Design for a Better Future: Reflections from the World Design Congress
The We Mean This team had the huge pleasure of attending the World Design Congress at the Barbican last week, and were reminded that we all have the power to help design a better future.
It was a powerful reminder that design is a force for good, and that we all hold the power to help build a better future. The event balanced ingenuity and creativity with a healthy dose of pragmatism, offering a hopeful but realistic perspective on the global challenges we face.
A key theme was how design can drive systemic change. Charlot Magayi spoke about her innovative stove designs, which not only make cooking safer but also combat malaria. We also heard from Alexei Levene of Desolenator, who uses solar power to transform seawater into fresh, ultrapure drinking water without harsh chemicals. This technology can both provide clean water to remote communities and help cool the energy-intensive data centres critical to our modern world.
Another speaker who made a strong impression was Natsai Audrey Chieza of Faber Futures. She is pioneering the use of biotechnology to create new materials that are both well-designed and support climate goals. Her work shows that we don't have to choose between aesthetics and sustainability.
Kate Raworth, the economist behind "Doughnut Economics", explained how our society instinctively knows that life requires balance. She pointed out that our economy is designed and can therefore be redesigned. This simple but profound insight offers a sense of agency and possibility; we are not simply subjects to the world we live in, but can actively shape it.
The event also honoured design legend Dieter "Less, but better" Rams and reminded us how his ten principles of good design are still relevant today. We had the chance to put some of these principles into practice during the Design Council's Skills for Planet workshop. Using their systemic design framework, we tackled a real-world brief and collaborated with fellow designers, modelling how we can embed these critical skills into our own professional practices. This hands-on session, which included the useful Design Declares action cards, was a clear reminder that these are actionable steps we can all take.
The closing words from musician and artist Brian Eno, delivered alongside activist Tori Tsui, captured the essence of the event: "We are already in a stage of catastrophe, let's try to make the best mess we can. Don't try to do it alone. Find the others." It was a call to action that felt both grounded and hopeful.
Events like the World Design Congress provide a valuable platform for connecting with a community of designers, thinkers, and innovators who are all striving to make their own unique contribution to a better future.
Get in touch if you have a design project you want to discuss.
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