IPQuorum 2021: Industrial Design as a Competitive Technology

The annual IPQuorum 2021: Tech For Content forum took place on April 26-27th and gathered over 150 speakers from different creative industries, such as design, fashion, architecture, film and so on.

Industrial design around the world is already a significant factor in the development of modern industry. High-quality, professionally developed design opens up new niches, forms a new culture around brands, and increases the self-esteem of employees. However in Russia, this is still not the case. There are still difficulties even in understanding the term “industrial design”, and only some people have managed to feel the positive influence of industrial design on production. 

What are some of the difficulties, what is being done, and what solutions already exist? 

Answers to these questions were discussed at the panel discussion "Industrial Design as a Competitive Technology", organized and conducted by the Federation of Creative Industries.

Speakers of the event included: Sergey Smirnov, founder of the Smirnov Design studio; Maxim Kuzin, head of industrial design at SberAutoTec; Vitaly Stavitsky, President of the Union of Designers of Russia; Alexey Matushansky, Deputy Director of the Department of Strategic Development and Corporate Policy Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia; Sergey Helmianov, the head of the department of industrial design of St. Petersburg State Academy of Arts and Industry named after A.L. Stieglitz (SPGKhPA) and Maxim Chaschin, director of design studio 2050 Lab. 

The discussion was moderated by Igor Namakonov, Director General of CIF. 

Key messages about the development of the industrial design market in Russia, voiced at the IPQuorum 2021 forum were:

"According to the Value Design Index, companies investing in design are developing 211% faster and more efficiently [than companies which do not]," Vitaly Stavitsky.

"We rarely see broken-down Audi or BMW cars on the streets because such cars are sold with insurance. Such insurance for Russian products could be quality design," Maxim Kuzin.

"The state should give free design to any starting business or enterprise. This pushes the industry forward," Sergey Smirnov.