33rd World Design Assembly Tokyo 2023

We face numerous challenges like global warming which cannot be resolved at the national or regional level alone. At the same time, digital technologies have driven an irreversible evolution of human lifestyles as social networks speed the exchange of information.

The pandemic forced us to experience the real, physical world and the virtual world. This is truly the advent of a new way of living.

What does it mean to meet people? What is a friend, family, oneself? What is the significance of cultivating a sense of all-embracing love? In sweeping change, some find convenience and efficiency; others discern new facets of the human condition.

How to go about forging a new way of being for humankind on Earth, our unique planet? How to find joint cause with people we don’t know and with whom we don’t yet share a sense of connectedness? What future will we chart for ourselves?

As the world changes, so too design will evolve. Join us as we seek to move beyond all boundaries in considering a new tomorrow.

Can design transcend itself?

About WDA

The World Design Assembly (WDA) is presented by World Design Organization every two years. It will be held in Tokyo in October 2023, the first time it returns to Japan in 34 years, having previously been held in Kyoto in 1973 and Nagoya in 1989.

About World Design Organization (WDO)®

World Design Organization (WDO)® is a globally recognized non-governmental organization that aims to promote and advance the discipline of industrial design and its power to enhance economic, social, cultural and environmental quality of life. Founded in 1957, WDO services over 190 member organizations around the world, engaging thousands of individual designers through our innovative programming and initiatives that champion ‘design for a better world’.

Theme Program

Main Theme

Based on the unique perspectives and topics brought by each keynote speaker, we will discover the "vision for tomorrow through design".

Theme 1: Humanity - Designing from a New Perspective on Human Identity

The panelists will discuss "new perspectives on human beings (autonomous, decentralized, digitally networked, terrestrial life, etc.)," considering specific approaches to the human condition, and what the role of design is in this process.

Theme 2: Planet - Designing for Environmental Problem Solutions

How can we drive and embody a Circular Economy society? What other measures are there to deal with global environmental issues besides the circular economy? From a broad perspective, we will consider what design can do.

Theme 3: Technology - Designing Digital Transformation

We will consider how digital transformation will change humanity in the coming age and what design can do, along with specific examples.

Theme 4: Policy - Designing the Future of Design Policies

Unlike the other three breakout sessions, this session will consider measures for social implementation of design for problem solving, based on the recognition of the issues in the keynote speeches. Discussions will be held from the two perspectives of "policies to promote design itself" and "social policies that utilize the power of design."

Event Calendar

Friday, 27 October

Venue: Design Research Institute, Chiba University

8:30 -9:30

Registration & Opening of Poster Exhibition

9:30 -10:00

Opening Remarks

10:00 -10:45

Keynote Sessions

Speakers

Ayse BirselJian Liu

10:40 -11:00

Networking Break

11:00 -13:00

Paper Presentations

Theme 1 - Design for Humanity

Theme 2 - Design for Human-Centred Technology

Theme 3 - Behavioural Design for Planet

13:00 -14:20

Lunch Break

14:20 -16:00

Panel Discussion

Moderator

Tadanori Nagasawa

Speakers

Hyungkun YoonMichal ZisoKenta OnoJacob Mathew

16:00 -16:15

Health & Networking Break

16:15 -16:35

Closing Keynote

Speakers

Katja Forbes

16:35 -17:15

Close of Forum

17:20 -19:00

Reception/Networking Event

All Day

Poster Exhibition

Sponsor Exhibition

Excursion

Research & Education Forum

Research and Education Forum

The Research and Education Forum will take place on 27 October 2023, in conjunction with its 33rd World Design Assembly from 27 - 29 October 2023. Hosted at Chiba University's Research and Design Institute, this Forum is not only intended for academics and design students, but open to industry partners and private sector as well. The Forum will include keynote speakers, panel discussions and paper presentations. There will also be a poster exhibit on-site.

