Women in Industrial Design

Women in Industrial Design
and not just about crafts either!

For related resources, Design for Disassembly, Eco-Design, Environment and AD Technology guidelines related to this can be downloaded for free at:
http://www.activedisassembly.com/strategy/


Originally posted at:
http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1365&doc_id=272651&dfpPParams=ind_184,industry_consumer,industry_machinery,aid_272651&dfpLayout=blog

Jenny Corteza, Contributing Writer

April 8, 2014  

The first Women in Industrial Design show is coming to San Francisco Design Week this June. The show is the first exhibit organized by the Women in Design section of the Industrial Designers Society of America, and the first exhibit to feature female industrial designers.

The group is currently accepting entries for the show, which is the first to bring attention to women in industrial design. Women have been heavily contributing to design since the Damsels of Designs helped Harley Earl with interior trim, colors, and features for post-WWII automobile designs.

This is the first year women will be recognized for their work in industrial design. Many believe women have not been heavily recognized in industrial design. In 2012, women represented 100 of the 550 registered attendees of the IDSA conference. It's estimated that females make up 10% to 15% of the industrial design workers. Three of IDSA's former presidents have been women. "We've done quite a bit of outreach to make it's not just a bunch of 45-year-old white guys,' " said Michelle Berryman, a past president of IDSA.

Notable women industrial designers include Betony Vernon, Belle Kogan, Greta Von Nessan, and Isabelle Olsson, the lead designer of Google Glass.

Many believe that women often gravitate toward the craft or DIY industries after studying industrial design. The DIY and craft industries don't focus on product-oriented or manufactured designs.

If you are a female industrial designer, the IDSA-sponsored show is offering a free call for entry. They're looking for female industrial design designers, enthusiasts, students, and professionals. Fifteen designers will be chosen to present their conceptual or production works for the final event. The work can include conceptual or full production or any work in-between. The program hopes to showcase a wide variety of industrial design work by women, throughout the stages of their careers. To apply, visit ISDA.org and fill out the entry form.

The Up+Coming group includes currently enrolled students and professionals who have less than five years of experience. The Professional group is for those who have been in the field for more than five years.

Guests attending the first show will include female engineer Irene Radcliffe and industrial designer Jennifer Linnane. They will share their thoughts on current industrial design.

Even if you don't attend the event, being a female in the world of design is very exciting -- but you need to be careful about how you design for different things. For instance, if you're designing something for a creative iPhone app development company, you're going to want to incorporate their ideals into the design of the physical piece.