Promotion: London Design Festival has announced the details of its thought leadership programme, Global Design Forum, that aims to celebrate “design and the minds shaping its future”.

Running from 14 to 20 September at the V&A, this year’s edition will host a series of talks focused on addressing some of the most pressing challenges currently faced by designers spanning themes of sustainability, technology, cities and repair.

The forum is set to welcome over 60 speakers from across the global design and creative network, who will share perspectives on ways in which design can be made more accessible, inclusive and sustainable to provoke change.

Daily themes for the four-day programme include Please Design Responsibly, The Healthy City, Resilience and Repair, and More Than Human, supported by partners Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Velux and Türkiye Design Council.

Shawn Adams will critically examine the role of the designer

Beginning on Saturday 14 September, the forum’s first highlighted theme will be Please Design Responsibly, which will host a series of talks titled Material Progress: Pushing the Boundaries of Luxury Design, Redefining the Role of the Designer, and Designing a Regenerative Society.

Among the day’s speakers are Diageo global design director Jeremy Lindley, Johnnie Walker global brand director Jennifer English and Monocle design editor Nic Monisse. They will explore strategies for innovation in luxury design. The talk is titled Material Progress: Pushing the Boundaries of Luxury Design.

A panel discussion chaired by writer and curator Priya Khanchandani will critically examine the role of the designer, with contributions from POoR Collective co-founder Shawn Adams and artist Liang-Jung Chen.

Dezeen editor-at-large Amy Frearson will be joined by Material Architecture Lab co-director Guan Lee and solar designer Marjan Van Aubel for a conversation on Designing a Regenerative Society.

Additionally, a keynote titled Crafting the Future of Luxury will be given by designer Jaime Hayon. He will address pressing questions about luxury in today’s societies in relation to sustainability, cultural preservation and the human experience.

Samuel Ross artistic director of the 2025 London Design Biennale and founder of A Cold Wall will lead a keynote panel on Sunday 15 September

Continuing on Sunday 15 September, a series of talks will be held under the theme of More Than Human.

A session covering how designers are creating impact, wonder, and reaching new realms of experience in music, fashion, film, design, and technology will feature lighting designer Tobias Rylander. Also on the panel are Institute of Digital Fashion co-founder Leanne Elliott Young, founder of H+ Hannah Marshall and designer Melek Zeynep Bulut.

Other talks hosted that day will include Playtime, focusing on sensory immersive experiences which resonate with human desires to be moved, surprised and delighted.

Design for Connection looks at how humans connect with each other and their environment. Meanwhile a panel will discuss diversity in design under the title Harnessing the Power of Pluralism, featuring London Design Biennale 2025 artistic director Samuel Ross. Alongside him will be fashion designer Bianca Saunders and OK-RM co-founder Rory McGrath.

Also among the day’s speakers are artists Barnaby Steel and Giles Tettey Nartey, designer Arjun Singh Assa, and designer Kusheda Mensah who will feature in the Design for Connection talk chaired by V&A contemporary programme curator Carrie Chan.

On Tuesday 17 September, talks encompassing the theme of The Healthy City are set to host speakers such as White Arkitekter sustainability director Anna Graaf, Future Laboratory co-founder Chris Sanderson and Velux senior architect development manager Richard Williams.

One of the topics explored throughout the day will include The Healthy Home, which will feature discussions chaired by editor Michelle Ogundehin on rethinking homes to address inefficiency and health issues.

Another is titled Sleep and the City, with panel including Lore Group creative director Jacu Strauss, retrofit leader at Arup Michael Edwards and architectural historian Shumi Bose.

In a keynote, titled The Resilient Green City, Snøhetta partner Robert Greenwood will discuss designing spaces for “dynamic urban environments and community engagement”.

Natsai Audrey Chieza, founder of Faber Futures will speak on Adapt to Survive: How to Design for Adaptability, Longevity and Resilience

Completing the forum’s programme on Thursday 19 September will be a series of talks exploring the theme of Resilience and Repair that highlight conflict and disaster response, community resilience, and designing for adaptability and longevity.

Speakers for the Responses to Conflict and Disaster talk include research fellow Ammar Azzouz, founder of Insulate Ukraine Harry Blakiston Houston, founder of Türkiye Design Council Mehmet Kalyoncu and architect Jenia Gubkina who will discuss ways in which designers can effectively respond to the impact of conflict and disaster.

Giles Tettey Nartey is among this year’s speakers

Artists Rose Gibbs and Arman Nouri will be joined by spatial designer Sahra Hersi and spatial practitioner and lecturer at The Bartlett Neba Sere to discuss designing for community resilience and the creation of non-profit-driven social spaces.

Additionally, the day’s keynote titled “Preserving Identity” will be given by Türkiye Design Council (TDC) chairman Furkan Demirci alongside Fosters + Partners partner Loukia Iliopoulou. TDC and Fosters have developed the masterplan to rebuild Antakya following the devastating earthquake in 2023 alongside DB Architects, KEYM Urban Renewal Centre with Buro Happold and MIC-HUB. They will address a challenge becoming increasingly important in global disaster recovery: how can architecture and design protect and reinforce cultural identity in a time of crisis, and how much of a priority should this be?

The full programme for the Global Design Forum can be viewed on the London Design Festival website.

The London Design Festival takes place from 14 to 22 September 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world. 

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for London Design Festival as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.  

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