“A minimum of things between designers signifies a maximum of things to others” Jean-Louis Fréchin, President of the Digital Design Community.

A creative activity by nature, intrinsically tied to human-centered action and practices, design is also an innovative attitude, and the good design of products and services with esthetic, functional, cultural, and economic ambitions to enhance the creation of value. Often only seen as associated with decoration and fashion in France, design is nonetheless opened to broader horizons, as in the digital sector, with a new kind of design “that is not seen” (design of behavior, experience, and services which require new expertise and practices).

Today, design represents major international opportunities, as can testify the success of Apple products in recent years, or the contribution of companies like Stamen Design in the United States, Tat in Sweden, or Frog in Italy, in interaction (UI/UX) and services design. French product design has often been reduced to graphics and to scientific ergonomics, due to small companies, and has been less competitive than others in the creation of large-scale high-tech products.

The Ile de France region has the assets to affirm its strength in digital design: a creative spirit, internationally-recognized individuals in the sector, top quality schools (ranked in BusinessWeek) and large corporate models (Renault, Citroen, Decathlon).

The Cap Digital Design Community wants to promote design to Cap Digital members along with Startups, SMEs, research labs, and public institutions, and to promote this approach of creative innovation and its vast universe of possibilities to enhance businesses and society.

The steering committee has three principle guidelines:
- Involvement in cluster projects and “evangelizing” to Cap Digital members and public powers promoting the role of design in innovation and evoking it in calls to tender, in the accreditation process…
- Promotion design in public products and services, where France has fallen behind compared to international competitors and for professional tools and products (integrating design in “Total Quality Management”).
- Increasing the level of opportunities, training, and reflections led by designers by participating in the conferences of Thing Digital, the Fing, and others.
Through these unified actions, Cap Digital’s Design community aspires to become a credible interlocutor on the issues of digital design and innovation.
A charter, agenda, and plan of action are being developed by the steering committee.

Digital Design community contact:

Jonathan Bartoli – jonathan.bartoli@capdigital.com – 00 33 (0)1 40 41 74 97