World Industrial Design Day which is held on the 29th of June, celebrates the profession of industrial design, and encourages the use of design in improving quality of life around our planet. Two local students from the Cape Peninsula of Technology have been included in the final five posters for the Global Industrial Design Poster Competition.

For 2010, the international student poster competition has asked design  students from across the globe to share their vision and interpret this year's theme, "Industrial Design: Humane solutions for a resilient world". This year's theme acknowledges our planets plight and asks the designers to take into account the different challenges facing humanity as they design.

The competition is an initiative of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) which is a non-profit organisation that promotes the interests of the profession of industrial design.

Founded in 1957, Icsid serves as a unified voice of over 50 nations through which members can express their views and be heard on an international platform. Since its inception, Icsid has continued to develop its wide-reaching network of students and professionals devoted to the recognition, success and growth of the industrial design community.

Anine Kirsten, one of the South African finalists had the following to say about her submission:  

“Designers change people’s lives on a daily basis. My poster, through making the simple statement: “changing lives”, aims to bring onlookers attention to this fact. The text however, upon closer inspection, is made up of various components and products; whereby linking the technological with the humane. The onlooker will therefore be faced with various things he or she might take for granted within our contemporary age, but because they are faced with both the imagery of technology, and the message that it changes lives indefinitely, they will be exposed to the reality that industrial design influences countless lives daily.”

Craig Van de Ruit's submission on the other hand, is far more simple and he states that: “the figure and leaf folding out of the iD shows the responsibility Industrial design has to the human and natural”.

If we are to have a sustainable future, then we need designers in every field to take into account the environment and how we as a species inhabit it in the future. You can go and view the posters here and vote for them!