2009 Catalyst Case Study Selections Announced!

The Industrial Designers Society of America and strategy, innovation, and design consultancy RKS are proud to announce the 2009 Catalyst case study selections – showcasing design’s power to effect positive change.

On the one year anniversary of its unveiling, the new Catalyst case study program announces the 2009 Catalyst case study selections – OXO Good Grips, how one man’s quest to create more comfortable kitchen tools for his wife led to a kitchen revolution, Whirlpool Strategy, the bold ambition to infuse an entire corporation with innovation, Black & Decker Dustbuster, the 30 year legacy of the “little vac” that took Black & Decker from the workshop into the home, and Apple iTunes-iPod-iPhone, a study in design integration that forever changed the music industry. “These insightful examples of design’s power to drive results and effect positive change will serve to capture design’s legacy and inspire design’s future,” said Ravi Sawhney, Executive Director of Catalyst and founder and CEO of RKS.

The original Design & Business Catalyst Award, innovated by Sawhney in 2002, went beyond traditional design competitions by recognizing excellence in market and financial performance. The new Catalyst goes even further by looking at design’s positive impact not only on the bottom line, but also on our lives, and on the world itself.

Sponsored by IDSA and fueled by RKS, Catalyst first assembled a panel of the world’s top business and design leaders and academic professionals. To ensure the program’s ability to seek out design’s “greatest hits,” submissions and nominations were accepted without an entry fee and from anyone, regardless of whether or not they were involved in the design’s development. “This nomination process empowered us to seek out and tell design stories that need to be told… “legacy” stories of designs that have had a profound impact on the way we live our lives,” explained Sawhney.

RKS is proud to be working with the IDSA to help direct and run the Catalyst. Catalyst case studies will be available in pdf and MP3 format at idsacatalyst.org.

The call for 2010 Catalyst submissions is open, with the first deadline set for November 1, 2009.