international design day 2023: peace. love. design! recap

28.06.2023 ICoD news

International Design Day 2023: Peace. Love. Design! celebrated the International Council of Design's 60th Anniversary on 27 April 2023. This year's theme delved into the Council's history and encouraged designers to look inwards and reflect on what it means to be a designer today.

This year, International Design Day 2023 celebrated the International Council of Design's 60th Anniversary with a theme that acknowledged the Council's legacy as an organisation. Inspired by the activism of the sixties, the theme, Peace. Love. Design!, encouraged designers to explore issues of environmentalism, social equity, collective movements and radical change.

2023 THEME: PEACE. LOVE. DESIGN!

The International Council of Design was founded in the sixties, on 27 April 1963, during a historical period of radical change and social upheaval. The youth movements of the decade challenged not only war and nuclear armament but called into question the existing social order. These movements questioned and fought against race inequality, totalitarianism, and social and economic injustice — championing feminism, universal human rights, freedom and love for their fellow human.

THE ICOGRADA ARCHIVE

IU-ICO-1-3-1-17, Icograda Archive, University of Brighton Archives.
Bled 1966. Open-air students’ session. Icograda.

To celebrate International Design Day 2023 and highlight the beginnings of ICoD's 60-year legacy, the Council explored its founding history by taking a peek into parts of the Icograda Archive, held by the University of Brighton in the United Kingdom. Throughout the month of April, the Council shared archival images from some of the first Icograda meetings and other important events throughout the sixties on the International Design Day Instagram Page and International Design Day Facebook Group.

The Council would like to give a big thanks to the University of Brighton Design Archives for helping us with this project.

U-ICO-1-3-1-72, Icograda Archive, University of Brighton Archives.
The first Icograda Executive Board 1963-66 in session at the Icograda 66 congress in Bled, Jugoslavia.

THE IDD 2023 POSTER

A special thanks to Martina Giustolisi for her contributions to International Design Day 2023, and her design of this year’s poster for IDD 2023: Peace. Love. Design!.

Giustolisi is a graphic designer based in Sicily (Italy) and a graduate of the Visual Communication Design programme at the Academy of Fine Arts Catania, whose work deals with visual identity and the role of the professional designer in relation to social and cultural contexts. Read our interview with Martina Giustolisi to learn more about her work.

ICoD IN SHENZHEN

ICoD's vision has always been tied to building an international design community. As part of the 60th anniversary celebrations, and in tandem with Shenzhen Design Week, ICoD was featured in an important exhibition entitled ICoD 60: ICoD in China. Curated by Du Qin (Faculty of Media & Communication Design, College of Design & Innovation, Tongji University) and Min Wang (ICoD Vice President 2007-2009, former Dean of School of Design at CAFA, and the honorary Chang Jiang Scholar Chair Professor), the exhibition took place at Nanshan Museum in Shenzhen. A journey through the decades the Council has been in action focused on the relationships to Chinese Members and designers, and highlighted international congresses organised by ICoD (formerly icograda), showcasing posters developed by graphic designers in Asia, as well as documentation and photographs, publications, events and activities.

Co-curator Min Wang (ICoD Vice President 2007-2009, former Dean of School of Design at CAFA, and the honorary Chang Jiang Scholar Chair Professor) with ICoD Vice President Arez Esman (Malaysia)

Support from the Brighton Archives specialists Sirpa Kutilainen and Jen Grasso provided valuable assistance in gathering a selection of historical posters, publications and white papers. Participants could peruse archival publications such as the Moral Code of Professional Conduct for Communication Designers, the Guide for Organising Design Conferences, Best Practices for Serving as a Juror of a Design Award Competition as well as the Icograda Design Education Manifesto (2000 and 2011) and the journals of design research iconographic, Iridescent, and Communication Design.

(From left to right) curator Du Qin (Faculty of Media & Communication Design, College of Design & Innovation, Tongji University) with ICoD Board Members Jonas Liugaila (ICoD Secretary General, Lithuania) and Chao Zhao (ICoD Vice President)

(From left to right): Min Wang, Johnathon Strebly (ICoD Past President), David Grossman (ICoD Former President), Ting Xu (ICoD President) and Du Qin (ICoD 60: ICoD in China co-curator) cutting the ribbon to inaugurate the exhibition, ICoD 60: ICoD in China, and SZ-HK-MO Design Competition for Young Talents Exhibition, the 5th Shenzhen Design Award For Young Talents Day Exhibition

ICoD 60: ICoD in China served as a pilot for a more expansive view of ICoD's history and future in a forthcoming exhibition.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL DESIGN DAY

International Design Day commemorates the founding of the Council on 27 April 1963. The day is an opportunity to recognise the value of design, its capacity to effect change, and challenge designers to reflect on the well-being of people within their local environments, and find innovative solutions to local needs by using design to honour diversity and transcend borders.

We hope to see you at next year's celebrations!