Responding to rapid global shifts in all areas of contemporary life, designers are at the core of solving problems and imagining new roads to alternative realities. As these imagined futures come into view, so does a vision of our shared futures.
At IDS20, join the leading designers, thinkers, makers, changers, shapers and dreamers of today as we explore the challenges and solutions of tomorrow. This year, we’re pleased to be doubling the IDS Conference program to include over 50 seminars and 130 speakers.
Conference Highlights
How Purpose Can Help Design a Life and Brand You Love
Thursday, January 16, 10:30 AM
Purpose is not just a business buzzword – it’s a proven driver of employee engagement, continuous improvement, and, ultimately, growth. Purpose must be a pillar of your brand, a set of core values that you adhere to in every business practice. If they are not, employees will drift away and, at worst, your customers will feel betrayed. Keilhauer has long been at the front of driving purpose within their business. Join Meghan Sherwin, Keilhauer VP of Marketing and a panel of successful creative entrepreneurs and thought leaders as they get passionate about their own purpose and bringing it to life within their organizations.
Meghan Sherwin, VP Marketing Keilhauer
Sarah Wells, Olympian & Founder, Believe Initiative
Ron Tite, Founder and CEO, Church+State
Jennifer Reid, Principal, Barlow Reid Design Inc.
Thursday, January 16,10:30 AM
Sponsored by Keilhauer
Harnessing Assistive Technology for Accessible Environments
There are 2.71 billion smartphone users in the world today, over a billion homes have intelligent virtual assistants and smart speakers, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems are no longer restricted to the world of science fiction. This seminar explores the ways in which pervasive and cutting-edge technologies can be harnessed as assistive devices that can help create more accessible and egalitarian environments. Technology is an important tool for creating emotional and behavioural connectivity to the built-environment for people with diverse needs and abilities. While devices can aid visual and auditory impairments, the Internet of Things and AI can uncover our accessibility needs and serve to develop powerful solutions.
Speaker: Vedran Dzebic Head of Research and Development, Entro
Friday, January 17, 2:30 PM
Beyond Green Walls: Non-rhythmic Sensory Stimulation
Humans have evolved over thousands of years in environments that constantly change. Be it audio, visual, thermal or olfactory, our natural habitats change throughout the year and certainly throughout the day. Our seminar will train attendees’ focus on many of our modern day-built environments, which are static and have the ability to harm us physically and mentally. The seminar will illustrate how, through a better understanding of our innate human needs, we can create environments that better support our innate, hard-wired inclinations to be restored by subtly changing environments. The speaker will provide a scientific basis for the Attention Restoration Theory and provide examples of how this theory can be incorporated into the modern built environment.
Speaker: David Gerson Chief Brand Officer, Inscape
Thursday 16, 2:30 PM
Can Design Still Change the World?
Four seasoned designers with a cumulative 100+ years in the industry will discuss the State of the Profession through the filter of the State of the World.This discussion will offer insights and approaches into making positive change on pressing social concerns.
Speakers:
Eric Ginsburg, Managing Director, Gensler
Greg Quinn, Principal, CEO, X Design
Isabelle Talbot, Principal, Ray Inc.
Joanne Chan, Principal, SDI Design
Thursday, January 16, 10:30 AM
Magnetic Diversity: How Smart Employment Nodes Drive City Form
The nature of work has drastically changed, and so has the workplace. As the information age gives way to a rapidly evolving digital / communication age, the role of the city-centre begins to diminish, and an unconventional approach to employment emerges throughout the edge city. Employment trends shape cities and mobility networks. What trends can we anticipate moving forward, and how will they inform this trajectory?
Speaker: Drew Sinclair Principal, SvN
Friday, January 17, 10:30 AM
Watch IDS20 promo video here