Design conference helps generate ideas

Before Karen Neuburger had a design for her product, all she had was a “Mamas and the Papas” T-shirt.

Neuburger, who will speak at this Thursday’s Success by Design Conference at the R.I. Convention Center, thought of the idea for her clothing line, KN Karen Neuburger, in part because of the band T-shirt she had gotten at a concert years earlier.

She had worn the shirt as sleepwear for nearly a decade – an act more of comfort than fashion.

So she began the process of designing her line, aiming to make attractive, sporty attire people could wear all day.

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“I wanted to create something that was not only a concept, but also a design,” Neuburger said.

On Thursday, she will share her design experiences, as well as those in life and business, at the Center for Design and Business Success by Design Conference.

The event, which marks the ninth time the center has held the conference, will include a variety of presenters, ranging from Neuburger to Procter & Gamble to Jonathan Hayes, the Rhode Island School of Design graduate who designed Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

“The conference is for people to take away lessons from successful companies,” said William Foulkes, the center’s acting director. “It features large, established companies like [Procter & Gamble], companies that really started with an idea and were able to grow like Karen Neuburger, or were able to dramatically reposition themselves through design like Narragansett Beer.”

The center focuses on design, Foulkes said, because of its ability to market new products and help existing companies either reconnect with customer bases or market to new sectors.

“We believe that design can be used for great competitive advantage,” Foulkes said. “It’s becoming a great differentiator. … Understanding how a great design can enhance the customer experience or attract new customers is critical.”

This year’s conference also will include the service industry. Making up more than 75 percent of U.S. employment, the service sector has used design in recent years to enhance customer loyalty. Representing the industry will be Jeneanne Rae, co-founder of Peer Insight LLC, a Virginia-based firm that consults with service companies.

Other presenters will include:
• Roger Mandle, president of RISD;
• Mark Hellendrung, president of Narragansett Beer;
• DJ Stout, a partner in Austin, Texas-based Pentagram;
• Helen Stringer, design director at Procter & Gamble; and
• Natalia Ilyin, a designer and critic with the Natalia Ilyin Co. and author of “Chasing the Perfect: Thoughts on Modernist Design in Our Time.”

In terms of attendees, Foulkes said he anticipates representatives from various sectors and companies of different sizes.

“It’s really aimed at anybody looking to apply design to either start or grow businesses,” Foulkes said. “If you are circulating at the conference, you will find people from very large companies that send teams … and you’ll find the sole practitioner architect or designer who’s looking for business inspirations to apply design principles.”

Stuart Karten, principal of California-based Stuart Karten Design, said the variety of individuals attending the conference is positive for businesses, both design-based and other interested parties.

“I think the more exposure businesspeople have to design and how it works will make differences that have real value,” Karten said.

Karten said he will use his presentation to discuss different business applications of design.

One part of his presentation will focus on “modemapping” – the process of applying research to design – while another will look at “projected segmentation” – which is where a business, without an existing customer base, will project who the end-users of its product are and design to meet their needs.

“Design is the emotional element that creates the human link and creates something that people want and desire,” he said.

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