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Saturday, 14 May 2005 | Levent OZLER
Israel Community of Designers Established
The Israel Community of Designers was formally established at a general assembly which took place at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Ramat Gan, Israel on April 4, 2005. The organization represents the community of practicing professional designers in Israel. The organization is interdisciplinary and is structured in such a way as to permit each specialty to deal with its own specific needs and interests yet work as one when dealing with issues affecting the entire community of designers. The organization has been established on the basis of two cells industrial designers and graphic designers (including professionals from the fields of visual communications, illustration and media). Additional cells serving other design specialties will be added with time.
The establishment of the Israel Community of Designers by 150 leading practitioners follows a year of discussions. During that process, participants examined the needs of the design community and composed a vision-mission statement that will serve as a foundation for activities.
The community will represent the professional community, especially in contacts with government, media and the business world and will focus on promoting understanding of the design process and the potential of design in economic, cultural and social development. Many projects are under consideration, including the establishment of an international design biennial, the award of prizes for excellence in design and the application of good design by government and industry, seminars, lectures and exhibitions. Importance is placed on the need to promote exchange and communication between designers themselves and a committee is examining communications opportunities.
The Israel Community of Designers recognizes the importance of contact with colleagues in the region and around the world and intends to take an active part in the activities of the international design organizations. It is to be noted that a component of the newly configured Israel Designers Community, the Israel Industrial Designers Association, is a long time member of Iscid, thus permitting continued, and hopefully amplified, participation. Participation in Icograda and IDA is also planned.
The establishment of the Israel Community of Designers in April follows the successful January exhibition See Under: Design, in which 72 members of the community individually defined design and provided a sample of the application of design illustrating their definitions. The exhibition generated a great deal of attention and discussion and was an attempt to differentiate between the public fascination with purchasable designs and the importance and relevance of the largely invisible and misunderstood process of designing. As a result of the exhibition, hundreds of professionals and students indicated their interest in participating in community activities.
Membership in the organization will be expanded to include students, honorary members, affiliated professionals, etc. In the near future, the number of professional members will be expanded.
At the general assembly meeting, participants elected a president and a ten-member board of directors. David Grossman, head of the graphic design department of the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, and past president of Icograda, was elected president. Elected to the board were industrial designers Yair Engel, Shahar Klein, Pini Leibovich, Kenneth Segal and Avi Shacham and graphic designers Kobi Franco, Habib Khoury, Boaz Rossano, Terry Schreuer and Adlai Stock. At a later board meeting, Kenneth Segal was elected chairman of the industrial designers cell and Boaz Rossano was elected chairman of the graphic designers cell. Both will serve as vice-presidents of the organization.
It is to be stressed that the founder members recognize the implications of calling themselves a community and intend to focus on human values, and the responsibility of designers to society, to the fragile environment in which we live and to our own ethical and social obligations.
For further information
Israel Community of Designers
pob 10222, Ramat Gan
52002, Israel
T. +972 (0) 3 6110094
F. +972 (0) 3 6128123
designers_com@intermail.co.il
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