The Design Indaba

Design Indaba is an annual conference and making platform with an aim to help create a better world through creativity. A Think Tank and Do Tank since 1995.

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

What happens when you combine design, computer science and data?

Back @designindaba Confernece in 2011, Ben Fry was already exploring a question that has become more relevant than ever: how can we turn massive amounts of data into something people can actually understand, explore and connect with?

From visualising global population data to mapping the human genome, Fry shows how data visualisation can transform complex information into compelling visual stories.

His approach sits at the intersection of design, technology, information design, computer science and creative coding—ideas that would go on to become increasingly important in the digital world.

Ben Fry is the founder and principal of Fathom Information Design, a studio in Boston focused on making complex data more understandable, accessible, and usable. Since 2016, he has also taught at MIT as a lecturer.

🎥 Visit the @designindaba YouTube channel to watch his full talk

What does your data look like? 👀

#BenFry #DataVisualization #DataViz #InformationDesign #CreativeCoding #GenerativeDesign #Design #Technology #ComputerScience #DataDesign #VisualDesign #DesignIndaba #CreativeTechnology #DataStorytelling #DigitalDesign

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

In 2012, Eddie Opara was already exploring a future where graphic design, technology and physical interaction became one.

At the @designindaba Conference back in 2012, the @pentagram partner presented a 13-foot multi-touch table developed for the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

It was portable, ADA compliant and designed around communal interaction — people could discover, manipulate and literally “pass” digital information to one another.

Touch interfaces are everywhere today.

But in 2012, this was a fascinating glimpse into where interactive design was heading.

🎥 Visit the @designindaba YouTube channel to watch the full talk

Was Eddie Opara ahead of his time?

#EddieOpara #DesignIndaba #InteractiveDesign #GraphicDesign #DesignTechnology

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

🎈 Can a balloon start an empathy revolution?

Enni Kukka Tuomala @ennikukka, a Finnish empathy designer and artist, asks a deceptively simple question: What if we designed our political systems, communities and public spaces for empathy?

Her work takes empathy beyond an individual feeling and turns it into a design tool for social change.

Working with members of the Finnish Parliament, @ennikukka explored how design, play, creativity and even balloons could challenge political culture, encourage connection and create new ways for people to communicate.

Because sometimes changing how people interact starts with changing the environment around them.

Could design make us more empathetic?

To watch the full story talk visit the @designindaba YouTube channel.

#DesignIndaba #EnniKukkaTuomala #Empathy #EmpathyDesign #DesignForChange #SocialDesign #DesignThinking #CreativeThinking #Innovation #Politics #SocialChange #HumanCenteredDesign #DesignInspiration #FinnishDesign #DesignGraduates

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

I DON’T HIRE ARCHITECTS. I HIRE THINKERS.

For Mexican architect Michel Rojkind aka @rojkind_arq, great architecture isn’t about producing the best sketch or the most impressive computer render.

It’s about thinking differently.

@rojkind_arq explains why he values good thinkers over people who simply know how to draw — and why architects have a responsibility to give clients something they weren’t expecting.

His approach is about awareness, diagnosis, collaboration and adding value beyond the brief.

From transforming a parking lot into a public park at Cineteca Nacional to bringing together graphic designers, industrial designers, landscape architects and sociologists, Rojkind shows how architecture can become something much bigger than a building.

“I'm interested in having a good thinker next to me.”

What do you think makes someone a great designer: technical skill or the ability to think differently?

🎥 Michel Rojkind at Design Indaba, 2014.

Visit the @designindaba YouTube channel to watch the full talk

#MichelRojkind #DesignIndaba #Architecture #Architect #ArchitectureDesign #DesignThinking #CreativeThinking #ArchitectureInspiration #MexicanArchitecture #ContemporaryArchitecture #ArchitecturalDesign #CreativeProcess #DesignInnovation #ArchitectureCommunity #Designers

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

What if the future of fashion sparkle came from plants instead of plastic? ✨🌱

Designer and material researcher @ElissaBrunato takes on one of fashion’s tiny but overlooked environmental problems: plastic sequins.

Inspired by the shimmering colours of beetle shells, @ElissaBrunato developed cellulose sequins that use the natural structure of plant-based materials to create colour — rather than relying on synthetic plastics and dyes.

Made from cellulose sourced not only from plants but also from waste materials such as old denim and fruit skins, the idea is to create sequins, fabric and thread that can biodegrade together.

