Rise of the Citizen Designer

Kimberly Viviano, Viviano + Company, People Powered, Oak Park, Illinois. The Big Idea: A system of signs posted along Chicago's lakefront would inform drivers and bicyclists of the human, financial, and environmental benefits of riding a bike to work versus driving a car. Courtesy Viviano + Company

Check out this article, the "Rise of the Citizen Designer" from the June issue of Metropolis.


The fifteen finalists for this year's Next Generation Design Competition displayed an inspiring blend of conceptual flair and social responsibility. Tsunami disaster relief, water conservation, finding new ways to honor and inter the dead while preserving a city's architectural legacy--this was the scope of ideas submitted to the 2005 Next Generation Design Competition.

Fifteen finalists were selected by a six-person jury that included the winner of our 2004 competition, John Hong of Single Speed Design; Wendy Brawer, founder of the Green Map System; Shashi Caan, head of the interior-design department at Parsons School of Design; Timothy diFiebre, furniture designer; Adrienne McNicholas, cofounder of the design consultancy Klinik; and Susan S. Szenasy, editor in chief of Metropolis. The judges were impressed by the social responsibility displayed by these 15 up-and-comers. Bravo to the next generation of citizen designers.