The Design Society is built on the foundations laid by the WDK (Workshop Design-Konstruktion) Society. WDK was an informally constituted international society based on a common interest in engineering design. WDK was founded in the early nineteen eighties on the inspiration of Professor Vladimir Hubka (†) and with two other founding members, Professor Mogens Myrup Andreasen and Professor Umberto Pighini (†). Under Professor Hubka's overall guidance and with the support of the founding members and Professor W. Ernst Eder WDK grew to become a truly international society that has made major contributions to Design Science. WDK was responsible for establishing the International Conferences on Engineering Design (ICED series) and has supported an extensive range of publications. It was Professor Umberto Pighini who took the bold initiative to establish the first conference in the ICED series in Rome in 1981 (ICED 81). Subsequently many dedicated individuals have contributed to the development of WDK and the ICED series of conferences. The Design Society is fortunate to be able to build on WDK's foundation of 15 ICED conferences, 26 major publications and more than 60 workshops on a wide range of topics. In 2001, All all previous activities and responsibilities of WDK are were taken over by the Design Society, including the right to continue the ICED conferences.
In order to start the Society, the Board of Management of WDK has nominated the first Board of Management and Advisory Board for the period 2001-2003. By drawing lots, roughly one third of the members of both Boards were replaced by democratically elected members in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Therefore, the start-up period of the Design Society ended after ICED 07.
Mogens Myrup Andreasen (DK), Pedro Ferreirinha (CH), Susan Finger (USA), John Gero (AUS), Crispin Hales (USA), Stanislav Hosnedl (CZ), Udo Lindemann (D), Harald Meerkamm (D), Dorian Marjanovic (HR), Margareta Norell (S), Umberto Pighini † (I), Asko Riitahuhta (FI), Ryszard Rohatynski (PL), Norbert Roozenburg (NL), Andrew Samuel † (AUS), Warren Seering (USA), Derek Sheldon (UK), Tim Smithers (E), Tetsuo Tomiyama (NL), Sándor Vajna (D), Ken Wallace (UK), Christian Weber (D)
Mogens Myrup Andreasen (DK), Eiji Arai (J), Herbert Birkhofer (D), Amaresh Chakrabarti (IND), John Clarkson (UK), Susan Finger (USA), John Gero (AUS), Stanislav Hosnedl (CZ), Harald Meerkamm (D), Dorian Marjanovic (HR), Margareta Norell (S), Asko Riitahuhta (FI), Ryszard Rohatynski (PL), Norbert Roozenburg (NL), Derek Sheldon (UK), Lily Shu (CAN), Tim Smithers (E), Tetsuo Tomiyama (NL), Sándor Vajna (D), Ken Wallace (UK), Christian Weber (D)
Mogens Myrup Andreasen (DK), Eiji Arai (J), Herbert Birkhofer (D), Lucienne Blessing (D), Jean-Claude Bocquet (F), Jonathan Cagan (USA), Marco Cantamessa (I), Amaresh Chakrabarti (IND), John Clarkson (UK), Susan Finger (USA), John Gero (AUS), Stanislav Hosnedl (CZ), Harald Meerkamm (D), Dorian Marjanovic (HR), Margareta Norell (S), Asko Riitahuhta (FI), Norbert Roozenburg (NL), Derek Sheldon (UK), Lily Shu (CAN), Tim Smithers (E), Tetsuo Tomiyama (NL), Sándor Vajna (D), Ken Wallace (UK)
Mogens Myrup Andreasen (DK), Erik Antonsson (USA), Eiji Arai (J), Petra Badke-Schaub (NL), Herbert Birkhofer (D), Lucienne Blessing (LUX), Jean-Claude Bocquet (F), Jean-Francois Boujut (F), Jonathan Cagan (USA), Marco Cantamessa (I), Amaresh Chakrabarti (IND), Wei Chen (USA), John Clarkson (UK), Steven Eppinger (USA), Susan Finger (USA), John Gero (AUS), Tim McAloone (DK), Harald Meerkamm (D), Dorian Marjanovic (HR), Asko Riitahuhta (FI), Norbert Roozenburg (NL), Warren Seering (USA), Lily Shu (CAN), Toshihanu Taura (J), Tetsuo Tomiyama (NL), Sándor Vajna (D), Ken Wallace (UK)
