At the invitation of Wu Jianliang, Director General of the Wuxi Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Michelle Berryman attended and participated in the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Wuxi International Industrial Design Expo in Wuxi, China on November 8th. After the ceremony, Michelle was interviewed by Yu Yi of CCTV 2, the economy-focused channel of the China Central Television network, about the state of design in China. On November 9th, Michelle delivered a presentation at the China International Industrial Design Forum on the topic ‘Social & Environmental Awareness: New Opportunities for Design in the 21st Century’.

While in Wuxi, China for the 2008 Wuxi International Industrial Design Expo, Michelle Berryman was invited to visit Jiangnan University on November 10th to tour the facilities, interact with students in the design department and participate in a forum where her friend and fellow IDSA Board Member, Brian Roderman, delivered a presentation on divergent thinking in design. During the visit to Jiangnan University, Michelle was conferred the title of Visiting Professor through December 2011. In addition to this honor, Michelle was also named Honorary Chair of the Editorial Committee for Creation & Design Journal, a publication of the School of Design. This appointment also runs through December 2011. On November 11th, Michelle was invited to participate in the 50th Anniversary celebration of Jiangnan University by cutting the ribbon and officially dedicating the new Museum of Design on campus.

In commemoration of being designated the World Design Capitol of 2010, the city of Seoul organized an inaugural 21-day multi-faceted event, known as the Seoul Design Olympiad, to celebrate the role design is playing in transforming Seoul into an eco-friendly metropolis rich in culture and creativity. Seoul Design Olympiad activities included the Seoul Design Conference and the Seoul Design Competition. At the invitation of Seoul’s Mayor, OH Se-Hoon, Michelle Berryman attended the conference and participated in the competition as a juror. The theme of the competition was ‘Design is AIR – Sustainable City Life of the Future’. Michelle’s category within the competition was ‘Water (Communication in Flow)’. Entries in this category included graphic design, information design and animation.

Said Berryman, “I thought that overall, the entries were very good and represented a strong sense of creativity, social responsibility and vision for Seoul’s future as a world design city. All of the entries had a participatory, communal quality too. They brought a sense of order, community and connectedness to Seoul and the people who live, work and play in the city. Some of the ideas represented big ideas like mapping emotions while others represented more practical ideas like clarity of public signature or encouraging people to park their cars and walk, ride a bike or take public transit. All of the ideas sought to enhance the Seoul experience for everyone. This was a very good experience for me.”

Introducing the first EchoViz baby, Braiden Christopher Lynn! This little guy is 8 pounds, 1.8 ounces and 20.5 inches. Everyone’s doing fine!

The Creative Coast Alliance, Savannah, Georgia’s knowledge economy focused public/private partnership has nominated Michelle Berryman to serve as one of five judges for its 2008 Innovation Awards program. Judging will take place in late August and culminate with an awards banquet in Savannah on October 23rd.

The Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine has named Fredo Aponte one of their ’30 Under 30′ for his work with Atlanta Pecha Kucha. A summa cum laude graduate of Georgia Tech, past president of the student chapter of the Industrial Designers Society of America, 2007 IDSA National Student Merit Award winner for the southern district and EchoViz designer, Fredo is a great ambassador for Georgia Tech and EchoViz. Mark your calendars: The next edition of Atlanta Pecha Kucha will be September 21st at Octane Coffee Bar.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office, in conjunction with the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) and the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), invited Michelle Berryman to participate as a speaker in their USPTO Design Day conference in Washington, DC. The conference was attended by US Design Patent Examiners, Intellectual Property Attorneys and designers. Using the IDEA Awards and Design & Business Catalyst Awards as examples, Michelle addressed the value and power of design as a competitive tool and market differentiator.

Michelle Berryman has been invited to participate on the jury for the Australian International Design Awards in Sydney. The jury will take place March 2nd to the 6th. The Australian International Design Awards, a division of Standards Australia, is recognized by the Commonwealth Government and the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design as Australia’s peak design assessment and promotion body, and for its important role in fostering a culture of design and innovation in Australia.

Michelle Berryman gave Atlanta Pecha Kucha a bit of a cultural shock with her documented photos of street food from her trips to Asia in 2005 and 2007. She was one of nine presenters in the Volume Three Spring Session. Check out the presentation on iTunes.

Early in 2008, Michelle Berryman will be a panelist at the CES show in Las Vegas. The panel will discuss “ISO – The Next Big Thing: Avoiding the Pitfalls in Creating Best-Selling Products.”

The focus of the address will be how to avoid the roadblocks in the quest for the next blockbuster product. Also discussed will be the challenges off-shore manufacturing centers present, how non-CE companies use virtual reality to work toward a greener future and what helps keep the budget from derailing innovation.