It’s a radical rethink of sustainable fashion: what if environmentally responsible materials didn’t have to look or feel like a compromise?

Watch @ElissaBrunato explain how nature could help redesign the future of fashion.

Design Indaba Global Design Graduates, 2020

Visit the @designindaba YouTube channel to watch the full talk

#ElissaBrunato #DesignIndaba #SustainableFashion #FutureOfFashion #Biomaterials #CircularDesign #MaterialInnovation #SustainableDesign #FashionInnovation #Biodesign #Cellulose #EcoDesign #CircularFashion #DesignInnovation #FashionDesign #Sustainability #DesignThinking #Biomaterial #RegenerativeDesign

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

Harry Pearce explains why typography and architecture are actually the same discipline.

Typography and architecture are really solving the same problem.

In this unforgettable Design Indaba moment, the @pentagram partner explains how the spaces between buildings shape our lives just as negative space shapes typography—and how that idea inspired one of his most celebrated identity projects.

If you love graphic design, branding, architecture or typography, you'll never look at cities—or type—the same way again.

Follow @designindaba for more legendary talks from the world's greatest creative minds.

#HarryPearce #Pentagram #Typography #Architecture #GraphicDesig #BrandIdentity #DesignThinking #CreativeProcess #DesignIndaba #LogoDesign #CreativeInspiration #DesignConference

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

Could you build a toaster from scratch?

Designer Thomas Thwaites tried exactly that—starting with iron ore, homemade plastic and centuries-old metallurgy.

The result is a brilliant lesson in manufacturing, sustainability and the hidden complexity behind everyday objects.

Visit the @designindaba YouTube channel to watch the full talk.

#ThomasThwaites #TheToasterProject #DesignIndaba #IndustrialDesign #ProductDesign #DesignThinking #Sustainability #Innovation #DesignThinking #Sustainability #Innovation

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

"The greatest design I've ever seen is the human heart."

Piyush Pandey reminds us that the world's most powerful ideas aren't just intelligent—they're emotional.

That's why the best design, branding and storytelling connect with people first.

🎥 From the Design Indaba Conference.

Visit the @designindaba YouTube channel to watch the full talk

#PiyushPandey #DesignTok #CreativeTok #DesignIndaba #Creativity #Storytelling #Branding #Marketing #DesignThinking #Innovation #ForYou #FYP #LearnOnTikTok #CreativeMind #EmotionalDesign

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

Bangkok Is Sinking. Here's the Design Solution. 🌊

As climate change intensifies, cities around the world face rising seas, extreme flooding and failing infrastructure. In this inspiring Design Indaba talk, Global Design Graduate Ratchu Vaan Surajaras shares how landscape architecture and innovative urban design could transform Bangkok into a flood-resilient city.

Inspired by the devastating 2011 Bangkok floods, Surajaras proposes reimagining canals as multifunctional public spaces that retain water, create green infrastructure and improve everyday urban life. His vision shows how cities can stop fighting water—and instead learn to live with it.

This Design Indaba Conference presentation explores climate adaptation, resilient urban planning, sustainable landscape architecture and the future of cities in a warming world.

Watch more talks from the @designindaba Conference featuring the world's leading architects, designers, innovators and creative thinkers.

#ClimateChange #UrbanDesign #Architecture #DesignIndaba #Bangkok #FloodResilience #LandscapeArchitecture #SustainableCities

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

This talk was given in 2013—before many of today's technological advances had even emerged.

@DaanRoosegaarde was already imagining a world where technology could move beyond screens and become part of our streets, buildings and landscapes.

His concept of "techno-poetry" brought together technology, imagination and sustainability to rethink the future of design.

More than a decade later, his question still resonates:

What if technology could jump out of the screen and become part of the world around us?

At a time when many of today's technological advances were still years away, the Dutch artist and designer was already imagining a future where technology, sustainability and imagination could transform the streets we walk on, the spaces we inhabit and the way we interact with our environment.

From interactive landscapes and responsive public spaces to energy-generating dance floors and futuristic roads, @DaanRoosegaarde called his approach "techno-poetry"—a merging of innovation and imagination.

More than a decade later, his ideas invite us to look back and ask: How much of that future has arrived—and what's still waiting to be built?

From the Design Indaba Conference archive.

