The 2024 WANTED Schools Workshop took place in conjunction with this year's ICFF where it was sponsored and conducted with Honda R&D Co., Ltd. Honda Design and La Fonte Co., Ltd., in partnership with Pratt Institute and media partner Core 77. In this 4-day workshop student teams were challenged to use their design skills to solve a big problem.

Daisuke Sawai, Honda Design

The Honda Design team proposed a theme featuring mobility "The Desired Future of the Next Generation: Redefining Mobility". Mobility often translates to automobiles, vehicles, and machinery. However, the Design Schools Workshop expanded the term to include potential concepts which mobility can become. Using their unique lens participants translated ideas using storytelling tactics, thinking intrinsically, and dreaming big to tackle the future of mobility.

The design teams were comprised of students from seven schools. After a first day hosted at the School of Visual Arts (SVA), the 29 students coming from California College of Arts (USA), CENTRO (Mexico), Ecole Camondo (France), ENSCI Les Ateliers (France), Ohio State University (USA), Pratt Institute (USA), and SVA (USA) were organized in teams and worked for 3 days in the heart of the Javits Center.

29 students from seven schools participated in the workshop.

The final public presentation to the Jury, led by Allan Chochinov, Core77 Partner and Chair, SVA MFA Products of Design, and joined by Jean-Jacques L'Henaff, Leader, Global Design Americas, LIXIL; Jane Nakagawa, VP of the Advance Design Studio, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.; and Becca Roderick, Design Director of Interiors, Morris Adjmi Architects, took place on the main stage at ICFF on Tuesday, May 21.

The workshop space at the Javits center was sponsored by molo, Teak and Foster by Visual Magnetics.

SYMBIOME the winning project.

"I liked how AI was leveraged as a tool to level-set/augment the illustration capabilities of each team—it was also interesting to witness how each team was willing to iterate using the tool to ensure that the right imagery was being used to tell their story. I was delighted to see three common themes running through all the projects/proposals: abundance of water (due to climate change), animals (a metaphor for the health of our planet), and multigenerational values (young people caring about and caring for grandmas)," said Jane Nakagawa, VP of the Advance Design Studio, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

The winning team with the WANTED Schools workshop jury.

"The jury was immediately captivated by how the winning team framed their project around the concept of 'migration.' As an animating metaphor, we felt that it was wonderfully sensitive to a relationship that all living things must have to one another. But as a design device, it worked just as well. We were impressed by how comprehensive the group's ideas were, and their final presentation was professional, persuasive, and inspiring," commented Allan Chochinov. "Core77 is honored to introduce all 5 students who made up the winning team and their project SYMBIONE."

Lily Chinn

Lily Chinn is from Los Angeles California and recently graduated from California College of Arts where she studied industrial design. See her portfolio here.

What was the best part and outcome of the WANTED Schools Workshop at ICFF? The opportunity to work with the Honda Team was incredibly inspiring in itself, providing insights into how professional designers approach design thinking and problem-solving. However, the most rewarding part of the WANTED Schools workshop was collaborating with and gaining perspectives from talented and creative design students from around the globe.

Was the theme inspiring and relevant for you? The open-ended theme of "The Future of Mobility" presented us with unlimited possibilities. Given the world's current environmental issues, I saw an opportunity to design for more than just humans. Instead of focusing solely on human-centered design, I wanted to create something that acknowledges and benefits all life forms. This perspective led my team to consider that humans are inherently animals, and like animals, what do we do when our habitat is threatened? We migrate. This idea of migration as a form of mobility inspired us to develop a narrative for future mobility that encompasses a design for all life forms.

We had a chance to have the workshop led by Honda design team, how much was it an inspiring and learning experience, and for which reason? The Honda Team's workshop was very rewarding, as they inspired us to design without limits. They encouraged us to explore the theme of mobility beyond the constraints of roads, time, trains, or planes, allowing us to expand our definition of mobility. This open-ended approach, combined with the use of the latest AI tools, was so helpful in showing us how advancing technologies can help us reimagine future scenarios, build compelling narratives, and think outside of our usual boundaries as designers.

Where do you see yourself in the world of design and what will be your dream career? My time at the California College of the Arts was dedicated to my passion for sustainable practices in the beauty industry, particularly through the creation of highly functional and reusable products. My goal is to join the beauty industry and design products that emphasize longevity and sustainable materials, aiming to challenge and change current consumer tendencies.

Cesar Jimenez

Cesar Jiminez is from the French countryside and studies at ENSCI Les- Ateliers in Paris. View his work here.

