Let me dance back to when I first heard of it. I was a young creative happily knowing fuck all. Which was not today. Nor yesterday. It was for other people. Older people. Better people. With bigger ideas. Bigger talents. And a firm grasp of the world’s commercial realities. It made me feel a little nervous. A touch inadequate. A wee bit unworthy. Not inappreciably resentful. Until. I met some of those people. On both sides of the house. Advertising and Design. And found them to be, well, generous. With time. And thoughts. And considerations. And endless little kindnesses. Which makes them sound like Quakers. Which is bullshit. It’s a Petri dish of schadenfreude. And so it should be. Creative people are ambitious. Jealous. Envious. And yet. ICAD has supported the creative industry in this strange little country for over 50 years. Because. ICAD members have been the creative community for over 50 years. They have bolstered each other. Battered each other. Learned from each other. Stolen from each other. Yearned to outdo each other. Longed to work with each other. ICAD is not an idea. It is not a place. It is not a ceremony. It is not a series of events. ICAD is its people. It is what they make it. Not that they exist. There is no them. They are us. And if you are a member so are you.
ICAD – Notes On An Institution, Des Kavanagh
