Design Futures Symposium 2025 - Between Past, Present and Futures

The Design Futures Symposium returns for its second edition, an interdisciplinary event curated by the MDes Design Futures at the Royal College of Art.

Open to everyone, the symposium will take place in the Gorvy Lecture Theatre, Dyson Building (RCA Battersea Campus). Registration opens at 9:30 AM on the first floor, just outside the theatre entrance.

This year’s theme, “Between Past, Present and Futures,” explores how design operates across time, drawing from cultural memory, responding to urgent challenges, and envisioning alternative futures shaped by technology, ethics, and planetary concerns.

Bringing together leading voices from industry, academia, and speculative practice, the symposium is a platform for critical dialogue and creative foresight. It challenges traditional boundaries between research and application, spotlighting design as a tool for systemic change.

In the afternoon, the MDes Design Futures exhibition will be open in the Studio Building (11 Howie Street, RCA Battersea Campus), part of RCA2025. Attendees are invited to explore the work and speak directly with the designers, who will be present to share their ideas, processes, and provocations, concluding a full day immersed in the futures of design.

This isn’t just a symposium, it’s a signal of where design is heading. Be part of the conversation. Be part of the future.

If you prefer to join the event online, please use the following Google Form to register your interest. We’ll send you the Zoom link closer to the date. Don’t forget to add the event to your calendar!

* By attending this event, you consent to being recorded (audio, video, or photography) for documentation and communication purposes.