MANILA – Design Center of the Philippines held the first International Design on September 22, 2017 at The Eye, Green Sun – The Hotel in Makati City. For its maiden edition, this conference puts the spotlight on the intersection of business and design with the overall theme of design thinking, human-centered design, and design-driven culture. The conference carries the slogan“We Design.”
The conference hosted the world’s top designers, business leaders, and rising stars in the business and creative sectors to talk about the importance of integrating human behavior into design process, the balance of usability and business constraints, as well as user experience and product function.
During this event, participants got to hear the frontrunners in the field as they shared their own stories from concept to completion, and the stages in between – all harbored with deeper understanding of human needs, brand identity, and business strategy.
Keynote speakers included Chairmom & Chief Creative Officer of Dentsu Jayme Syfu, Merlee Jayme, and Swedish native with a 20-year track record of brand and design management and often named among Hong Kong’s top studios, Johan Persson, on the opening keynote :We Design: The Power of Design Thinking”; WGSN Trend Specialist, Charlie Clark, who delivered “Products and Services of Tomorrow: A WGSN Live Presentation”; and consultant in design and design research with a Masters and Ph.D. in Ergonomics and Biomechanics, Dan Formosa, who highlighted the innovative ways to understand people through both qualitative and quantitative methods. In addition to the keynote sessions, the conference featured several lightning talks and panel discussions delivered by notable advocates of design thinking including Gerson Abesamis, Co-founder and Executive Director of Habi Education Lab; Sam Alapan, Senior Adviser for Communications Design and Educational Content of Mint College; and Dindo Marzan, Managing Director and Head of Voyager Business.
An annual immersive event in commemoration of Design Consciousness Week from 16 to 22 September of every year, the first International Design Conference aims to provide creative professionals, business communities, academe, policymakers, and local government officials, from all over the country who will be attending this one-day thought leadership event – a platform to discuss the greater impact of design in today’s world.
The International Design Conference provides an opportunity to strengthen appreciation for good design and inspire the Philippine design industry and the overall creative economy to drive the innovation quotient of the country.
For more information, please visit https://designcenter.ph/international-design-conference/.