Theme

The theme Design Beyond will be further explored through three subthemes during our Research and Education Forum. Those wishing to submit a poster, paper or video should consider each subtheme and submit accordingly.

Theme 1: Design for Humanity

This track invites explorations and debates that leverage our understanding of design and designing for humanity. We invite contributions from various practice-based and thinking viewpoints that highlight projects where design plays a key role on social impact covering different dimensions such as design for peace, design for social change, design for social innovation, social inclusion, social cohesion, etc.

Theme 2: Design for Human-Centred Technology

Digital and physical technologies have radically transformed the way we live and work. Technology is one of the drivers of humanity’s future. As a product of humans, it exists because we have designed, made, financed, disseminated, accepted and use it. However, it can also embody the negative as much as positive qualities of humanity. As we look to the future, what could the role of technology be towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals? What can design for technology do to ensure social impact for the SDGs?

Theme 3: Behavioural Design for Planet

This track aims to highlight design research, training projects, educational tools and methods capable of generating products and services that trigger behavioural change for Planet Earth. These inspiring recommendations, would generate in individuals, as well as in communities, a new conscious and engaging push to change habits and adopt virtuous behaviours.

Information on the call

WDO is calling for extended abstracts, posters and videos that explore ‘Design Beyond’ and will be presented in person in Tokyo (Japan). The submission guidelines are available online providing more information on how to prepare your extended abstract, poster or video. If you have any questions regarding your submission, please email us at eduforum@wdo.org

Key Dates

30 June 2023
10 July 2023 (Deadline Extended)	Submission deadline for extended abstracts, posters and videos
4 August	Notice of acceptance of extended paper abstracts, posters and videos
16 October	Submission of final posters and videos; submission of paper presentations

27 October	Research and Education Forum
10 November	Submission of final papers for publication

Speaker Introduction

David Kusuma

WDO President. David Kusuma is President of the World Design Organization (WDO) for the 2022-2023 term. Previously, David was Global Vice President of R&D and Product Development at Tupperware Brands Corporation. His team created game-changing product solutions, leading to the development of 150 to 200 new products every year and launched in over 100 countries around the world. He was also responsible for developing the PONDS plant growing system in collaboration with NASA, designed by Tupperware to simplify growing vegetables in microgravity, and now being used onboard the International Space Station (ISS). David Kusuma also worked for General Electric and Bayer Material Science and most recently as Senior Vice President at Oregon Tool Inc., a leading global company which designs and develops products for forestry, lawn & garden, farming, agriculture, and construction. He is recognized as a Fellow of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), and a Fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE).

Tadanori Nagasawa

Cultural Engineer, Educator in Art and Design. Former President of Musashino Art University and Senior Fellow of Royal College of Art. Received MA(RCA) in 1981 from Royal College of Art after graduated Musashino Art University in 1978.

Ayse Birsel

Ayse (Eye-Shay) Birsel, is a Turkish-born, New York-based award-winning industrial designer, author, executive coach. She is the co-founder of Birsel + Seck, working with Amazon, Herman Miller Knoll, Toyota, among others.

Jian Liu

Professor of Urban Planning and Design, Associate Dean of School of Architecture Tsinghua University; Registered City Planner in China; Managing Chief-Editor of China City Planning Review; Past President of Asian Planning Schools Association.

Hyungkun Yoon

Hyungkun Yoon is a "Japan-Korea-China Three Country Design Specialist" who has been in design education and field for more than 10 years in Japan Korea, and, China, respectively. He received a doctorate in 'Emotional Engineering' from Chiba University and worked for R&DMAK, a Japanese design company in Tokyo. After graduating from Yonsei University in Korea, he went to China in 2004 at the request of Shanghai Jiaotong University and consulted on design strategies of many companies, including Chinese sensitivity analysis on Toyota design and UIUX by Samsung MP3. They include designs that change the world (Korea Adi Publishing 2022) and startups and designs (Shanghai Transportation University Press, China, 2019). He is currently a director of the Korean Design Association. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us.

