http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog Welcome to the Thinking Ahead blog, a place for online discussion revolving around the future of integrating design and business. Topical discussions will be posted regularly leading up to and during the 32nd International Design Management Conference in September. http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog9/ http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog9/ Each year design leaders fortunate enough to gather at our International Design Management Conference have the opportunity to share examples of their recent work with fellow attendees. The attendee slideshow is just one of many unique and personalized experiences that set this event apart. Though we continue to receive submissions, we are eager to share with you a small sample of this year's show. http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog8/ http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog8/ Thinking Ahead to the future involves changing the way we think about design and business. Valerie Casey, in the latest issue of frog design mind challenges us to change the way we think about design to better tackle the challenges of environmentalism. "We need to do more than play corporate catch-up or throw our hats into the ever-enlarged PR ring of greenery. We need to stimulate mass change." -Valerie Casey http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog6/ http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog6/ "Many designers see the rise in the popularity of design as endangering the exclusivity of the craft." Face it, changed business conditions are upon us. Our work must reflect this reality now. Joe Duffy and Eric Block discuss trends and strategies for business and design professionals to navigate this changed landscape. Read Designing for the Times from the DMI Review. What trends and strategies are relevant to you as a designer or design owner right now? What scenarios would you like to see futurecasted at this year's conference? http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog7/ http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog7/ There are over 75 hotels and inns in Williamsburg but the one place you want to be is the Kingsmill Resort and Spa. Although the hotel guest room release date passed and we have filled or room block, we have secured a limited number of additional rooms for late registrants. Contact Group Reservationist Jessica Johnson at 757-253-1703 to reserve your room. Reservations will be accepted as space is available and may not qualify for conference pricing. http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog5/ http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog5/ "When the power has shifted to the users one has to start building platforms for innovations, brands, products, and services." - Patrick Whitney Patrick Whitney tells us there is a shift from extrinsic value to intrinsic value. Design and business are intertwined and, as Patrick Whitney observes, a shift is upon us. What ways do you adjust your thinking to meet the challenges of the future. The following is a video excerpt from Patrick Whitney's recent DMI conference presentation, Power Shift. http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog4/ http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog4/ Following on his recent DMI conference presentation, Immersion Conversions: When Disciplines Collide, Mark Dziersk (laga|one80 design) offers 6 tips for the business person who has been asked to get to know and participate in Design Thinking. http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog1/ http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog1/ We are entering a new era and must distinguish between just designing for trends and actually designing for the future. How can designing for the future in the business realities of today make us design leaders? How do we make design matter in an ever-changing global economy? How do we make design green in a consumption-driven world? These and other topics will be addressed at our conference in Virginia next month, but the conversation starts now. How do you address these questions in your work and innovations? http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog2/ http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog2/ Buck the trend of late registration and be sure to get a good room at a good price. More importantly, The Kingsmill Resort and Spa is an intimate environment with a campus-like appeal, which we find fosters community interaction and a retreat-like ambiance. After August 24, 2007, reservations will be on a space-available basis and may not qualify for conference pricing. http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog3/ http://www.dmi.org/annual/blog3/ Design in business is more than the discovery process and the physical result. Gianfranco Zaccai from Continuum will be on hand to address Where are we now? Where are we going? How will we get there? Get insight on Continuum's take on Design Thinking as they envision the future by observing and analyzing the present.