Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:00

Register now

Dan Formosa (USA)
Smart Design Founding Member

Biography

A founding member of Smart Design, Dan specialises in ergonomic research, user interface design, industrial design and the development of product criteria. With a BA Industrial Design from Syracuse University and MA and PhD in Ergonomics and Biomechanics from New York University, Dan specialises in developing products for people with a wide range of user abilities, including people with arthritis, dexterity and vision problems in the mainstream target market.

Dan is the recipient of numerous design awards and his work has been selected for national and international exhibits. His clients include Hewlett-Packard, OXO International, LG Electronics, Johnson & Johnson, and Microsoft.

Smart Design has been turning insight and innovation into successful consumer experiences for 30 years; results are delivered by a multi-disciplinary, international staff working in teams across offices in New York, San Francisco, and Barcelona.

Lecture

Social networking is making the voices of multitudes of people more powerful than ever. It is doing the same for the voices of individuals. This is affecting many aspects of our lives, including politics, environmental issues, culture – and design. If design can change the world, or if you at least believe that it can have a significant impact, then it will be up to designers to embrace this power.

Historically the designer’s role was largely relegated to aesthetics. To remain culturally relevant today designers and design must evolve rapidly.

Everything we design has an initial effect and an after effect. Design can make you angry or make you smile, it can kill you or save your life. Its after effect can be just as powerful. People on the other side of the planet may immediately know the initial outcome, and react accordingly. In this talk, we’ll discuss the importance of understanding the effect, the after effect, and the role of design.

Partners