Dismantling the Brief: A Framework for Designing Work That Actually Matters

Most of us will spend one-third of our lives (approximately 90,000 hours) working—using our creativity to make things clients want and directors envision, pushing products we mostly don't believe in. We’re part of systemised creativity centred on mass consumerism, manipulation and inequality, wrapped in beautiful, award-winning packages.

But what's the point of creation if it doesn't change anything? This talk is for anyone asking that same question. The design industry is having a crisis of relevance — not of talent, tools or AI. It's a perspective crisis. We keep looking for better designers when what we need is to look in different rooms entirely.

Join Athalia Foo—Brand and Content Strategy Lead at Today—as she shares projects and methods to change how we think about design. She won't just share insights into how a leading design and innovation studio tackle any problem (from branding to systemic change)—she'll share approaches that flip well-worn processes on their head by bringing the right people into the room, sharing power and leaving assumptions at the door. Let’s use our creativity as a catalyst for impact, not just awards.