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Conference Talks

Watch the full talks from Design Indaba's world-renowned 24-year Conference in this archive of videos going back to 2006.

From our archives: Michael Bierut on how to think like a designer
Conference Talks • Design Indaba Conference 2015 • Duration 00:39:15
Michael Bierut runs us through some of his major projects and the thought processes behind them: a rare opportunity to get into his award-winning mind.
  • Tomo Kihara at Design Indaba Festival 2018 00:10:57
    The designer of the Street Debater on fostering human connection through design
    Design Activism / Product Design
    “I realised that Street Debating not only addresses the problem of begging but something much bigger. It’s addressing the problem of social segregation.”
    Design Indaba Festival 2018
  • Simon Dogger at Design Indaba Conference 2018 00:09:18
    The fascinating way blind designer Simon Dogger is able to feel the emotions of others
    Design Activism / Music & Sound Design
    The Design Indaba speaker began his 2018 Design Talk by giving the audience a listen into the life of a visually impaired designer.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • Renata Souza at Design Indaba 2018 00:09:14
    Renata Souza on designing an insulin kit specifically for children with diabetes
    Design Activism / Product Design
    "Children with type 1 diabetes are insulin-dependent. The administration of it is crucial to their survival."
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • William Mapham Speaker Talk 00:18:47
    How the Vula app is revolutionising the South African healthcare system
    Information Design / Product Design
    Ophthalmologist William Mapham developed an app that provides aid to rural healthcare workers.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • BRCK's Mark Kamau at the Design Indaba Conference 2018 00:18:10
    How a small Kenyan start-up is disrupting the way the internet works
    African Design / Design Activism / Information Design
    In his Design Indaba 2018 talk, Mark Kamau talks about how Brck plans to give Google and Facebook a run for their money.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • Getsmarter's Sam & Rob Paddock at Design Indaba Festival 2018 00:18:08
    How GetSmarter’s distance learning overhaul created a $100m company
    African Design / Creative Economy / Design Thinking
    The brothers Sam & Rob Paddock explain the "deliberate design" behind the e-learning empire's success.
    Design Indaba Festival 2018
  • Amna Elshandaweely - Design Indaba Conference 2018 00:19:06
    Conscious fashion: Amna Elshandaweely’s take on fashion and revolution
    Fashion & Jewellery Design
    The Cairo designer makes a moving case for social impact with something as simple as the clothes we wear.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • Lebo Mashile at Design Indaba Conference 2018 00:28:41
    Lebo Mashile on her life and how poetry and books became a lifeline
    Art & Photography / Craft / Music & Sound Design
    “Criss-crossing, jumping identities has been the story of my life.”
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • Sunu Gonera at Design Indaba 2018 00:36:37
    Sunu Gonera on finding his voice, afrofuturism and making heroes out of ordinary people
    African Design / Creative Economy / Film & Animation
    In this opening talk of Design Indaba 2018 that brought the audience to its feet, the filmmaker talks about his career high and lows.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • Ekene Ijeoma at Design Indaba Conference 2017 00:17:57
    Ekene Ijeoma combines data and design to tackle pressing global issues
    Design Activism / Information Design
    From diversity in design to the refugee crisis, this data designer's projects are breaking the news cycle.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Luis von Ahn at Design Indaba Conference 2017 00:21:13
    Founder of Duolingo at the Design Indaba Conference 2017
    Creative Economy / Design Thinking
    Luis von Ahn launched the first African language course on Duolingo as part of his Design Talk.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Olafur 00:34:17
    Olafur Eliasson talks design that has real-world significance
    Design Activism / Design Thinking
    Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson gives us his take on what functional design means and the newest member of the Little Sun family.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Osborne Macharia 00:12:16
    Osborne Macharia breathes life into his fantastical, fictional imagery
    African Design / Art & Photography
    The self-taught Kenyan photographer takes the Design Indaba audience on a mesmerising journey of fiction, fantasy and narrative.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Giorgia Lupi, Kaki King at the Design Indaba Conference 2017 00:32:56
    Can we use our own data to become better human beings?
    Information Design
    Data designer Giorgia Lupi talks us through her experience of painstakingly collected personal data.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Stuart Forrest at Design Indaba 2017 00:25:35
    How Stuart Forrest built the award-winning Triggerfish
    Film & Animation
    Triggerfish CEO talks Revolting Rhymes, endurance in the animation industry and inspiring empathy in young people.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Robin Rhode 00:22:24
    Multidisciplinary artist Robin Rhode brings his drawing process to life
    African Design / Art & Photography
    The South African born artist and his “doppelgänger” light up the Design Indaba stage.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Craig dykers, co-founder of Snohetta at Design Indaba 2017 00:51:55
    Learn to approach design with empathy, says co-founder of Snøhetta
    Architecture & Interiors / Design Thinking
    "Just look at people...," says Craig Dykers. "Getting to know their faces helps you understand who you're making things for."
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Arjun Harrison-Mann at Design Indaba Conference 2017 00:09:23
    #RightsNotGames makes protesting accessible for disabled people
    Design Activism / Information Design
    Arjun Harrison-Mann talks ethical design at the Design Indaba Festival 2017.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Global Grad Isis Schiffer at Design Indaba 2017 00:07:19
    How Isis Schiffer made the foldable bike helmet
    Product Design
    The EcoHelmet made international headlines and won numerous awards.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Carina Bonse 00:06:37
    Exposing the fecal danger in our picturesque beaches with Carina Bonse
    Information Design / Product Design
    “People are concerned about what they put in their bodies, yet don’t know the effect that wastewater can have on their health.”
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Blinky Bill 00:18:42
    Blinky Bill brings African musical expression to the Design Indaba stage
    Music & Sound Design
    The Kenyan musician, producer and DJ doesn’t care what African music is ‘supposed’ to sound like.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Stefan Diez at Design Indaba Conference 2017 00:19:53
    Furniture designer Stefan Diez on the value of designing process
    Architecture & Interiors / Industrial Design
    The renowned German designer does not shy away from age-old materials and techniques.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • isabel Mager 00:12:04
    Isabel Mager on identifying the human body behind the making of high-tech gadgets
    Design Thinking / Industrial Design
    What human narrative exists beneath our shiny 21st-century products?
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Tea Uglow 00:31:26
    Tea Uglow on the creative unknown and dispelling misplaced confidence in reality
    Design Thinking / Information Design
    Tea Uglow, the director of Google’s Creative Lab in Sydney on her work at the intersection of tech and creativity.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Tomo Kihara at Design Indaba Festival 2018 00:10:57
    The designer of the Street Debater on fostering human connection through design
    Design Activism / Product Design
    “I realised that Street Debating not only addresses the problem of begging but something much bigger. It’s addressing the problem of social segregation.”
    Design Indaba Festival 2018

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