WIDW 2021: Reinvent the Ordinary, Challenging Design as We Know It



Earlier this month, the Benildean Industrial Designers (BIND) held their annual culmination of World Industrial Design Day with WIDW 2021: Reinvent the Ordinary. From July 5th to 9th, they launched a series of talks and workshops from professionals based both locally and internationally. Gathering almost 250 participants, the organization spread different takes on the design industry, from utilizing game design in one’s work, to putting up businesses that can uplift communities. This was all in line with their theme of the year, “Perspectives, Experiences, Diversity”, which allowed for attendees to step out of their comfort zone and see the world through the eyes of people from different backgrounds.



This year, BIND decided to take it one step further by providing free private workshops from the likes of branding and design studio And A Half, and internationally acclaimed paper engineer Amy Nayve. Thanks to their partners at Fedrigoni Papers, even materials used were free for participants from within the Metro Manila area. In addition to workshops, the Benildean Industrial Designers invited speakers from varying industries, like Jar and Kay Concengco from Lamana PH, Social Designer Bianca Carague, FlipEars founder Aries Sales, Birdie Salva from Curiosity Design Research, Sculptor Daniel Dela Cruz, and Stanford Hasso Plattner Institute of Design’s Yuri Zaitsev, Michelle Jia, and Michael Barry.


To add an interesting twist to this year’s celebration, WIDW 2021 also allowed for up and coming young artists to promote themselves with performances throughout the week. Among the lineup of performers were the Saint Benilde Romancon Dance Company (SBRDC), local band Pugfish, and soloists She Sy, TALA, and Kayl Garcia. Capping off each night with a for-fun Valorant tournament, Reinvent the Ordinary proved to give its  participants the best of both worlds with opportunities to both learn about their industry and unwind after a long day.


With only more room to grow, the Benildean Industrial Designers only look forward to the year to come, and are gearing up for an even better World Industrial Design Week. Stay tuned by following them on Facebook and Instagram, so you can keep up with their next event!