Design Futures Panel

University of Michigan, Stamps School of Art and Design MDes presents ​Designing the Next Era: Foresight, Practice, and Detroit.

Join us for a dynamic 90-minute panel discussion that brings together leading designers, researchers, and educators whose work spans the full spectrum of design futures, from technology-informed foresight to community-oriented, social justice-based methodologies.

This is not a passive lecture; it is an interactive experience where attendees will witness and participate in a vital conversation about why design-informed futures are more critical than ever.

What You'll Experience:

• Provocative Dialogue: Engage with panelists as they unpack how design can address systemic inequities, anticipate technological shifts, and co-create more just and sustainable worlds. You'll hear firsthand how these practitioners apply speculative design, participatory methods, and futures thinking to real-world challenges.

• Live Q&A and Audience Reflection: The discussion will be structured to invite audience questions, ensuring that attendees, whether prospective students, fellow designers, or community members, can actively contribute their perspectives.

• A Window into the Stamps MDes Program: Beyond the panel, you'll gain an inside look at the University of Michigan's Stamps MDes program and its distinctive future-focused design education.

UN SUSTAINABILITY GOALS

We use Detroit's UNESCO City of Design designation as a call to action for Detroiters to embrace the Sustainable Development Goals in their own communities, contributing to the active effort of solving global interconnected issues.