"Having wanted to be an engineer when I was younger and realizing the realities of the profession and studies (my brother took this path before me) I understood that it was the profession of Designer that was actually driving me. I see design through the maxim that now defines my practice and aspirations: design thinks differently about things that don't yet exist. Given the current context and the challenges of tomorrow, we need now more than ever, people who won't count the hours they spend thinking differently about what surrounds them. So don't hesitate to embark on the beautiful paths of design and help build a better future through the expression, freedom of tone, and direction that Design offers."

Where are you originally from and which school are you part of? I was born in 2001 in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, on the banks of a river, into a family that gave me a taste for culture, reflection and curiosity. Confronted at an early age with the need to express myself and understand my environment, I embarked on musical studies at the Conservatoire, and got involved in various mechanical and DIY projects.

The desire to understand how people use the things around them, to innovate, to find solutions to problems that don't yet exist by combining technique, reflection and plastic expression led me to industrial design at ENSCI Les-Ateliers and to Centrale-Supélec for the next year to pursue my professional goal.

What was the best part and outcome of the Wanted Schools Workshop at ICFF? First of all, and as I think is the case for many of us, it was a first in my curriculum to be exposed to different global design practices France, in a space that was not linked to my own culture, both with the other students invited and with the supervisory staff. The group work using artificial intelligence tools, their understanding and their uses were very enriching both academically, by gaining in competence, and on a human level, where artificial intelligence was a real icebreaker between our different backgrounds, cultures and design practices within the team. I came away from this experience much more open to the modalities of Design, which is—and I understood this through this workshop—intrinsically plural, rich, and much more permissive than we generally wish to believe.

How much was the theme inspiring and relevant for you? Coming from the countryside, close to nature and needing the car to get around and emancipate myself towards a more metropolitan life, the subject of mobility in a future era, where the way of living, using and inhabiting the territory, both in the logistical aspect and that of the daily cocoon, appeared to me to be absolutely essential with regard to the current stakes of our ways of existence and their consequences on the future of a healthy life, whatever it may be.

Having participated myself in a total antithesis during my childhood in the countryside, where despite the proximity to nature and the desire to do smaller and shorter with what was already around us, the car was the only way to cover distances, despite an efficient public transport system. The subject was thus the catalyst for a reflection that had been growing inside me for a long time, but which I hadn't been able to process, without the opening onto the world that this workshop offered, by opening me up to more universal and systemic reflections on Western lifestyles, thanks to contact with the other students.

We had a chance to have the workshop led by Honda design team, how much was it an inspiring and learning experience, and for which reason? It was extremely fascinating to come face-to-face with the methodology of the Honda Design team, and to realize the iron rigor of their extremely creative practice. "Creativity is born of constraint" is an adage we often borrow, but this workshop really confirmed it for me. A far cry from my school's methods, with more freedom in terms of content, form and timing, this workshop was an opportunity to judge my ability to adapt and communicate in an international and collective environment, to gain the necessary consistency for working life in the creative fields, and to make progress towards the reality of the work I wish to invest in. Honda's method, based on the control of time linked to well-defined deliverables, guaranteed a strong cohesion within the group, with the supervisory body but also, in an almost anthropomorphic relationship, with the artificial intelligence tools. For me, this was the key message of the workshop: to create a symbiotic unity around the skills of each individual in the service of the project and beyond.

Where do you see yourself in the world of design and what will be your dream career? Having committed myself to engineering studies for next year, in addition to my industrial design course, and having already embarked on an innovation project in the paramedical field with two other students from school, I'd like to move towards a career halfway between design and engineering within large-scale companies linked to innovation and with the capacity to impact our lifestyles and consumption patterns. I'd like to join these structures as a project manager, bridging the gap between technical design and engineering teams, and driving industrial strategy.

Priyanka Chowdhury

Priyanka Chowdhury is from Kolkata, India and is currently a third-year MFA student specializing in Design Research and Development at The Ohio State University. You can view her work here.

What was the best part and outcome of the Wanted Schools Workshop at ICFF? The highlight for me was collaborating with individuals from diverse mindsets and backgrounds. I thoroughly enjoyed the brainstorming sessions and how we were constantly challenged to think beyond our usual boundaries. The outcome of our team's work was completely unexpected. It was an intense four-day workshop, and I learned a lot about design methodologies by the end.

How much was the theme inspiring and relevant for you? I've always been interested in mobility since my undergraduate days in Architecture. I am interested in exploring the future of urban design and mobility from a systems level. Our project looked at mobility from a life-centered perspective. This new stance helped us think beyond the usual idea of putting humans at the center

We had a chance to have the workshop led by Honda design team, how much was it an inspiring and learning experience, and for which reason? The workshop was very educational and a unique experience. As a grad student, it was refreshing to work on something beyond my thesis and collaborate on transdisciplinary topics. Networking with industry leaders, like Honda, was very beneficial for an aspiring design researcher like me. I have always admired Honda's philosophy, so being mentored by people whose work has positively impacted many lives was an invaluable experience.