Jacob Mathew

Jacob spent his early work life, transforming business with design, he now leverages business, design and entrepreneurship to transform society, as Mentor, Industree Foundation and Design Principal, Srishti Manipal Institute.

Kenta Ono

He is currently researching on system design, and design theory in the system planning research unit in the Design Research Institute of Chiba University. Receiving ME and Ph.D. from Chiba University, his previous experience includes Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and Mitsubishi Telecom Europe S.A. (France) as an interface designer.

Michal Ziso

Michal Ziso is an architect, a futurist entrepreneur and space architect revolutionizing the designed environment on Earth through space innovation. AAs the founder and CEO of ZISO-Architecture + Innovation Lab and The SLEEP- SpaceTech startup, she pioneers inclusive-human-centered design on a global scale. Michal is a graduate of the Technion and the International Space University, and an advisor to SpaceTech VC's.

Katja Forbes

Katja is a seasoned leader in the digital industry with a proven track record of driving growth and innovation. She is an expert in areas such as ethical navigation of emerging technology, CX, UX, data science, and product design.

Pier Paolo Peruccio

Pier Paolo Peruccio is a professor, design historian and curator whose current research explores systemic design. He is the author of several books and more than 100 articles on industrial and visual design. Pier serves on the Board of Directors of several organizations in Italy and globally, including WDO.

Srini Srinivasan

Srini Srinivasan is a highly accomplished designer, design educator and entrepreneur in technology development, with over 30 years of experience in the United States, Europe and Asia. He served as President of WDO from 2019-2022.

Anne Asensio

Anne Asensio is a recognized designer who has held executive roles in design management and innovation strategy. She has won several international awards and occupies leadership positions within companies and design schools around the world, including WDO.

Pradyumna Vyas

Pradyumna Vyas is the former Director of the National Institute of Design (NID). He has more than 38 years of professional and teaching experience in various spheres of design and currently serves on WDO’s Board of Directors.

Sheng-Hung Lee

Sheng-Hung Lee is a designer, researcher and professor that has juried for several distinguished international design competitions. Trained as an industrial designer and electrical engineer, his work is influenced by his passion for how design and technology impact and be integrated into society.

Lilian González

Lilian González is an industrial designer and design professor working in Mexico. She is the co-founder of Pecha-kucha Queretaro and organizer and curator for various international conferences, symposiums and exhibitions exploring art and design. Lilian currently serves on WDO’s Board of Directors.

Tim Ingold

Tim is a social anthropologist whose interests range from human ecology, evolutionary theory, environmental perception and skilled practice to art, architecture and design. He is fellow of the British Academy and the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and in 2022 was awarded the CBE for services to Anthropology.

Marianne Mensah

Marianne Mensah is the Founder of the Climate Innovation Education Lab (CIEL) whose purpose is to advise business on their sustainable transformation, building on their power to innovate. Through higher education, Marianne Mensah engages young designers to become catalysts of the development of a regenerative society. Marianne Mensah serves on the board of associations focused on climate education and creativity inspired by nature.

Ana Arriola-Kanada

Ana is a queer latine, mother of four, award-winning product designer and researcher, and the Executive Director of IDEO Tokyo, Japan. With a focus on software and hardware as a service, consumer electronics, lifestyle experiences, UX/UI systems, and ethics & AI, Ana's designs are based on the principles of being human, simple, and authentic.

Seiichi Saito

Seiichi studied architectural design at Columbia University School of Architecture in the United States. He leads Panoramatics and has served as a planning and implementation advisor for many government agencies and companies.

Minako Ikeda

She explores the possibilities of design by applying editorial thinking. And she is involved in design projects aimed at passing on the culture and techniques of traditional crafts.

Cameron Sinclair

Cameron Sinclair is founder of Worldchanging Institute, an US based research organization focused on architectural and design solutions to humanitarian crisis. Additionally, he writes on architecture and design as well as advising family foundations on philanthropy. Cameron also is the co-founder of Half Kingdom Gin.

