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Conference Talks

Watch the full talks from Design Indaba's world-renowned 20-year Conference in this archive of videos going back to 2006.

Unwind: Music as an alternative to traditional medicine
Conference Talks • Design Indaba Conference 2017 • Duration 00:22:12
Marko Ahtisaari presents Unwind, a global experiment in drug-free ways to treat physical and mental health.
  • 00:29:28
    Danish designer Johannes Torpe on the power of design to create universes
    Architecture & Interiors / Craft / Creative Economy / Industrial Design
    “To create a universe around our products we actually have to take it out into the hands of the people who have to use it."
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • 00:29:40
    Zach Lieberman on using human gestures to bring his work to life
    Art & Photography / Information Design / Interaction Design
    The coder and artist speaks on his collaboration with Design Indaba and projects that have stayed close to him.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • 00:26:22
    Graphic designer Natasha Jen poses six questions for design thinkers
    Graphic Design & Illustration
    During her Design Indaba Conference talk she expands on her thinking since declaring: Design Thinking is Bullshit.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • 00:25:55
    Morag Myerscough on transforming spaces with colour and embracing the unknown
    Graphic Design & Illustration
    The London-based designer takes us through her work that’s added colour to hospitals, public spaces and more.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • 00:33:08
    Landscape architect Peter Veenstra on the importance of bringing nature into our cities
    Architecture & Interiors
    Veenstra, of LOLA Landscapes, talks us through three projects including the Dome of Plants, planned for the City of Cape Town.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • Design Indaba 2018 00:24:28
    Lonny van Ryswyck on the importance of looking after our diminishing resources as designers
    Design Thinking / Product Design
    In her 2018 Design Indaba Conference talk she takes us through her projects including, A World of Sand, where people donated sand from all over the world.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • 00:23:24
    Martha Cotton on the growth and influence that design has on business
    Design Thinking
    “My clients have started to really look towards the way me and my design colleagues look at the world and solve problems."
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • Tony Brook 00:00:00
    Graphic designer extraordinaire, Tony Brook, on his studio’s creative journey
    Graphic Design & Illustration
    The founder of Spin Studio shares his creative wisdom with the Design Indaba audience.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • 00:40:47
    Ensamble Studio on building flexible, stackable spaces and working with nature
    Architecture & Interiors
    "When we look at nature we want to learn from it, we want to build with it."
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • Design Indaba Conference 2018 00:40:21
    Edel Rodriguez on childhood, nationalism and a nation on fire
    Art & Photography / Design Activism
    The Cuban-born illustrator was dubbed "America’s Illustrator-In-Chief" by Fast Company.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • Alejandro Aravena at Design Indaba 2018 00:53:50
    When a natural disaster occurred in Chile, Alejandro Aravena and his team set out to rebuild the city
    Architecture & Interiors / Urban & Landscape Design
    The architect tackles the reconstruction of a city through public participation.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • Shaakira Jassat at Design Indaba Conference 2018 00:08:07
    What's in a cup of tea?
    Architecture & Interiors / Design Activism
    #GlobalGrad Shaakira Jassat's ThirTEA for One project highlights the hidden footprint in the lifecycle of the products we consume.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • Aleksandra Gosiewski at Design Indaba 2018 00:06:54
    The maker of Algiknit talks seaweed fashion and the next stage of biotech
    Fashion & Jewellery Design
    Aleksandra Gosiewski's work touches on sustainable ways to fix the disconnect within the fashion industry.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • Tomo Kihara at Design Indaba Festival 2018 00:10:57
    The designer of the Street Debater on fostering human connection through design
    Design Activism / Product Design
    “I realised that Street Debating not only addresses the problem of begging but something much bigger. It’s addressing the problem of social segregation.”
    Design Indaba Festival 2018
  • Simon Dogger at Design Indaba Conference 2018 00:09:18
    The fascinating way blind designer Simon Dogger is able to feel the emotions of others
    Design Activism / Music & Sound Design
    The Design Indaba speaker began his 2018 Design Talk by giving the audience a listen into the life of a visually impaired designer.
    Design Indaba Festival 2018
  • William Mapham Speaker Talk 00:18:47
    How the Vula app is revolutionising the South African healthcare system
    Information Design / Product Design
    Ophthalmologist William Mapham developed an app that provides aid to rural healthcare workers.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • BRCK's Mark Kamau at the Design Indaba Conference 2018 00:18:10
    How a small Kenyan start-up is disrupting the way the internet works
    African Design / Design Activism / Information Design
    In his Design Indaba 2018 talk, Mark Kamau talks about how Brck plans to give Google and Facebook a run for their money.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • Getsmarter's Sam & Rob Paddock at Design Indaba Festival 2018 00:18:08
    How GetSmarter’s distance learning overhaul created a $100m company
    African Design / Creative Economy / Design Thinking
    The brothers Sam & Rob Paddock explain the "deliberate design" behind the e-learning empire's success.
    Design Indaba Festival 2018
  • Amna Elshandaweely - Design Indaba Conference 2018 00:19:06
    Conscious fashion: Amna Elshandaweely’s take on fashion and revolution
    Fashion & Jewellery Design
    The Cairo designer makes a moving case for social impact with something as simple as the clothes we wear.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • Sunu Gonera at Design Indaba 2018 00:36:40
    Sunu Gonera on finding his voice, afrofuturism and making heroes out of ordinary people
    African Design / Creative Economy / Film & Animation
    In this opening talk of Design Indaba 2018 that brought the audience to its feet, the filmmaker talks about his career high and lows.
    Design Indaba Conference 2018
  • Ekene Ijeoma at Design Indaba Conference 2017 00:17:57
    Ekene Ijeoma combines data and design to tackle pressing global issues
    Design Activism / Information Design
    From diversity in design to the refugee crisis, this data designer's projects are breaking the news cycle.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Luis von Ahn at Design Indaba Conference 2017 00:21:13
    Founder of Duolingo at the Design Indaba Conference 2017
    Creative Economy / Design Thinking
    Luis von Ahn launched the first African language course on Duolingo as part of his Design Talk.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Olafur 00:34:17
    Olafur Eliasson talks design that has real-world significance
    Design Activism / Design Thinking
    Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson gives us his take on what functional design means and the newest member of the Little Sun family.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • Osborne Macharia 00:12:16
    Osborne Macharia breathes life into his fantastical, fictional imagery
    African Design / Art & Photography
    The self-taught Kenyan photographer takes the Design Indaba audience on a mesmerising journey of fiction, fantasy and narrative.
    Design Indaba Conference 2017
  • 00:29:28
    Danish designer Johannes Torpe on the power of design to create universes
    Architecture & Interiors / Craft / Creative Economy / Industrial Design
    “To create a universe around our products we actually have to take it out into the hands of the people who have to use it."
    Design Indaba Conference 2018

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