Our theme for the 2023 Conference is ‘Question Tomorrow’ because the state of design is in rapid flux and there are many unanswered questions about its future.
- Michael Mavian Creative Director at Sid LeeThe theme and Sid Lee‘s design process to develop the identity for the DesignThinkers 2023 Conference speaks to the evolution of design with a playful sense of optimistic uncertainty.
“Our theme for the 2023 Conference is ‘Question Tomorrow’ because the state of design is in rapid flux and there are many unanswered questions about its future,” explains Michael Mavian, Creative Director at Sid Lee. “Our goal with the visual identity was to take a pluralistic point of view that referenced a variety of different design processes, tools, technologies and styles. We challenged ourselves to utilize an eclectic set of open-source materials, speaking to accessibility and the ever-increasing democratization of design tools at our disposal.”
“Using a combination of open-source assets pushed us to really rethink our usual approach to creative projects and the ways we can bring our ideas to life. As we develop different applications, it’s interesting to see the many new questions and conversations our team continues to have through the process,” shares Michael.
The Sid Lee team’s favourite design detail is the liquid metal question mark. It’s the cornerstone of the DesignThinkers 2023 identity. Aside from looking really cool, it represents the ever-morphing landscape of design and the undefined formlessness of the future.
In addition to showcasing the design possibilities of open-source software and tools, through this theme and identity, the team at Sid Lee hopes to provoke questions and create rich conversations around the role of design in the future. They want participants to really think about design and the ways they can contribute to the field innovatively.
DesignThinkers offers amazing opportunities to apply the identity to a wide range of applications. We’re really excited about all the ways the visual system will show up and seeing the design elements in both static and in-motion forms, in digital and physical formats. As we continue to develop the work, we’re looking forward to adapting some of our learnings into future client work,” concludes Michael.
In its 24th year, DesignThinkers, Canada’s largest graphic design conference brings together visionaries from a range of disciplines to explore creativity, the design process and the future of design and design thinking. The Conference takes place in Vancouver from May 30-31 and in Toronto from November 2-3.