Visit the @designindaba YouTube to watch the full talk

#DaanRoosegaarde #DesignIndaba #FutureOfDesign #Design #Innovation #TechnoPoetry #FutureTechnology #SustainableDesign #DutchDesign #CreativeTechnology #DesignThinking #Architecture #SmartCities #FutureCities #Technology #Sustainability #DesignInspiration #Futurism

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

Great Creators Have One Thing in Common: They Believe in Something

What makes great creative work truly great? Sir John Hegarty believes it starts with something deeper than technique: a creative philosophy.

In this powerful excerpt from his Design Indaba talk, the legendary advertising creative and BBH co-founder explains why every successful creator needs fundamental beliefs that shape their work. Whether you're a designer, artist, architect, filmmaker, writer or creative thinker, your work should express what you believe in.

His message? Creativity is an expression of self.

“Life is the greatest of all art forms.”

Discover why knowing what drives you could be the key to creating work that genuinely matters.

🎥 Visit the @designindaba YouTube to watch the full talk.

#SirJohnHegarty #JohnHegarty #CreativePhilosophy #Creativity #CreativeThinking #CreativeInspiration #CreativeLeadership #Advertising #AdvertisingCreative #Design #DesignThinking #CreativeProcess #CreativeMindset #DesignIndaba #Inspiration #CreativeIndustry #ArtAndDesign #CreativeCareer #CreativeSuccess #ThinkDifferently

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

What If Hell Was a New York City High-Rise? 🔥🏙️ @SeymourChwast

What if the worse your sin, the better your view? 🔥

Graphic design legend @SeymourChwast explains his brilliantly dark and humorous vision of Hell in this conversation with @pentagram Partner Michael Bierut at Design Indaba 2013 Conference.

Inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy, Chwast reimagines Hell as a New York City high-rise—where the levels get worse as you go up.

A masterclass in turning history, literature and visual culture into unforgettable graphic storytelling.

🎥 From the @designindaba Conference archive

Visit our YouTube Channel to watch this full conversation

#SeymourChwast #MichaelBierut #DesignIndaba #GraphicDesign #Illustration #DesignHistory #GraphicDesignHistory #EditorialIllustration #DantesInferno #DivineComedy #Dante #HieronymusBosch #DesignLegends #CreativeInspiration #VisualStorytelling #PushPinStudios #Typography #DesignTok #CreativeThinking #DesignInspiration

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

"I Was Arrested Twice...", Steven Heller aka @thedailyheller's unbelievable Design origin story.

In this unforgettable moment from his Design Indaba Conference talk, legendary design critic and historian Steven Heller aka @thedailyheller shares the extraordinary path that took him from working on underground publications and Andy Warhol's Interview magazine to becoming Art Director of The New York Times Op-Ed page at just 24 years old.

With wit, self-deprecating humour and fascinating stories about typography, editorial design and the counterculture press, Heller reveals how an obsession with graphic design became a lifelong calling.

If you're passionate about graphic design, typography, editorial design, visual culture or design history, this is a story you won't forget.

🎥 Watch more legendary talks from the @designindaba Conference archive.

#StevenHeller #GraphicDesign #Typography #EditorialDesign #DesignHistory #VisualCulture #CreativeInspiration #DesignThinking #GraphicDesigner #CreativeCareer #DesignIndaba #Creativity #LogoDesign #Publishing #DesignArchive

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

What happens when design creates too much consumption instead of meaningful change?

In this thought-provoking excerpt from her @designindaba talk, Dutch designer Hella Jongerius argues that the world doesn't need more products—it needs better values.

She challenges designers to think beyond aesthetics and profit, embracing environmental responsibility, ethical production, and social impact.

Calling herself a "design pastor," Jongerius makes a compelling case for a new industrial mindset where creativity serves both people and the planet.

This clip is taken from Hella Jongerius' inspiring Design Indaba Conference presentation, part of the Design Indaba archive featuring many of the world's leading voices in design, creativity, architecture, innovation and culture.

Watch more talks from @designindaba featuring pioneers including Paula Scher, John Maeda, William Kentridge, David Adjaye, Craig Dykers, Ivan Chermayeff and many more.

Subscribe to the @designindaba YouTube for more iconic talks on creativity, design and innovation.

#HellaJongerius #DesignIndaba #SustainableDesign #EthicalDesign #IndustrialDesign #DesignThinking #CircularDesign #ResponsibleDesign #Creativity #Innovation #ProductDesign #DesignLeadership #DesignInspiration #Architecture #CreativeThinking

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

Design Is Problem Solving

Legendary designer Ivan Chermayeff, reminds us that design is far more than decoration—it's about solving real human problems with clarity, originality and purpose.

