IASDR 2023

Life-Changing Design 

The image captures a moment from the 2023 IASDR Congress, titled "Life-changing design," held at the Politecnico di Milano. In a large auditorium, a panel of five speakers sits behind a long wooden table on stage, facing a large audience. Behind them, a large blue screen displays the event title and institutional logos, while simultaneously projecting a live video feed of the conference.

The week dedicated to the IASDR 2023 - Life-Changing Design Congress, hosted by the Polimi Design System at the Bovisa Durando Campus, just came to an end.

Throughout the week there were plenary and parallel sessions of full paper presentations, workshops, pictorials, panels and collective moments of confrontation attended by students, researchers and design professionals from all over the world to discuss the new perspectives and challenges that design faces daily in the context of major contemporary transformations.

The image shows the registration desk for the 2023 IASDR Congress. Two staff members wearing official Politecnico di Milano light blue t-shirts are stationed behind a blue counter, managing accreditation procedures via laptops. Next to them, informative roll-up banners with the event title "Life-changing design" are visible, creating a coordinated and professional welcome area within the university lobby.

IASDR – International Association of Societies of Design Research sponsors an international congress every two years. The theme of the 10th edition of the congress was “Life-Changing Design” and the consequent role of design in the accelerated transformation process to which the contemporary world is subjected.

As a matter of fact, the pandemic has radically changed people's habits, affecting the way we used to live and returning us a world that will never be the same as before. Thus, in the post-pandemic era, humanity has been faced with change and, consequently, with the possibility of restoring pre-covid conditions or critically adopting the changes.

In this context, “Life-Changing Design” encourages researchers to investigate and explore current changes and anticipate future ones, opening up to the discussion on the role design can play in these processes of transformation and change.

The image shows a business or academic presentation in a modern, industrial-style office. A young woman is standing and explaining a slide projected on the wall, titled "CONTEXT OF THE PROJECT," while colleagues sit at tables following the presentation on their laptops. The setting is bright and functional, furnished with grey tables, open shelving, and a large whiteboard in the background covered with notes.

The theme has been divided into nine tracks.

The first track, "Changing Organizations and Policies", explores approaches to transform organizational culture in the public sector through sustainable digital tools and methodologies.

"Identities and Changing Identities" addresses the cultural identity of design and its relationship to other cultures, genders, classes and religions.

"Changing Products and Production" focuses on innovation in production processes and the use of sustainable materials.

"Changing Spaces and Services" explores the role of design in urban contexts and inclusiveness.

"Changing Ecosystems" reflects on the environmental and ethical impact of design and the circular economy.

"Changing Education" discusses educational models based on design and sustainability.

"Changing Interactions" considers the interaction between digital and physical and the involvement of social actors in creating innovative solutions.

"Changing Communities" focuses on the role of design in promoting sustainable behavioral changes based on a participatory approach.

Finally, "Changing Heritage" reflects on the contribution of design in preserving and adapting cultural heritage before global, social, political and climate change.

The image shows an academic poster presented at the 2023 IASDR Congress, titled "Co-design principles for children with cerebral palsy." The poster is organized into clear sections (Context, Aim, Approach, Conclusion) and features a colorful central circular diagram to illustrate the design process. It includes inclusive illustrations of children and icons explaining guiding principles, representing research work focused on social design and accessibility.
The image shows a close-up detail of a traditional textile or embroidery, likely part of a research poster. The design features complex geometric patterns and stylized symbols in shades of red, green, and black on a white background. Next to the main element, there is a repeated pattern of small pinecone or tree-shaped icons, accompanied by academic text in English discussing innovation and strategic complementarities.

More than 500 participants, many international speakers who, along with numerous researchers from the Design Department, offered their input and insight during the conference.

The image captures a moment from the 2023 IASDR Congress on a theater or auditorium stage. Two women, Lucy Kimbell (keynote speaker) and Francesca Rizzo (programme chair), are seated in white armchairs during a conversation or interview. Behind them, a massive screen projects their names and the event title "Life-changing design," dominating the scene with clean, modern graphics that reflect the congress's blue and green color scheme.

At the end of the event, professors and congress organizers Luisa Collina, Francesca Rizzo, Davide Spallazzo and Laura Galluzzo handed over the baton to the next host member: the Taiwan Design Research Institute and the Chinese Institute of Design will organize the next IASDR 2025 conference.

The image features the cover of a book or publication titled "The 2023 IASDR Congress," with the subtitle "Life-changing design." The graphic design is minimalist and modern, characterized by a large abstract "S" shape in gradient tones of blue and teal against a clean white background. At the bottom, the institutional logos of Politecnico di Milano, the Department of Design, and Poli.Design are displayed, clearly identifying the event's visual identity.
The image displays the cover of a book titled "The 2023 IASDR Congress," with the subtitle "Life-changing design". The design is minimalist and modern, featuring a large abstract "S" shape in gradient shades of blue and green against a white background. At the bottom, the institutional logos for Politecnico di Milano, the Department of Design, and Poli.Design are shown.
The image shows the cover of a publication titled "The 2023 IASDR Congress" with the subtitle "Life-changing design". The graphic composition is modern and clean, centered on a large abstract "S" shape that gradients from blue to teal against a white background. In the bottom right corner, the institutional logos of Politecnico di Milano, the Department of Design, and Poli.Design are visible.
The image shows a workshop or seminar session inside a university classroom. A speaker standing on the right talks into a microphone, addressing a group of participants seated at tables arranged in rows. The furniture is simple and functional, with bright blue and orange chairs adding color to the industrial setting, which features exposed ceiling beams and technical systems. Participants are focused, with some taking notes and others using laptops in an active learning environment.

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