Economic Prosperity by Design

John Berry believes West Michigan has what it takes to bounce back from its current economic woes: great designers and design resources. “Design is an integral part of our economy. And it’s time for all designers—interior, industrial, graphic, architectural, engineering, and so on—to join together to demonstrate our value and bring new work to regional companies,” says Berry, Executive Director of Design West Michigan, a collective group of professionals whose goal is to do just that.

A lot of other people agree with Berry and have partnered with the organization to help make it happen; its nearly 50 regional and national members and supporters include Herman Miller, Kendall College of Art and Design, the Upjohn Institute, and several economic development organizations.

As Peter Lawrence, founder of the Corporate Design Foundation, said recently, “West Michigan has all the right ingredients to make an impact. You have the design community, the in-house corporate designers and companies with an interest in design, and the design schools. And remember, the industrial design profession really began in the depression, when companies saw design as a way out of the abyss.”

Berry is excited about the possibilities. “This is the first time all the design disciplines have come together to solve a common problem: how to tap into that valuable, but intangible asset, design, to create innovative new opportunities for growth in our region.”

And he may be on to something. After all, isn’t solving problems what good design is all about?