This November, Dublin will play host to The Future: a design, creativity and media conference, at the RDS. The event boasts an impressive and expansive array of big international names (Stefan Sagmeister, Paula Scher, Ilse Crawford, Scott Dadich) and local talent (disclosure: I am among their number) across four stages and two days. The Future is not alone in a suddenly well-serviced design conference circuit: later in the same week in November, the Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield will be the venue for a one-day Design Leaders Conference, with a focus on practical approaches to running design businesses of all sizes. Add to that early announcements for next year’s Offset (March 2018) which also promises a line-up of international heavy hitters.
The Future proposes to offer a new kind of conference experience, with speakers encouraged to talk less about their past experience, and instead to speculate on the future of their industries and practice. I asked some of the people who will take to the stage to reflect on their own various practices, their view on design in Dublin, and on what makes a good conference.
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Rob Alderson / Editor-in-Chief and VP Content / WeTransfer (UK, NL, USA)
You work in a business that arguably couldn’t have existed in its current form 15 years ago. Does that mean that you are constantly called upon to break new ground, in how you communicate and think about what you do?
Absolutely. I worked for a time in newspapers and there the idea of innovation has become so warped – people either don’t want to know, and keep plodding along doing the same thing, or they seem to grab at every single new possible saviour that comes out of Silicon Valley. It’s bizarre.
WeTransfer is doing well, but we are constantly thinking about what comes next. How does our product evolve? And how do we take the values we stand for – making creativity accessible – and bake that into new products? It’s a great challenge.
What are your impressions of conferences in general? What makes a good one
I think there are too many average ones. It’s a delicate thing to get right and organisers need to be brutal when making the key decisions – about content, venue etc.
Two main things make a good one for me. One is really well-briefed speakers who are encouraged (and empowered) to give a genuinely original talk. The here’s-my-work-look-how-great-I-am thing is so dull. And then I think the mix of speakers. I love coming away from a conference having been introduced to someone whose work I had never encountered before.
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Aisling Farinella / Stylist and Fashion Director / Editor, Thread Magazine (IRE)
Your work creates platforms for collaboration and community. Is that at odds with how the fashion world operates or an essential part of it?
The international fashion industry thrives on collaboration: from the high street presenting high-end collections; to designers featuring the work of major artists and illustrators on their garments; to independents connecting with indigenous production
It’s the collaborative aspect of fashion and its potential to bring together cross disciplinary communities that most inspires me. Platforms like Thread, education initiatives or showcases of emerging talent create opportunity for people to engage with fashion outside of a retail environment, educating them that there is so much more behind the scenes and how important it is to consume responsibly.
How does locating yourself in Dublin affect your perspective on what you do?
Fashion is global and I choose to live in Dublin because it’s a great city with a really unique quality of life. My outlook and network is international, but by locating myself in Dublin I am inherently connected to the local scene of designers and creative professionals. I relate to Irish design in a personal way, with insight into points of reference, or challenges. This became a point of differentiation for me in the work I do, developing ideas and platforms that are relevant internationally but aspire to progress possibilities and opportunity at home too.
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Simon Dixon / Co-Founder / DixonBaxi (UK)
Does collaboration bolster your ability to be forward-looking with the work you do?
We have always believed great creativity comes from collaboration. This is especially important with our clients as the bonds we form over a project inspire the potential of a project. Building consensus and taking a client on the journey to a new brand is vital if you want to create something that has real relevance and impact. Our work is only as good or innovative as the relationships we build.
It usually stems from how we are engaged by our client and finding a good cultural fit or shared perspective of where we can take a project. We try to be clear and open about how we work and the approach we take so our clients feel confident in our ability to achieve what can be quite difficult brief. If they feel this confidence at the start and we work well at the key steps in our process We can build momentum and that allows more expressive and creative outcomes.
What are your impressions of design in Dublin, if you have any view on this at all?
To be honest we’re not particularly clued up in the Dublin design scene. That said, we’re not that clued up generally as we tend to focus on our work! We did however produce and direct our first feature film, Tiger Raid, in 2015. It was partly funded by the Irish Film Board, had an Irish writer and the post-production and sound were finished in Dublin. We also scored it with a Dublin-based composer. So we owe a great debt of gratitude to both the Irish and specifically Dublin-based creative community.
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Frankie Ratford / Founder / The Design Kids (AUS)
The Design Kids connect and create communities. What is the biggest impact that you see when your work goes well?
We provide a resource to educate students about the graphic design industry, both in their local city and internationally. This provides them a context for their work, a goal for them to aim for. Once we hire a City Host that works in that city on our behalf, they are the seed that the community grows from.
It’s a really beautiful thing to see, with some cities turning four years old this year. It’s a conversation, a platform, a physical space, a collaboration. It’s seeing students feel confident and connected to the industry, whether that’s at a conference knowing many people, an event feeling like you are part of this industry or just seeing really well educated well connected soon to be grads ready to actually graduate!
You’ve recently expanded to include Dublin as one of the cities in Europe where you operate. How do you choose a city?
We’re growing in an orderly fashion right now! Australia (9 cities) was 2013 and 2014, New Zealand (4 cities) was 2015, USA and Canada (28 cities) was 2015 and 2016, and this year we’ve been focusing on Europe. The city must be big enough for us to have enough content, good design studios (rather than agencies), interesting creative things happening and at least one good design school. Dublin was an easy choice!
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Aoife McElwain / Food Writer / Creative Events Planner / Treasure Hunt Enthusiast (IRE)
Is our future going to be faster or slower than today, or both? Is one inherently better or worse than the other?
Our future could be both faster and slower. If we keep going along our current trajectory, technology will advance in ways that will make it easier for us to work all of the time. However, one would hope that our awareness around our relationship with technology and work will continue to rise. Currently, we’re seeing a lot more open conversations around occupational burnout and mental health at work.
Ultimately, I think there is a time to be fast and a time to be slow. The secret to avoiding burnout is to know when to switch gears and also allowing yourself proper time to recover. For me, learning that recovery time — giving myself a break as part of my job — was a big shift in escaping the cult of busyness.
How is your approach to work and life influenced by being in Ireland?
For me, the best part about being located in Ireland is how easy it is to access truly awesome nature. Swimming in the sea helps me to switch off from work and recharge the batteries. I also think the size of our country really lends itself to creating community and fostering positive changes within those communities, which is a huge positive in my work as a writer and creative events planner.
Words: David Wall
RDS Arena, Friday November 3rd & Saturday November 4th