Where do you see yourself in the world of design and what will be your dream career? I want to work on projects that blend urban design and technology. As an Urban Researcher, I aim to be involved in innovative, sustainable, and impactful architecture and urban design projects. My dream career would focus on creating meaningful change, driven by a commitment to social impact and ethical practices.

Santiago Vázquez

Santiago Vázquez hails from Mexico City and is currently studying Creative Computing at CENTRO. You can learn more about his work by visiting his portfolio.

"Participating in the WANTED Design workshop was a transformative experience for me. It really reinforced my belief in the power of collaborative design to address complex global challenges. I am excited about the future of all things design and the role we, as designers, can play in shaping a more harmonious and sustainable world. I would encourage all readers to explore how their own work can contribute to a better future for our planet and all its inhabitants."

What was the best part and outcome of the WANTED Schools Workshop at ICFF? The best part of the WANTED Schools Workshop at ICFF was the opportunity to collaborate with a very diverse group of students and professionals from around the world. Working on the SYMBIOME project, we were able to combine our unique perspectives and skills to create an exciting new narrative for the future of mobility. The outcome of the workshop was not only a transdisciplinary proposal that gave us a lot of perspective, it also deepened our understanding of how interdisciplinary collaboration can drive impactful design.

How much was the theme inspiring and relevant for you? Coming from one of the cities with the most traffic in the world, and a place where pollution derived from various means of transport is a significant issue, the subject "the future of mobility" was incredibly inspiring and relevant to me. It resonated deeply with my passion for sustainable design and mobility. The focus on harmonizing human activities with the environment and exploring new ways of living and moving sustainably was extremely interesting to explore during the workshop.

We had a chance to have the workshop led by Honda design team, how much was it an inspiring and learning experience, and for which reason? Having the workshop led by the Honda design team was an invaluable experience. Their expertise and insights into cutting-edge design, innovation and thought process for developing ideas were both inspiring and educational. They provided us with a real-world perspective on how new projects can be conceptualized and presented, which was incredibly motivating for all of us involved in the workshop.

Where do you see yourself in the world of design and what will be your dream career? I think I see myself at the intersection of technology and the human experience. With my background in Creative Computing, I am passionate about leveraging technology to create narratives that connect people on a deeper level. My dream career involves crafting interactive experiences and digital solutions that foster collaboration and understanding among diverse communities. I aim to explore how technology can be used not just to solve problems, but to tell stories that inspire and unite us. By imagining new worlds and possibilities, I believe we can build a future where we understand each other better and work together towards common goals.

Revive Sun

Revive Sun is from China and currently studying at Pratt Institute. Check out his work here.

"Design, in my mind, is like pulling a spring: the more force we apply, the more it elastically deforms. Design is like to balance achieving maximum deformation while maintaining the ability to return to the original state. Similarly, we and AI can all create something wild and crazy, but the key is to keep the balance."

What was the best part and outcome of the Wanted Schools Workshop at ICFF? The best part was working with talented individuals—with Generative AI as a tool we can unleash unlimited creativity.

How much was the theme inspiring and relevant for you? Future mobility is going to change in every way. Not only the design style, but also how we use it, how we perceive it, as well as our relationship with it. This theme pushed me to think if there is a new way to 'move people from A to B' and how.

We had a chance to have the workshop led by Honda design team, how much was it an inspiring and learning experience, and for which reason? The Honda design team, especially Daisuke Sawai, was incredibly supportive and experienced. They introduced us to new methods for creating stories, providing us with a glimpse into the passible future.

Where do you see yourself in the world of design and what will be your dream career? I see myself as an innovator, designer and leader. With an innovative mind, I always strive to create new things, think differently, and challenge the status quo. As a designer, I understand the importance of providing value to customers. As a leader, I recognize the significance of diverse teams.

My goal is to create something that makes a positive difference in the world. I envision myself working with interdisciplinary teams, combining insights from engineering, marketing, and user experience to drive impactful projects.

My dream career is to become a CEO of a leading design firm or tech company. I am passionate about driving innovation, leading teams, and making strategic decisions that shape the future of the industry. I believe that with my dedication, continuous learning, and ability to inspire and manage a talented team, I can create significant value and positive impact. This ambition drives me to consistently improve my skills and take on challenging roles that prepare me for such a leadership position.

The Desired Future of the Next Generation: Redefining Mobility - ICFF

WANTED Design Schools workshop takes place annually at the ICFF in New York City. Design Schools Workshop.