AIGA, the US professional association for design, and IDCA, the International Design Conference at Aspen, invited John Thackara to chair the Aspen Design Summit.
Conceived as “a new type of gathering for a new century”, this celebrated event brought design-minded leaders from around the world to Aspen, Colorado to make positive, measurable impacts on the global concerns of today.
Using the design studio as a model, featured presenters at the Summit initiated challenges as “Aspen Action” items–much like a client would approach a designer with a project.
Multi-disciplinary groups, lead by design industry leaders, were sent off to create and execute programs addressing these various social, economic and environmental issues.
In this way, the Summit served as an incubator and catalyst for strategic partnerships between design leaders and leaders from business, education, civic life and culture.