The World Design Congress 2025 opened at London’s Barbican Centre with a message of hope from the since late Dame Dr. Jane Goodall a fitting reminder that design’s ultimate purpose is not only to serve people, but to heal our relationship with the natural world.
“Every individual makes a difference, every day. The question is: what kind of difference do you want to make?”
Dame Dr. Jane Goodall
Over two days, that question guided every conversation. Across keynotes, panels, and case studies, designers, economists, and policymakers called for a new kind of creativity one that treats sustainability not as a feature, but as a foundation.
From Human-Centred to Planet-Centred
A recurring theme was the end of “human-centred design” as we know it.
Nick Foster spoke of a “crisis of imagination” that has left design focused on convenience rather than consequence.
Meanwhile, Leyla Acaroglu, Thomas Heatherwick, and Indy Johar each argued for planet-centred design: an approach that measures success by the health of ecological and social systems, not by user satisfaction alone.
Leyla Acaroglu
The shift reflects a broader understanding that responsible design must balance empathy for users with empathy for the living systems that sustain them.
Designing the Economy We Need
One of the most energising sessions brought together Mariana Mazzucato and Kate Raworth, who reframed design as economic infrastructure.
Their discussion, Designing the Economy We Need, positioned design as a driver of governance, ownership, and market reform a practical tool for embedding regeneration into policy and practice.
Mariana Mazzucato
This redefinition of design’s role from styling to structuring could shape how future designers influence finance, production, and public value.
Stories of Hope and Possibility
Elsewhere, real-world examples demonstrated that regeneration is already happening.
Charlot Magayi, founder of Mukuru Clean Stoves, shared how locally designed stoves are reducing indoor air pollution for millions of families.
Alexei Levene of Desolenator showcased solar-powered water purification at scale.
Natsai Audrey Chieza of Faber Futures introduced new material systems grown from living organisms.
Each project proved that responsibility can be inventive, not restrictive that design can work with natural processes instead of against them.
Legacy and Stewardship
The Congress also looked backward to look forward.
Dieter Rams was awarded the WDO World Design Medal, honouring his lifelong belief in simplicity and integrity.
Norman Foster reflected on design as a form of optimism: the conviction that things can be better.
And Minnie Moll, Chief Executive of the Design Council, closed with a call for collective stewardship designers acting as caretakers of interdependence rather than authors of objects.
Minnie Moll
A Shared Mission
If there was one unifying sentiment, it was that Design for Planet is no longer a niche conversation.
It is the defining mission of a profession seeking relevance in a time of ecological and social urgency.
Across disciplines and generations, the message was clear: to design responsibly is to design for life itself.