Rhode Island long has been known for its designers, thanks in no small part to the enduring excellence of the Rhode Island School of Design.
But changes in how designers are being used by business have the potential to make Rhode Island something more than an outpost of artistic talent. Locally, one can trace the arc of design becoming a competitive advantage for any enterprise to the work of Ximedica founders Stephen Lane and Aidan Petrie, as well as Business Innovation Factory founder Saul Kaplan. They understood that the creativity designers bring to solving aesthetic challenges is needed in the increasingly complex world that product and service providers inhabit.
Former RISD President John Maeda ran with that idea by demanding that the emphasis on STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – curricula be expanded to STEAM, that is by adding art.
The question is, has this powerful concept become a competitive advantage for the region? The answer is … not quite yet.
There are some examples of businesses successfully integrating design in their processes. And DESIGNxRI, a group that promotes the region's talent and the power of design thinking, is making strides. But the hard numbers aren't there.
Beyond the optimism in the community, however, there is some cause for hope.
Recommendations by a consultant hired by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo to create a Providence Innovation and Design District are a sign that officially, this idea has currency. What remains now is for officialdom and the business community to embrace it to make it a reality. •