This year’s Design Indaba has delivered punch after thought-provoking punch of inspiration and insight into the design, cultural and social zeitgeist.
A cocoon descending from the ceiling containing one of South Africa’s most exciting contemporary artists, a music video of dancing sperm, a venerated typographer on creating a font for Yale University, a Smart Highway that responds to the prevailing traffic conditions, the complex and fascinating redesign of the UK government’s digital services, a social project encouraging designers to better the lives of individuals through fixing stuff, explorations in synthetic biology, a chef who evokes the deforestation of the Amazon by infusing burnt flavours into his food …
The Design Indabahas never been the place for instant answers to divining the coming trends or copy-and-paste ideas to apply back at the office. It has established itself as one of the most outstanding of its kinds – set apart from other global design conferences by a signature that is defined by speakers (and subjects) that are as extensive as they are eclectic.
While there were myriad definitions of creativity presented this year and freeform threads that subsequently emerged – design to delight, design to evoke emotions, design to create beauty, design for the good of society, design to advance technology – the most important theme that emerged was that of “collaboration”. The future of design, it would seem, will be about combining talents and experiences: disrupting the divide between the art/design/creative communities and those of science, engineering and technology. It’s a proposition that is as radical as it is thrilling, and provided the biggest aha! moment at this year’s gathering.
Full story by Mandy Allen in the Mail & Guardian
