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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.
  • IKEA conference interview 00:08:14
    Jesper Brodin & Marcus Engman on the start of IKEA’s new African collaboration
    African Design / Craft
    “We like to work in an open way, because we believe in that way of co-creating things.”
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Bo-Won Keum 00:11:22
    Bo-Won Keum on using design to help elevate the voices of prison inmates
    Design Activism / Design Thinking
    The graphic designer worked on a monochromatic book that had handwritten book requests and thank you notes from US prison inmates.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Pauline Saglio 00:09:47
    Pauline Saglio makes digital design tangible
    Interaction Design
    The media and interaction designer’s work challenges perceptions of interactive and digital projects.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Kaja Dahl at Design Indaba Conference 2017 00:08:31
    Kaja Dahl on exploring the natural essence of Cape Town in scent form
    Product Design
    She collected samples of soil, dried fynbos, wood, stone and seaweed to distil an accurate fragrance of the city’s landscape.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Dokter and Misses 00:26:21
    Design duo Dokter and Misses about the importance of the aesthetic function of products they create
    African Design / Architecture & Interiors / Product Design
    “Aesthetic fuction is more important. How we designed what you don’t see,” on their wildly popular LALA Surma drinks cabinet.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Grace Jun at Design Indaba Conference 2017 00:10:17
    Designing for an inclusive & considered future with Grace Jun
    Design Thinking / Fashion & Jewellery Design
    “Less about perfection, but rather a desire to have more options.”
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Nelly Ben Hayoun at Design Indaba 2017 00:47:34
    Experience designer Nelly Ben Hayoun on colonising Mars with the worms from hell
    Design Thinking / Interaction Design
    In her Design Indaba Conference talk she introduces us to her project called The Life, the Sea and the Space Viking.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Ayse Birsel 00:20:02
    Ayse Birsel on designing a meaningful future for yourself
    Design Thinking / Industrial Design
    The award-winning designer talks about applying design processes to our daily lives.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Lernert & Sander at Design Indaba Conference 2017 00:35:03
    Filmmakers Lernert & Sander address piracy in the creative industry
    Art & Photography / Film & Animation
    Their approach to their talk at the Design Indaba Conference 2017 was no different to their stunningly cheeky designs.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Chris Sheldrick 00:19:31
    Chris Sheldrick’s what3words is redefining the global address system
    Design Activism / Design Thinking
    Making the world a less frustrating, more efficient and safer place.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Marko Ahtisaari - Design Indaba Conference 2017 00:22:12
    Unwind: Music as an alternative to traditional medicine
    Creative Economy / Design Activism
    Marko Ahtisaari presents Unwind, a global experiment in drug-free ways to treat physical and mental health.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Kate Moross 00:39:01
    Punk designer Kate Moross on breaking the rules and rebelling against polarities
    Graphic Design & Illustration
    On the Design Indaba Conference stage, the multi-tasking creative discusses her unconventional approach to design.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Jabu Newman and The Foxy Five 00:18:08
    Jabu Nadia Newman talks about the importance of womxn in film
    Film & Animation
    “My design method is film, specifically telling stories through images.”
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Chido Govera, Koen Vanmechelen at Design Indaba Conference 2017 00:27:55
    Growing mushrooms in camel dung to raise planetary chickens
    African Design / Food Design
    Belgian chicken artist Koen Vanmechelen and Zimbabwean activist Chido Govera talk about the Planetary Community Chicken Project at Design Indaba 2017.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Yinka on stage 00:20:30
    Yinka Ilori on telling stories through furniture design
    African Design / Product Design
    “If the chair you are sitting on could tell your story, would it be a dangerous or good thing?”
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Winy Maas at Design Indaba 2017 00:40:08
    Winy Maas on innovating into the future of architecture
    Architecture & Interiors / Design Thinking / Urban & Landscape Design
    The Dutch architect chats about how he is unlocking the potential of buildings in overcrowded cities.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Gebbia conference talk 00:33:20
    Airbnb is tapping into its network to help resettle refugees
    Design Thinking
    Co-Founder & CPO Joe Gebbia announces that over 16,000 Airbnb hosts have already signed up to host refugees for free.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Erik Kessels at Design Indaba 2016 00:50:38
    Erik Kessels on the power of failure
    Art & Photography / Graphic Design & Illustration / Information Design
    Do not fear failure; move towards your mistakes. Dutch advertising guru Erik Kessels shares some industry wisdom at the Design Indaba Conference.
    Design Indaba Conference 2016
  • Vera de pont 00:08:29
    Dutch designer Vera de Pont on making fashion sustainable and DIY
    Design Thinking / Fashion & Jewellery Design
    She believes fashion could be downloadable and open source where designers become facilitators that guide the customer instead of being in control.
    Design Indaba Conference 2016
  • Christian Benimana at Design Indaba Conference 2016 00:24:23
    Christian Benimana on architecture that serves the community
    African Design / Architecture & Interiors
    In his talk, Benimana asks a series of questions about the capabilities of the built environment: can a building heal, can a neonatal ward celebrate childhood?
    Design Indaba Conference 2016
  • Naresh Ramchandani at Design Indaba 2016 00:35:38
    A love letter to words with Naresh Ramchandani
    Design Activism / Graphic Design & Illustration
    Writer and word-lover Naresh Ramchandani shares his eight favourite words at Design Indaba Conference 2016.
    Design Indaba Conference 2016
  • Paloma Strelitz of Assemble at Design Indaba 2016 00:32:58
    How to make a city more malleable with Turner Prize winners Assemble
    Architecture & Interiors / Design Activism / Design Thinking
    Paloma Strelitz and James Binning, two members of the Turner Prize-winning collective Assemble, talk about how to make a city a playground of possibilities.
    Design Indaba Conference 2016
  • Clara Mar Hernández López 00:09:04
    Clara Mar Hernández López on sustainable solutions for architecture
    Architecture & Interiors
    The Spanish architect talks adaptive architecture in a fast-paced world.
    Design Indaba Conference 2016
  • Thomas Poulsen (aka FOS) at Design Indaba 2016 00:32:25
    Interactions between the body and space with FOS
    Art & Photography
    Danish artist-cum-designer Thomas Poulsen, also known as FOS, plays with the interactions between the human body and the space it occupies.
    Design Indaba Conference 2016
  • IKEA conference interview 00:08:14
    Jesper Brodin & Marcus Engman on the start of IKEA’s new African collaboration
    African Design / Craft
    “We like to work in an open way, because we believe in that way of co-creating things.”
    Design Indaba Conference 2017

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