Dominique Chen

Information Scientist. Interested in human-computer interaction, augmented reality, human augmentation through technology, and human-AI integration.

Junichi Rekimoto

Information Scientist. Interested in human-computer interaction, augmented reality, human augmentation through technology, and human-AI integration.

Daijiro Mizuno

Born in Tokyo, Japan. After graduating from high school, he studied at the Royal College of Art in the U.K., where he received his M.F.A. and Ph. D. Since returning to Japan, he has been engaged in cross-disciplinary design research with a focus on fashion design.

Eisuke Tachikawa

Design strategist for creating a hopeful future. Advocate of "Evolutionary Thinking," a new creativity education based on the principles of life.

Monika Koncz-MacKenzie

After graduating from the University of Bonn, Germany with an M.A. in Anthropology and Sociology she moved to the UK in 2006, where she worked as a Leadership Consultant on culture change and multi-stakeholder innovation processes. She now works with Senior Design leaders from large corporates to create enabling conditions to design for a circular economy.

Dwinita Larasati

A lecturer/researcher at FSRD ITB, Focal Point of Bandung City of Design UNESCO Creative Cities Network; Executive Committee of Indonesia Creative Cities Network, makes & publishes graphic diary.

Suzanne Mooney

Mooney is an Irish media artist and associate professor at Tama Art University, Tokyo. Her current research explores the immersive potential of technology in the arts and contemporary culture.

Koji Sasaki

Koji Sasaki, PhD is an anthropologist. For Hitachi, he has led various projects on social and ecological systems change, including Transitions for Sustainable Futures. He is also Senior Researcher at Keio University.

Miyuki Tanaka

Miyuki has been working on exhibitions, performances, and various projects that defy categorization under the theme of “disability as a perspective that redefines the world.”

Yutaka Matsuo

Completed his Ph.D. at the University of Tokyo in 2002. Ph.D. (Engineering). Professor at the University of Tokyo since 2019. His areas of expertise are artificial intelligence, deep learning, and web mining.

Kinya Tagawa

As principal, he leads Takram, a design firm that handles a wide range of innovation and branding themes from cosmetics to aerospace engineering.

Takashi Asanuma

After graduating from graduate school, he worked in experience design at business and consulting companies, and was appointed Chief Digital Officer of the Digital Agency of the Japanese Government in September 2021, and Vice-Minister for Digital Transformation, Chief Officer of the Digital Agency from April 2022.

Chi-Yi Chang

Chi-Yi CHANG is the President of Taiwan Design Research Institute (TDRI)，Board Member of the World Design Organization，and Professor at the Graduate Institute of Architecture at the National Chiao Tung University，Vice Chairman at Xue Xue Foundation. He was the Deputy governor of Taitung County Government. Previously Vice President for General Affairs in National Chiao Tung University，the director of the Graduate Institute of Architecture in National Chiao Tung University and the director of A+@ Architecture Studio, he has published several books including Contemporary Architecture: the Concept of Aesthetic, European Charm: New Architecture, and Contemporary Architecture of North American in Focus.

Muhammad Neil El Himam

Muhammad Neil El Himam, M.Sc, joined the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf) in 2020 as Director of Digital Economy for Application and Governance. His career in government office began when he took the position as Junior Supervisor (Class II/a) in the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) in 1989, Director of ICT Infrastructure and Facilitation for Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) from 2015 – 2019. Due to his educational background in engineering, and also the expertise in ICT field, Muhammad Neil El Himam is now trusted to serve as Deputy for Digital Economy and Creative Products for the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy since August, 2020.

Anna Whicher

Anna’s professional passions focus on developing, implementing and evaluating government policies, services and programmes using design methods. She has supported governments around the world to develop policy labs and design action plans.

Patricia Moore

Dr. Patricia Moore is a Designer and Gerontologist recognized for her Empathic Elder Experience and the promotion of Inclusive and Universal Design for global equity and life quality for all.

