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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.
  • Scholten & Baijings at Design Indaba Conference 2015. Image: Jonx Pillemer. 00:22:34
    Scholten & Baijings on thinking in colour
    Product Design
    Stefan Scholten talks about the design philosophy behind the Amsterdam-based firm he runs with his wife, Scholten & Baijings.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Naota Fukasawa. 00:40:18
    Naoto Fukusawa on why objects shouldn’t stand out too much
    Industrial Design / Product Design
    The Japanese industrial designer believes successful designs are things we interact with naturally and inevitably, without thinking.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Clive Wilkinson 00:38:45
    Clive Wilkinson reimagines the workplace as a playground
    Architecture & Interiors / Design Thinking
    In this talk from Design Indaba Conference 2014, architect Clive Wilkinson describes the proliferation of workspaces that foster a sense of community and play.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Margot Janse and David Higgs at Design Indaba Conference 2014 00:36:24
    Margot Janse and David Higgs on their culinary trajectories
    African Design / Architecture & Interiors / Food Design
    Kitchen cowboys and 'kapokbos': These rock star South African chefs tell their stories and talk about what fine dining can be.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Issa Diabaté at Design Indaba Conference 2014. 00:17:22
    Issa Diabaté on designing the future of urban Africa
    African Design / Architecture & Interiors
    This Ivorian architect believes that designing with a broad vision makes all things possible.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Teshia Treuhaft at Design Indaba. Photo by Jonx Pillemer. 00:07:44
    Teshia Treuhaft on how a dancer helped her be a better designer
    Product Design
    This graduate of Rhode Island School of Design designed a series of inventive chairs that respond to the movement of the human body.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Jake Barton on stage at Design Indaba Conference 2014. 00:44:03
    Jake Barton on how to create meaningful interactions through technology
    Interaction Design
    Moments of "wow": media and interaction designer Jake Barton uses technology to enhance experiential learning.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Experimental Jetset at Design Indaba. Photo by Jonx Pillemer. 00:36:23
    Experimental Jetset on scavenging the ruins of Modernism
    Graphic Design & Illustration
    The Dutch graphic designers tell us how they tap into design history to create work that is rooted in today's culture.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Agi Haines at Design Indaba Conference 2014. 00:09:40
    Agi Haines on being the Frankenstein of design
    Design Thinking
    This Royal College of Art graduate looks at the possibility of bioprinting body parts to benefit the human race.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • DJ Stout on stage with Graham Reynolds. Image: Jonx Pillemer. 00:41:56
    DJ Stout on big hair, cowboy poets and planet Texas
    Design Thinking
    The Austin-based graphic designer's work is an ode to cowboy country and the role of place in producing authentic design.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Joy Mckinney at Design Indaba Conference 2014. 00:07:34
    Joy Mckinney on overstepping her boundaries
    Art & Photography
    This New York City-based artist touches people’s faces and records their response.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Tom Hulme on stage at Design Indaba Conference 2014. Image: Jonx Pillemer. 00:38:08
    Tom Hulme on technology as a design tool
    Design Activism / Design Thinking / Interaction Design
    The founder of OpenIDEO tells us why we have to stop being afraid of technology.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Ian Murchison at Design Indaba Conference 2014. 00:06:00
    Ian Murchison on wooden knives and bendy bicycle racks
    Industrial Design
    This Canadian industrial designer talks about finding the freedom to develop products that question everyday perceptions.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Lauren Beukes on stage at Design Indaba Conference 2014. 00:38:52
    Lauren Beukes on fiction as an incredible kind of telepathy
    African Design
    South African author Lauren Beukes brings a singular storytelling experience to the Design Indaba Conference stage.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Dean Poole at Design Indaba Conference 2014. 00:34:03
    Dean Poole on playing with words
    Graphic Design & Illustration
    The creative director of New Zealand agency Alt Group reveals the ABC's of his creative language.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Chris Gotz at Design Indaba Conference 2014. 00:36:27
    Chris Gotz on building beautiful monsters
    Graphic Design & Illustration
    The chief creative officer of Ogilvy & Mather South Africa shares three campaigns that turned the agency around.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Roberto Feo and Rosario Hurtado of El Ultimo Grito at Design Indaba Conference 2014. Image: Jonx Pillemer. 00:29:57
    El Ultimo Grito on creating a new design ecosystem
    Design Thinking / Graphic Design & Illustration / Product Design
    Through their exploratory work husband-and-wife team Roberto Feo and Rosario Hurtado challenge our most fundamental understanding of design.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • State of the Art at Design Indaba Conference 2014 featuring Hans Ulrich Obrist, Athi-Patra Ruga, Nandipha Mntambo & Zanele Muholi. 01:01:54
    State of the Art ft. Athi-Patra Ruga, Nandipha Mntambo and Zanele Muholi
    Art & Photography
    Three contemporary South African artists share the intensely personal visions that come to life in their work, alongside top curator Hans Ulrich Obrist.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • David Goldblatt on stage at Design Indaba Conference 2014. Image: Jonx Pillemer. 00:43:51
    David Goldblatt on life through the lens
    African Design / Art & Photography
    The veteran photographer selects 20 career-defining photos that open a window onto South Africa's conflicted history.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Juliana Rotich at Design Indaba Conference 2014. 00:28:48
    Juliana Rotich on a new tech ecosystem for Africa
    African Design / Design Thinking / Information Design
    What if solutions to the world’s problems came from Africa? asks Juliana Rotich, co-founder of Kenyan technology firm Ushahidi.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Marcello Serpa 00:52:29
    Marcello Serpa on the art of reduction
    Graphic Design & Illustration
    The creative director behind Havaianas on German precision and Brazilian exuberance.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Michel Rojkind on stage at Design Indaba Conference 2014. 00:35:21
    Michel Rojkind on a design strategy to cope with overstimulation
    Architecture & Interiors
    The Mexican architect shares three ways he wades through our world of chaos and flux to create award-winning work.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • Ije Nwokorie on stage at Design Indaba Conference 2014. Image: Jonx Pillemer. 00:35:21
    Ije Nwokorie on the messy business of branding
    Design Thinking
    It's more useful to think about branding as a messy creative process than as a pristine product, says Wolff Olins global CEO.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014
  • David Adjaye at Design Indaba Conference 2013. 00:43:07
    First ever Ghana Pavilion at Venice Art Biennale designed by David Adjaye
    Architecture & Interiors
    The historic event is a celebration of Ghana's untapped cultural capital.
    Design Indaba Conference 2013
  • Scholten & Baijings at Design Indaba Conference 2015. Image: Jonx Pillemer. 00:22:34
    Scholten & Baijings on thinking in colour
    Product Design
    Stefan Scholten talks about the design philosophy behind the Amsterdam-based firm he runs with his wife, Scholten & Baijings.
    Design Indaba Conference 2014

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