Mr. Cheng-Jhe Lin, and Mr. Taezoon Park. The competition itself revolved around the theme “Protection Through Innovation,” asking its participants to design an innovative product that could aid front liners combat COVID-19. The winning product will be revealed on July 11.
To cap, WIDW 2020 certainly cemented its success. BIND went beyond the challenge to celebrate the seemingly ordinary objects of life whilst proving that industries and innovativity can go back to and go beyond the basics.