Greeting from the Organizer

Kazuo Tanaka

Executive Committee Chairperson,
WORLD DESIGN ASSEMBLY TOKYO

Design has progressed as the economy and industry have grown, but we now find ourselves facing major challenges in connection with that progress. As is made evident by climate change, humankind’s boundless appetite is having a serious impact on our unique planet and its environment. The rapid development of digital technologies has transformed communication for many. In both work and learning, social networks have given us the ability to transcend time itself, prompting the world to reaffirm connections between people.

As the world changes, so too design will evolve. Design has an important role to play as we think about and create a future that remains as-yet unseen.

Design does not exist for industry and technology alone, but also for the life sciences, politics, economics, philosophy, and every area of human endeavor. Design provides a tool for transcending conventional wisdom and values, a system of thought that equips us to pioneer a new world.

What can design bring to design itself? Having transcended national borders, races, and generations, can design now transcend itself?

Kazuo Tanaka
Executive Committee Chairperson
World Design Assembly Tokyo 2023

Committee | Secretariat

Executive Committee Chairperson

Kazuo Tanaka

WDO Regional Advisor / CEO, GK Design Group, Inc. / Special Advisor, Japan Industrial Design Association

Deputy Executive Committee Chairperson

Tadanori Nagasawa

Former Dean, Musashino Art University

Executive Committee Members

Minako Ikeda

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Art and Design, Kyushu University

Akihiro Kubota

Professor, Media Arts Course, Department of Information Design, Tama Art University

Eisuke Tachikawa

President of Japan Industrial Design Association (JIDA), Representative of NOSIGNER

Eriko Esaka

Program director of Nagoya UNESCO City of Design Organizing Committee / International Design Center NAGOYA Inc.

Hiroyuki Fukano

President and CEO, Japan Institute of Design Promotion

Shinji Yajima

Executive Director, Japan Institute of Design Promotion

Notice | Introduction

NEWS

Press Release

2023/8/30

Announcement of Speaker Change

Mr. Yugo Nakamura, who was scheduled to speak, will be unable to do so due to unforeseen circumstances.

2023/7/5

Online Ticket Sales (Japan Only) for Live Streaming Events Coming Soon!

Exclusively for audiences in Japan, we will be streaming a live online. Ticket sales are expected to begin around September.

2023/3/23

Speakers and Ticket Information Released for the 33rd World Design Assembly Tokyo 2023

The highly anticipated event, the 33rd World Design Assembly Tokyo 2023, has released its speakers and ticket information. Renowned designers, researchers, activists, and more from around the world will gather for this conference, offering a valuable opportunity to learn about their design philosophies and latest initiatives.

Tickets for the event will go on sale in early April, and the submission of paper abstracts for the research and education forum is now open. Graduate students and researchers interested in design are encouraged to submit their work.

Don't miss this chance to stay up-to-date with the latest trends in the industry and network with like-minded individuals!

Ticket

	Regular	Student	Cocktail
Friday, 27 October(Day 1 only)	¥7,700	¥2,200	---
Saturday, 28 October(Day 2 only)	¥16,500	￥5,500	¥5,500

Scroll

Both tickets for 27 October (Day 1) and 28 October (Day 2) are sold out!
Exclusively for residents in Japan, we will be streaming live online in Japanese language only. Ticket sales started on September 27. (Purchase from Japanese site only)
Cocktail tickets are only available to those who have purchased a ticket to attend the conference. The venue for the "Cocktail Party" to be held on October 28 from 8:30 p.m. is Billboard Live TOKYO (Tokyo Midtown Garden Terrace 4F, 9-7-4 Akasaka, Minato-ku).
Ticket prices include sales tax (10%).
If you are a WDO Member. Please visit wdo.org for registration as it is seperate for those attending the WDO General Assembly as well as the 2-day conference.

BUY TICKET

Venue | Access