The amazing Red Dot Design Museum was host to the PROUD project’s major forum for design for societal challenges. This event saw challenging, provocative keynotes from Peter Zec (founder of Red Dot), Mugendi M’Rithaa, President of ICSID and Ad van Berlo.
Ad van Berlo in particular offered an interesting perspective. Drawing on his farming heritage he framed sustainability as just something normal. He also made a passionate plea for designers to be a bit naughty, to not do the expected, or even what’s required sometimes.
This set the tone for an unusually lively discussion where Peter Zec’s old fashioned (his words), views on design as product focus were contrasted with presentations on Johannesburg’s aim in WDC to transform people and their capacity to be creative.
Leon Cruickshank
Gemma Coupe
Nick Dunn