About Design Matters
Design Matters is a Copenhagen-based conference on digital design – made for designers, by designers. We have been sharing stories about new movements in design and giving inspiration to designers from all over the world since 2015, growing each year and reaching 1000 participants in 2019.
Design Matters will land in Tokyo for the second time with a two-day event, on January 27-28. Design Matters Tokyo 21 will be live-streamed and, if the situation related to the pandemic improves, the conference will be also held in person for a small audience.
Design Matters will bring to Tokyo some of the best speakers from Design Matters 19 and some new ones, who will share with Japanese designers their insights and learnings on digital design. Skilled Japanese designers will also be on stage to share their knowledge on digital design.
Despite being a digital design-focused conference, Design Matters draws inspiration from the arts, music, and the Scandinavian lifestyle.
Our goal at Design Matters is to host a lively conversation about new movements in design. This means having designers talking about their processes, challenges, ideas, and inspiration. But this also means that we try to avoid sales pitches, bullshit, and hot air. Design Matters is a place for competent, visionary, nerdy, and engaging talks, workshops, and discussions about the work and role of designers – now and in the future.
Design Matters will also have interpreters translating from English to Japanese both at the physical and the live-streamed conference to allow everyone to follow the talks and workshops.
EXPLORING NEW MOVEMENTSIN DIGITAL DESIGN
The format
Design Matters Tokyo is a two-day event. 10 talks will explore the most important topics for digital designers today and 4 practical workshops will dive deeper into design methods and processes. All the talks and workshops revolve around themes that are relevant now and in the future.
Due to the recent covid-19 situation, Design Matters Tokyo 21 will have a slightly different format compared to last year. Design Matters Tokyo 21 will surely be live-streamed online. Because the safety of our participants and staff is a priority, we decided that the conference will be held in person, with an audience of up to 50 people, if the situation related to the pandemic improves.
The Live-stream ticket holders will be able to attend the conference from the safety and comfort of their homes and offices. They will also be able to watch and rewatch all the talks after the conference is over, on the same platform! The attendees of the physical conference will also be given access to the recordings of the talks.
Discover the playful Danish approach to design!
With the rapid growth of our international audience, more and more people have asked us to “export” our playful, informal, and rebellious approach to design abroad. Providing quality while maintaining an informal and light approach is characteristic of the Danish mindset.
Design Matters stands out because of its joyful and festival-ish atmosphere that creates an open environment for designers to share their ideas. We will bring our hyggelig atmosphere to Japan!
Design Matters also represents a non-mainstream alternative to many design conferences that have a more formal and corporate style. Japanese designers sometimes lack a valid alternative to the mainstream mindset and approach. Our pop-up event will bring a breath of fresh air and a different way of thinking design!
Japan takes pride in a long tradition of craftsmanship, that has always ensured the high quality of its products. At the same time Danish people are famous for their practical attitude and outlook on life. Design Matters Tokyo will be the perfect intersection between these worlds.
We found that Japan is showing great interest and curiosity towards Scandinavian design and the “Danishness” of our approach. But also, Japan is seeking new inspiration outside its borders. For this reason, we chose Tokyo as the location of our pop-up event!
Our community
We believe in the power of community, and we’re very proud of bringing together so many creative minds from all over the world to discuss the creation, innovation, and impact of digital design.
Back in 2015, we started out as a small gathering for 150 local designers in Copenhagen. In 2019, we counted at Design Matters 19 in Copenhagen about 1000 participants coming from 45 different Countries around the world. The pop-up in Tokyo will be an event of smaller size, but this doesn’t mean it is of lesser importance! It is a fantastic opportunity to become part of an international design community.
Our community is diverse and knowledgeable, and that is why we seek its advice every year by asking for ideas regarding the themes and the speakers. We also like to travel the globe to meet up with local front-runners for new inspiration.