Making Connections By Design

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"We need to make less make sense," he said, showing imaginative concept designs for everything from phones to tableware that garnered sighs of approval from the audience. Similarly, Muji designer Naoto Fukasawa's presentation of his work demonstrated the impact of applying a design philosophy that has common sense and real life at its heart.

Speaking the Language of Business

A problem, of course, is that not all designers have the status or persuasive capabilities of a Seymour or an Esslinger, nor a client that understands the power of good design as deeply as Muji. Academic figures Patrick Whitney, director of the Institute of Design at IIT and Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Management in Toronto, were on hand to elucidate how designers can learn to speak the language of business. In quite possibly the highlight of the conference—certainly the only keynote to provoke a spontaneous standing ovation—British academic adviser and creative ambassador Sir Ken Robinson outlined the need for all members of an organization to be encouraged to think creatively, to bridge the divide between the "creatives" and the "suits."

Not surprisingly, sustainability was another constant theme of the weekend. Alex Steffen of worldchanging.com bemoaned what he termed the privatization of responsibility, pointing out that consumers trading a Hummer for a Prius are no solution for a much larger problem. He pointed to numerous businesses (such as Freecycle.com and Wastematch.org) that are converting waste from garbage to resources.

"Tsunami of Ideas"

In a low-key but powerful presentation, scientist Janine Benyus urged the audience to "recouple that which is beautiful with that which is good for us" and recommended designers and companies look to the natural world for inspiration. Her point was echoed later by local design favorite Yves Behar, who opined that "if a product is not ethical, it can't be beautiful." And Tim Brown, chief executive officer and president of IDEO, recounted his own sobering run-in with reality after one of his designers returned from vacation with a photograph of a discarded but virtually intact, IDEO-designed, Oral-B toothbrush that had washed up on the otherwise pristine sandy beach. Currently, 15% of IDEO's work is now in some way connected to projects of social responsibility, Brown said.

"This [event] was a tsunami of ideas, information, challenges, and projections that will fuel our thinking for a long time," said Bruce Claxton, senior director of design integration at Motorola (MOT). But, he adds, now is no time for designers to sit back and bask in any perceived reflected glory. He pointed out that Asian companies seem to be leading the way in terms of the convergence of business with design. "It was interesting that CTOs and others at high levels from Asian companies like Lenovo and Samsung were attending this event," he says.

"Perhaps American business could learn a little something from the seriousness with which our Asian colleagues in the business community take cross-functional learning," echoes P&G's Schwartz. "There's tremendous value not only in the content of these events but in the exchange and dialogue. The decibels of din at every break wasn't social networking; it was an exchange of ideas. Companies should think of an event like this not as an expense, but as an investment."

Helen Walters is the editor for BusinessWeek.com's Innovation and Design Channel .