On May 21, ICFF will host a design talk, “Across Perspectives: Design Futures,” with a lineup of industry pros led in conversation with Suzanne Slesin, publisher and editorial director of Pointed Leaf Press.
The panelists will include: Scott Sanders, interior designer; Jade Dressler, creative director, designer, and feng shui expert; Ellen Fisher, VP for academic affairs and dean at the New York School of Interior Design; Ingrid Abramovitz, features director, Hearst Design Group (Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Veranda); Rio Hamilton, design and fashion blogger and marketing strategist; and Chad Oppenheim, principal architect at Oppenheim Architecture.
Slesin, Sanders and Dressler share their thoughts on the upcoming panel:
What trends are being covered in the panel?
Slesin: Trends today can arise in a moment, be they new design trends, new challenges or emerging practice trends, forever changing how we work and process in the design field. From the same perspective, during our talk, we expect to uncover particular trends arising organically, as shared dialogue from our panelists’ diverse disciplines. From my world vantage point, as an art and design publisher, I am very much looking forward to the interplay between our panel’s leaders!
Are there certain challenges that will be tackled?
Slesin: The challenges trending today are clearly driven by the increased speed of information. Some challenges we’ll mention include:
• Everyone is a designer now, and what is driving people to get into this crowded field?
• How do trends come into play when creating an identity for oneself in this design world, and how do designers, brands or personalities ride and survive the trends that may have brought them recognition?
• Where and how do inspiration or trend inclinations happen for you? What are you looking at today for inspiration that you didn’t before?
• How has the internet affected your process, and where do you see the intersection of design and the internet five years from now?
How were panelists chosen to participate?
Dressler: Art and design at their best inspire and alter one’s perspective immediately! Be this a painting, a design experience, an object, a room, a hotel, a property or a conversation. This was my intention behind creating the panel, to inspire like a work of art, to create a collaboration, an in-the-moment “happening” between creatives.
I asked interior designer Scott Sanders to collaborate with me on assembling a panel, and we asked: Who inspires us? As we both value the creativity and diversity of our friends, clients and collaborators in all métiers of the art and design industry, we tapped into our networks and are happy to say that our top choices...said yes! The audience can expect inspiration—a lot of it!
Sanders: The reason we chose our “Dream Team” from various perspectives is just that—this is exactly a big trend today. We all build our design teams from the viewpoints and strengths of individuals in media, publishing, blogging, architecture, interior design, education and feng shui. The world changes so fast these days, and instead of working in a single silo, creating with our networks allows us to bounce ideas, to inspire, and to expand the possibilities quicker.
