Prescott's Design Blog

Day two in the city of the big shoulders. Following the symposium day at the FUSE conference, I am filled with a sense of optimism.

The theme of the conference is Reclaim The Future. And, strangely, it seems we’re actually on our way. Cheryl Swanson, conference co-chair, managed to brilliantly illustrate what we’ve all been thinking about the status quo. 2009 was a year marked with financial shenanigans and recession thinking, high unemployment, celebrity scandals, nationwide recalls, and political drama so please, leave the past behind us.

Yesterday, we heard from representatives at some of the biggest global consumer brands. In quick succession we heard from folks at Lego, Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Mars, to name a few. The focus of those companies, of course, remains to make money, and in that regard there is indeed some optimism. Numbers are up, which means consumers have money again and with any luck, the past year+ will soon be quartered in memory — another annus horriblus.

There is also much positivity in the realm of sustainability. More than simply recycling, the new mandate is to make packaging and products that are lower-impact from the start, sourced from new materials and produced in new manufacturing techniques which seek to close that open loop of sustainability. It’s a massive challenge, but for once it feels like we might actually survive beyond the year 2012, and won’t drown under the weight of so many styrofoam cups. Recycling itself will only grow and more and more items which once could only be tossed, can now be recycled.

In talking directly with industry people, it seem that business is picking up, which in turn changes the labour relations within these companies. We, as an industry, are connecting more with students, and with one another. In hiring we’re seeking to be more human and embrace the sort of small business thinking that makes us generally more happy, even when working within a large, global corporation. And of course as the market picks up and jobs are created and filled, the unemployment rate will drop, taxes will come back to the government, and so forth and so forth.

Optimism, much like fear and dissent, spread virally. Communication tools are unfolding and evolving like never before, which helps us spread the virus of change. What we saw in Obama’s campaign is now being applied to the economy at large. Finally it seems we’re getting the message — yes we can.

I’m excited to hear today’s talks, which are longer and meatier and will vary in their format. I’m hoping to see the optimism in people, their new willingness to chat and exchange ideas and possibly make connections for business. Let’s hope the optimism endures.