Design Futures Symposium 2022
Design as an enzyme for progress
Introduced as one of the main events for Singapore Design Week 2023, the symposium spotlighted curatorial direction by Paola Antonelli, one of the most influential curators in the design world. The key focus of the event was to explore the future of design—as well as ‘design of the future’—through the lens of prominent thinkers and practitioners from Singapore and around the world.
The symposium’s identity centred on the core theme, ‘Design as an enzyme for progress’, as cleverly conceptualised by the Curatorial Director. We visualised the future of design as enzymes under a microscope—bringing together ideas of fermentation, synthesis and mutation.
In our identity, this metaphorical microscope revealed a striking cellular motif that was coded to introduce randomised animations. Paired with bold and bright typography, the visual illuminated a sense of 'agency' and highlighted the urgency of the key topics discussed.
By introducing the cells up close, this identity showcased microscopic catalysts possessing a potential for growth—ever-regenerating, perpetually expanding and evolving. In a way, it also mirrored Singapore itself, standing as a small island with the capacity capable of outsized change.
Presented consistently across all collaterals, the generative, biochemical elements of this identity served to evoke thoughts of progress and possibilities for design and designers alike.