From creating memorable identities to designing solutions that stand the test of time, Chermayeff explains why great design must be simple, economical, provocative and unmistakably original.

A timeless lesson for designers, creatives, entrepreneurs and anyone building brands that matter.

Watch more conversations with the world's leading creative thinkers from the Design Indaba In Studio series archive.

Follow @designindaba for more interviews and talks from the world's leading innovators in creativity, architecture, science and design.

#IvanChermayeff #DesignIndaba #GraphicDesign #BrandIdentity #LogoDesign #CreativeThinking #DesignThinking #Branding #VisualIdentity #Creativity #Typography

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

Could the future of sustainable construction start with bacteria?

In this unforgettable @designindaba talk, Vukheta Mukhari reveals how groundbreaking research led to the creation of the world's first bio-brick grown from human urine—an innovation inspired entirely by nature.

Instead of fighting nature, what if we learned from it?

From biomimicry and circular economy thinking to climate-positive design, this talk challenges everything we know about waste, construction and innovation.

Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs begin with the smallest organisms.

Watch, share and rethink what sustainable design can be.

Subscribe to the @designindaba YouTube for more talks from the world's leading innovators in creativity, architecture, science and design.

#DesignIndaba #Biomimicry #BioBricks #Sustainability #Architecture #Innovation #ClimateAction #CircularEconomy #GreenBuilding #FutureCities

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

What happens when creativity meets leadership?

@johnmaeda argues that the future doesn't belong to the people with the biggest titles—it belongs to those with the courage to lead creatively.

As technology has broken down traditional hierarchies, leadership is no longer about controlling information. It's about integrity, curiosity, collaboration and the willingness to learn.

His message is simple but powerful:

Creativity isn't about choosing the hard path. It's about choosing the right one.

Filmed live at the Design Indaba Conference in Cape Town, this timeless talk explores why design thinking, innovation and creative leadership have never been more important.

Whether you're building a startup, leading a team, designing products or creating art, these ideas are more relevant today than ever.

💬 Do you think the best leaders are the ones with all the answers—or the ones willing to keep learning?

Follow @designindaba for more conversations with the world's leading thinkers in design, architecture, creativity and innovation.

#JohnMaeda #CreativeLeadership #Leadership #DesignThinking #Innovation #Creativity #DesignIndaba #Entrepreneurship #BusinessLeadership #FutureOfWork #LeadershipDevelopment #CreativeThinking #Design #Technology #Startup #CreativeBusiness #CapeTown #InnovationLeadership #DesignInspiration

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

What separates a creative leader from a traditional leader?

In this powerful moment from his Design Indaba Conference talk, @johnmaeda explains why creative leaders don't avoid mistakes—they learn from them.

Through a hilarious story about a surgeon who "had to get creative," Maeda reveals why creativity requires optimism, integrity, and the courage to embrace uncertainty.

If you're interested in leadership, design thinking, innovation, entrepreneurship, business, or the creative process, this short is packed with timeless insight.

This clip is taken from @johnmaeda's full Design Indaba Conference presentation in Cape Town, where he explores creativity, design, leadership, technology, and innovation in a rapidly changing world.

Follow @designindaba for more inspiring talks from the world's leading creative thinkers, including Paula Scher, Dan Wieden, William Kentridge, Craig Dykers, Massimo Vignelli, Neil Harbisson, Thomas Heatherwick, and many more.

Watch the full talk here
https://t.co/nSJsdqYwos

#JohnMaeda #CreativeLeadership #Leadership #DesignThinking #Innovation #Creativity #DesignIndaba #Entrepreneur #BusinessLeadership #CreativeThinking #GrowthMindset #LeadershipDevelopment #CapeTown #Design #Inspiration

[The Design Indaba @designindaba]

“Everything in this room is part of the habitat we made for ourselves.” — Craig Dykers

In this powerful clip from his Design Indaba talk, the @snohetta co-founder Craig Dykers explained why architecture is really about shaping human behaviour, not just constructing buildings.

📍 Design Indaba Conference | Cape Town, South Africa

🎥 Watch the full talk here:
https://t.co/bWIyAfQcVQ

Or

Visit @designindaba YouTube channel for more talks from the world's leading creative thinkers.

#Architecture #UrbanDesign #DesignIndaba #CraigDykers #Snohetta #PublicSpace #HumanCenteredDesign #SustainableDesign