MONTREAL - How has the discipline of industrial design impacted the way you lead your life? In celebration of the 4th annual World Industrial Design Day on June 29, 2011, the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) called in a press release designers and design enthusiasts from around the globe to spread awareness and initiate events reflecting this year’s theme:

Industrial Design: How does it improve your life?

Selected by the ICSID Executive Board, this theme was chosen to gain the public's perspective on how industrial design impacts their daily lives. Furthermore, by asking the question "How does industrial design improve your life?" ICSID aims to start a public conversation that will showcase and bring awareness to the crucial and ever-present work being achieved by industrial designers throughout the world.

"For the past three years the activities and celebrations held worldwide on World Industrial Design Day have been instrumental in increasing awareness of the unique knowledge, practices and challenges of design communities in different parts of the world," stated ICSID President Dr. Mark Breitenberg. "By asking the question ʻHow does industrial design improve your life?', ICSID is hoping to inspire dialogue that will go a long way towards conveying how industrial design is an important part of all our lives."

This World Industrial Design Day is also an important date for ICSID and the international design community due to it being the public launch of the inaugural World Design Impact Prize. On 29 June, every design project nominated for the Prize will be unveiled in an online gallery at www.icsid.org for the public to view, discuss and share.