The Art Directors Club, the premier organization for integrated media and the first global creative collective of it’s kind, will hold Designism 4.0, its annual forum exploring the responsibilities and experiences of creatives and designers to drive social and political change through their work and career focus. The event will take place at the Art Directors Club Gallery.
In conjunction with the event, ADC will also sponsor the “Walk the Walk” online auction, where the public can bid on pairs of one-of-a-kind TOMS Shoes, which have been redesigned by some of the industry’s most renowned creatives and designers. Thanks to the charity arm of eBay, no processing fees will be added to the bids, and all proceeds will go to the ADC Scholarship Fund.
The focus of Designism 4.0 will be business models that drive social change, effectively providing careers and generating revenue while also doing good for the world. Guest speakers include Blake Mycoskie, Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS Shoes; Bill Drenttel, partner, Winterhouse Studio and Design Observer; Paula Scher, partner, Pentagram and 1998 inductee in the ADC Hall of Fame, and Mark Randall, principal, Worldstudio.
Each guest will give a brief presentation of relevant social activism work, followed by a roundtable discussion and Q&A. The evening will be moderated by Helen Walters, editor of BusinessWeek.com’s Innovation & Design Channel and contributing editor for Creative Review.
While traveling through Argentina in 2006, Blake Mycoskie befriended children who had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. Since then, TOMS has given more than 140,000 pairs of shoes to children in need through its One for One model, and plans to give more than 300,000 pairs of shoes to children around the world this year.
“We’ve shown that entrepreneurs no longer have to choose between earning money and making a difference in the world,” said Mycoskie.
“Profitability is achievable with a giving-based business. Conscious capitalism is a viable business model for innovators worldwide, and entrepreneurs can focus on being ambassadors of humanity.”
ADC Designism, now in it’s fourth year, was conceived by Brian Collins, chairman, chief creative officer, COLLINS:, New York and an ADC Officer, to explore the responsibility and experiences of designers and creatives in driving social and political change through their work and career focus.
“While Designism will continue to showcase how individuals can use their careers to make the world a better place, we’re placing special focus this year on firms that are rethinking creative business models,” said Collins.
“We want to look at how people are running these companies, and how this affects design thinking.”
“In keeping with the spirit of Designism 4.0, the ‘Walk the Walk‘ auction is an example of how words and ideas are only as powerful as the actions they inspire,” said Ami Brophy, CEO, Art Directors Club.
“Some of the world’s most accomplished designers and creatives volunteered their time to create these one-of-a-kind works, and we greatly appreciate their assistance in helping build the ADC Scholarship Fund as a result.”
This marks the fourth consecutive year that ADC Designism has received support from Sappi’s Ideas that Matter program.
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