Design Disconnect
Purposeful design is an integral part of modern life, a driving force that improves our abilities to work, play, and survive. Design as a discipline is organic and evolves as our needs and aspirations grow and change. It helps companies produce meaningful products that connect with consumers; it builds confidence and value in goods and services; it thrives on change and innovation and is the fuel for sustained economic growth. Unfortunately, there has long been a disconnect between design and general awareness of its critical contribution to the success of products and services. It has been difficult to communicate in a clear, direct manner and too often, business leaders fail to recognize design’s strategic potential.
RKS founder and CEO, Ravi K. Sawhney, saw the benefit to the industrial design profession as a whole to create a platform upon which to communicate with relevance, interest and clarity, the real-world advantages to integrating design into the development and/or improvement of any product. Sawhney’s vision and leadership galvanized competitive design talents to a common goal—to develop a meaningful narrative that could be shared with industrial, corporate, and academic communities to make a compelling case for design.
Good Design Equals Good Business
In conjunction with the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), RKS made available a deeper and broader understanding of design’s powerful and positive impact to business, to people, and to the planet. The message—intended not only to business leaders but to the next generation of design professionals as well—is that good design fosters good business.
RKS Gives Back
RKS has worked with the IDSA on a pro bono basis to launch and guide the evolution of Catalyst®, developing the program’s strategy, structure and branding. Mr. Sawhney served as the initial Jury Chair of the case competition, assembling and collaborating with prominent design leaders in industry, education and the media.
RKS led the development of web-based solutions that enable the jury to evaluate, provide feedback and collaboratively select the stories that help define the design profession to the world.
RKS then assembled a team of highly qualified professional writers that would bring honoree’s case studies to life. These writers interviewed the designers and executives behind each project, probing to understand the market dynamics, attitudes, processes and setbacks involved in each eventual design success story. To better serve business executives and students on the go, RKS then partnered with professional voice actors to record audio versions of each case available.
To be selected by a jury of your design peers for inclusion in the Catalyst® program is an honor indeed, and to further acknowledge the design excellence and corporate accomplishment of each winner, RKS designed and manufactured the coveted Catalyst® trophy. Machined from solid aluminum billet and mirror-polished, it shines as a beacon for the inspirational program and the brands it recognizes.
Making the Case for Design
The IDSA Catalyst® program now provides a library of cases for communicating design’s contribution to market performance and offers designers the tools, in the form of actual design case studies, with which to make the case for design’s strategic value. The series of in-depth cases explore how design has been leveraged successfully to generate revenue, or to positively address the social challenges of the day using intelligence, creativity and compassion. Included are great design examples from Toyota, Coca-Cola, Siemens, OXO, Apple, Oral-B, Kohler, Whirlpool, Black & Decker and others.
Today the Catalyst® program continues to accelerate change, bringing depth, clarity and transparency to the design process, while at the same time, illustrating the profession’s strategic, humanitarian and ecological impact. Download a case and learn more here.
