Musings from The Design Conference 2024

This year a small cohort of our team experienced 3 days of back to back industry confrontation and meaning making with local and global design leaders and emerging talent at this year's The Design Conference.

Held along the Brisbane River (Maiwar), on Yagara Country in the historic 1920's Brisbane Powerhouse, this year's event didn’t disappoint. The Design Conference is a sun drenched 3 days of incredibly confronting experiences, sensory overload, inspiration, connections and provocation. A unique audience immersion into a utopian future with the right balance of dream-like aspiration and practical know how from the best in the business.

The conference was well timed in my commercial calendar, in the last month of the financial year and before the next 12 months of business strategy is locked away on a Miro board. The gift of time and space is not lost on me. Finding 3 solid days of uninterrupted note taking and contemplation puts pressure on those back in the trenches taking care of the business and family merry-go-round, so I may indulge - not an opportunity I take for granted. #gratitude

Here are the key themes that captured my attention that aligned to how we go about the world as a design ensemble, and will be a key focus for me personally...

➡️ 1. INCLUSIVE AND EQUITABLE DESIGN

Not a luxury but a basic human right that all disciplines should be working together to do more and be better. Lots more work for the Edison team here in the coming years to raise the bar.

➡️ 2. DESIGN AS A PHILOSOPHY

Design is not an outcome, it’s a process and philosophy. It should overlapping intersections of IQ, EQ and CQ (cultural intelligence). I have been banging on about this for years, so it was refreshing to see Anzac Tasker speak with passion and conviction about his heritage and beliefs.

➡️ 3. PATHWAYS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF DESIGN THINKERS

Experienced practitioners have a community obligation to help mentor, intern and elevate emerging designers from all disciplines and minority intersections. Not the same people giving a leg up to the younger versions of themselves.

➡️ 4. OLDER WOMEN, WHERE ARE YOU?

Still underrepresented. More needs to be done to continue to give validation and employment to experienced women in the later stages of their career.

➡️ 5. SLOWING DOWN, TAKING A HIATUS

Creative professionals are on average, 3 times more likely to experience burn-out. Take breaks, slow down, don’t get caught up in the commercial falsity of “urgency”.

➡️ 6. DIGNITY IN DESIGN

A powerhouse talk by Nu Goteh, who described the challenge on being too focused on designing with empathy, “…here’s the thing: empathy will only get you so far. How can we as designers create means, ways and opportunities for those most closely affected by inequities to participate in creating the change they want to see in the world?”

My highlight talks from speakers who are shifting the dial and making waves in the industry for good...

🎤 Anzac Tasker FDINZ - Guardians (NZ)

🎤 Emmi Salonen - Studio Emmi (UK)

🎤 Nu Goteh - Deem Journal (USA)

🎤 Rob Duncan & Dominic Hofstede - Mucho (USA & AUS)

🎤 Carmen & Guido - Niceshit Studio (SPAIN)

🎤 Richie Meldrum - Bare Brand Strat (AUS)

🎤 Arielle Bodenstein & Claudia Henderson - For the People (AUS)

🎤 Mat Bogust - Think Packaging (NZ)

Gratitude to Jasmin Bedir for her panelled talks and meaningful interrogation on the impact of “adopting the status quo” and recognising “passive privilege”.

Matthew Haynes Founder of The Design Conference, hats off again to a truly tenacious visionary who's brave enough to take on the design industry - kicking and screaming.

Until 2025...

Written by Amber Bonney

Founder, ECD and the middle-aged woman in need of a long sabbatical somewhere warm.