Emma Smith- What is IIDA?

 The International Interior Design Association—first caught my attention back in my Foundations of Interior Design class when my professor briefly mentioned it. Hearing Emma Smith talk about it in a real world context really helped  makeeverything click: it’s not some distant, fancy club you join for résumé points. It’s actually a community that tackles the big stuff—pushing sustainability standards while also delivering the practical things that keep designers sharp, like posting valuable insights to their website for other designers to learn from. What really spoke to me is how IIDA bridges the gap between visionary thinking and the everyday grind of deadlines and specs. It’s where people debate how design can address climate change one day and then show you a new acoustic panel that solves open-office noise the next. I love that it’s both idealistic and useful in an everyday sense. Honestly, that one class visit really is helping me become a better designer. Since Emma Smith’s visit I have been on the IDSA page and it is actually something that is very beneficial even to a first year design student. It helps me see the connection from what I’m learning to real world application.