The themes

At Design Matters Tokyo we will explore the most important and relevant topics for digital designers today, in a series of talks. We will also dive into design methods and processes in 4 practical workshops on UI and UX design, where you will learn new techniques to bring back to your own workplace!

So, here are the themes the talks and workshops will revolve around.

Scandinavian Design Philosophy

With this pop-up event, we want to share how a Scandinavian design philosophy can be used within digital design. We incorporate a personal, playful, and casual approach into our designs and processes to make the experience more engaging and fun.

As Danish designers, we also use this approach to make our event come to live. With Design Matters pop-up in Tokyo we want to bring a bit of Scandinavia to Japan, giving participants the chance to experience part of the Scandinavian culture and vibes. You’ve probably heard of the word hygge, which is that feeling of coziness and comfort one experiences in a warm and friendly atmosphere. We aim to bring a very hyggelig atmosphere in Tokyo too!

Creative Empowerment

Design is a powerful tool that can move the masses and give voice to large sections of society as well as minorities. In fact, the creative work of designers can have a huge impact on the world and empower people for creating positive change. Therefore, it’s important that designers understand that finding time and space to feed and nourish their creativity can make a difference and improve dramatically the quality of their work.

The designer’s role

New tools are changing the way designers work, taking teamwork to an entirely new dimension. Suddenly, everybody is working on the same canvas, and a design is no longer only one person’s design. But also, designers are more often asked to tap into other fields and therefore it’s becoming a necessity for them to be knowledgeable and flexible.

Designers need to figure out how to balance fast collaboration with a deep creative focus. With this theme we want to explore what is needed of designers and what responsibilities they have in a world with an increasing need for change, but also how collaboration teams can shape the future of design practice.

Design Trends

Despite today the world is so well connected, it is not always easy to know what’s hot on the other side of the globe and which trends or movements are taking over the old ones. Being left behind is so easy in such a competitive world! And for designers, it’s important that they’re always up to date and aware of the directions design is moving towards.

This is why we think creating a bridge between Asia and the West is important; by creating a space where designers from different geographical and cultural backgrounds, designers can share their knowledge and inspire each other.