As a design freelancer, you can be pretty divorced from the effects of your work. I've done many a project where after e-mailing in the files, I never heard again about that object or knew if it even got made, although I'd continue to correspond with the client about future projects. I imagine it's the way a hit man for the mob feels, disconnected from the rewards or repercussions experienced by his capos in the inner circle.

But if you're a design firm staffer or an in-house, you get to see more of the process and hopefully the aftermath. It has to be gratifying to hear that your design work increased the client's sales/yield/efficiency/safety rating, et cetera. And it is people like you whom the IDSA is interested in hearing from.

Starting today, the IDSA's Catalyst Case Study Program needs success stories about the impact of design.

Design firms, client companies, academic institutions or any other interested parties may nominate a design success story worthy of study, documentation and preservation. There is no restriction on dates in use, production or distribution. Above all, the submission must clearly demonstrate the positive impact of industrial design and how it raises the visibility of design's global effectiveness in delivering value to businesses, communities and society.

If you're one of the lucky few that's got a good story, you have until January 18th to get the submission in. I'll pretend I'm not jealous as I sit here doing the design equivalent of making foam cut-outs to hold sniper rifle parts in a briefcase and waiting for my fax machine to go off.