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What Design Can Do: Humanitarian Crises
How can the design industry respond to a humanitarian crisis? Richard van der Laken, founder of What Design Can Do discusses rapid responses, and the social impact of design in conversation with former Design Council CEO, David Kester.
Dutch designer Richard van der Laken sees himself as an ambassador for the social impact of design. As one of the founders of Amsterdam agency, Design Politie (Design Police) and of the global project What Design Can Do, he promotes design as a catalyst of change and renewal and a way of addressing the societal questions of our time. After years of activism, Richard is now talking to the UN about a design response to the humanitarian crises we see across the world.
One week before What Design Can Do’s first conference in South America, Richard comes to the Design Museum to share his own work and introduce some of the design and designers who he thinks are changing the world. Richard van der Laken is in conversation with David Kester, former CEO of the Design Council and Chairman of UK design group, Caulder Moore.
Tickets include entry to the Designs of the Year exhibition before the talk begins. Doors will open at 18:15. The Designs of the Year exhibition will be open for ticket holders to view between 18.15 and 19:00, and will then close. The talk will start at 19:00 and last for 1 hour.
more about the speakers
Richard van der Laken is a graphic designer and founder of one of Holland’s best-known graphic design studios, Designpolitie (Designpolice). His satirical design column, Gorilla, appears in Holland’s daily newspaper De Volkskrant. In 2010, Richard set up What Design Can Do, a global project and a conference to promote the social impact of design.
David Kester is Chairman of the UK design agency Caulder Moore and runs his own creative strategy consultancy DK&A, which advises company boards and government. David is a former CEO of the Design Council and of D&AD. He is a partner and coach at the DesignThinkers Academy in Amsterdam and a regular speaker and moderator for the conference, What Design Can Do.
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