 Vassos was instrumental in the formation of the Industrial Designer's Society of America (IDSA), a merger between the Industrial Designers Institute and the Society of Industrial Designers, and was its first Chairman of the Board with Henry Dreyfuss as its first President.He insisted that designers should be concerned with the legal status of their profession, and helped establish educational and licensing requirements.John Vassos enlisted into the United States Army when World War II began and went to war as captain in the Engineering Corps in charge of camouflage for the 3rd Air Force Headquarters.