Doug Powell took the stage before a packed house at the Wolfe Center for The Arts to deliver his keynote speech on behalf of AIGA Toledo’s Toledo Design Week presented by Communica.

A seasoned design veteran who has served as former AIGA national President and driving force behind the Design for Good campaign, Doug is now the leader of a design revolution taking place at IBM. The presentation covered a wide range of design topics. Ultimately focusing on the growing influence of design in big business and as a front-line change agent capable of reforming and improving products and services for name brand companies, Doug shared his knowledge on the recent changes taking place abroad in the field of design. Citing venture capitalist firms hiring their first ever lead designers, designers as entrepreneurs helming billion dollar companies, and the rising tide of design in China Doug made more than a compelling argument, he provided salient points and financial successes of such movements.

Wrapping his talk into an explanation of the culture shift taking place at IBM under his lead, slides showcased creative professionals at IBM taking part in the very same workshop experience that BGSUGD undergrads underwent earlier that day in his student workshop. The talk concluded on a high note for designers moving forward into the future with the observation that we are experiencing a powerful moment for design in our everyday culture, with more opportunity than ever before due to our highly technological and visual economy which relies on curated experiences and artfully designed products and services. A robust question and answer session followed the talk with students, faculty, and attendees chiming in with thoughts, questions, and observations which received helpful, insightful and articulate responses.

A fantastic conclusion to AIGA Toledo’s Toledo Design Week, we must once again thank all of you who attended, all of our speakers and participants across the entire week of events, and the generous donations of our sponsors. It is truly through the effort and involvement of our design community that weeks like this can flourish, design can grow within our region, and with that growth bring new opportunity and excitement for creative professionals of all fields. Congratulations to all on a week well done!