For the fifth consecutive year, the IIDA Design Exchange, known as DEX for short, did not disappoint. The event continues the tradition of creating a round table platform that fosters “parallel design industries in NYC to discover unique crossroads with each other, unlocking unexpected moments of inspiration.”
Hosted by the Durst Organization at its scenic 4 Time Square location, the night carried the anticipation of an enriching evening of broadening the dialogue could be heard louder than the bustle of Time Square below. Just as in the past, the DEX organizers invited around 20 creative experts from a plethora of industries to share, ideate and converse with more than 200 established design professionals. Setting the bar even higher this year, the attending experts ranged from storytelling and animation to sound, beverage industry, social responsibility, film editing and even floral experts.
Queued by the sound of the gong, each expert was allocated to a round table of 8 people and had 20 minutes to connect and share with the creatives sitting around the table with them. This continued on for three rounds. Each approach, perspective and experience was diverse and defined by all the individuals sitting at the table.
For many, the experience started off with the expert describing their design process and then they opening the table up to build upon the creative idea exchange. Hearing the inspiring creative journeys of these experts at the onset is enough to break the ice. The room quickly filled with discussion, as that night, each person was seen solely as a creative. A safe space to openly and honestly share ideas with one another. This format built upon the objective to broaden the dialogue and continue it beyond.
In true DEX fashion, a group of young designers – Zeel Parekh, Jesus Guzman and Dylan Howe from Mancini Duffy– met to recap and discuss their experiences at the event. For Zeel and Jesus, this was their first time experiencing DEX, and the second experience for Dylan. Right off the bat, the underlying theme they found was the value of storytelling. At the core, we as designers are storytellers. Blurred at times by budgets, deadlines, changed minds and logistics, it was refreshing and invigorating to talk about creativity for the sake of creativity.
“Initially, when invited to attend DEX by our friends at Geiger, I didn’t fully know what I was getting myself into,” said Jesus. “As a young designer I know the importance of networking and making connections within the industry at events like these. Looking back, coming into DEX with no preconceived notions or expectations, beyond that this was an event not to miss, allowed me to approach the evening with an open mind, and I was excited to experience what lay ahead. I have never experienced an industry event like this until now. There were so many relatable connections in the creative process, motivations and approaches between the experts and our industry.”
The Mancini Duffy group all agreed that the term impressive was an understatement to describe the caliber and diversity of the experts. The first speaker at Zeel’s table was Ilene Shaw, a Design Marketing Expert. Along with numerous achievements, what stuck out most to Zeel was Ilene’s founding of ICFF, the large annual trade show that recently took place in NYC.
“It was inspiring to hear about how she took an idea she had about creating a curated design show and built the event from the ground up, and now it has grown to be one of the largest trade shows in the industry,” Zeel said. “Recently Ms. Shaw has chosen to pass on the reigns at ICFF to focus her energy on growing her non-profit that brings hands-on creative programs into public school classrooms. It was humbling listening to Ilene while she shared the inspirations, struggles and successes she faced along the way. In my opinion the variety of ages, experiences and walks of life among the experts and design creatives added to the strength of the event. I left thinking, ‘I want to know your story.’”
The role of perspective and energy also stood out to the young designers as a common thread of the night. Perspective and energy are two game changing factors that can determine the course of most things, and so pertinent in the creative industry.
In conversation at Zeel’s table, an example was given from a general contractor of how he connected to the importance of bringing positive energy into his practice. He shared how he and his team had just come up short on their last project interview. Before going into the next project interview, he encouraged his team to take a deep breathe, bring a positive mindset, stay relaxed and enjoy the experience. That shift of perspective and positive energy that he and his team brought to the table, infused with their industry experience, led to a project interview win.
The Mancini Duffy designers left DEX with what had been an overwhelmingly positive experience.
“It was inspiring to remember how everyone has their own story, their own approach, a list of successes and lessons from failures,” said Zeel. “But by pushing through and persevering, they can achieved admirable creative outcomes.”
Like fitness or nutrition, creativity is something that needs to be exercised. Our creative ability is at the root of our practice. Building off momentum from the evening, how can we keep these conversations going at a variety of scales? A question left at the table was, ‘Is it important for design firms to invest in DEX forums within their practice?’
Thanks to all the hard work at IIDA, the success of the evening can be measured in the cross-pollination of connections made, the raising of questions like these and the sparks of inspiration that the creatives left the event with.
Kelsey Paul is a designer at Mancini Duffy and an aspiring design freelance writer. Prior to joining Mancini Duffy she studied interior design & architecture at the University of Idaho and completed her MFA at Pratt Institute.