Design in denial?

Venue Design Museum, London

Why do few designers, if any, defend design for its own sake? Instead, many argue that design only has worth once it contributes toward social renewal, regeneration, the environment, sustainability and so on. But doesn’t this mean that design as a result will suffer?

Speakers

Clive Grinyer: director of design, Orange France Telecom

Austin Williams: associate professor in architecture, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China; producer, FCP Ltd for NBSTV; convenor, Bookshop Barnies

Patrick Cox: executive creative director, Wolff Olins; designer, London 2012 logo

Tom Dunmore: editor-in-chief, Stuff and www.stuff.tv

Jonathan Barnbrook: typographer/designer and founder of Virus Foundry

Chair: Martyn Perks: director, Thinking Apart; co-author, Big Potatoes: the London manifesto for innovation