After another year of preparations, the 5th edition of What Design Can Do kicks off with the traditional dinner for speakers. Over the next two days twenty international speakers of all design disciplines will take the stage at the Stadsschouwburg, Amsterdam’s main theatre. Together with the audience they will celebrate the impact of design on society as well as What Design Can Do’s anniversary. We asked co-founder and general director Richard van der Laken about his feelings and thoughts on this milestone. ‘Our main achievement is making people aware, creating new insights, opening new perspectives.’
Five years of What Design Can Do! Congratulations! How does that feel?
‘It’s the perfect way to age by 10 years in just 5 years. But joking aside, I’m very proud that we’ve been able to become a landmark on the international design scene. Our proposition has proven to be rock solid, and many people, organizations, speakers and partners feel attracted to it. After the financial crisis in 2008, many people felt something had to change, whether you were a postman, a butcher, a banker or a designer. For designers, or creatives at large, this feeling has grown over the years. And it is happening, as we showcase at WDCD every year, and on our blog every day.’
In these five years, what do you think has been the impact of WDCD? What did WDCD change?
‘Becoming a regular fixture on the agenda means that our message is heard in many places. Our event and media reach a growing and engaged audience. Our main achievement is making people aware, creating new insights, opening new perspectives. It’s a truly international exchange of ideas.’
What about this challenge WDCD is launching? What will be the subject?
‘After 5 years showcasing and discussing the impact of design, we want to rediscover the promise that What Design Can Do holds. We really want to encourage action. That is why we’re setting up the What Design Can Do Challenge. We want to highlight pressing social issues and invite designers, creative companies and the like to come up with proposals. We will then fund a selection of these proposals with money and support, together with so-called ‘problem owners’. The goal is to develop new problem-solving products and services that will actually be implemented. For example, the global refugee problem needs to be addressed by designers too. In fact this is already happening. So many great examples already exist. We want to make this movement bigger and more visible.’
Without favouring any particular speakers, what are you looking forward to most of all over the coming two days?
‘This is always a terrible question! Don’t do this! Our top-of-the-bill names like Alex Atala and Stefan Sagmeister get plenty of attention anyway. I’m also really looking forward to inspirational speakers like architect Francis Kéré from Burkina Faso and Cynthia Shanmugalingam, a fantastic woman who is deeply involved with multi-cultural street food in London. But as I said, this is a terrible question, because we have 20 fantastic speakers. All worth hearing!’
How are the plans for WDCD São Paulo getting on?
‘We have a date! We have a location! We have the plans! We have the speakers! So yes, the ball is rolling. The event will of course focus on the Brazilian creative scene, but it will be very international, multidisciplinary and, most importantly, will focus on social issues and how to tackle them through design. So note 30 November 2015 and the fabulous Theatro Municipal de São Paulo in your diary.’
Anything you want to add?
‘Some years ago the American rapper 50 Cents had a megahit with his song Get Rich or Die Tryin’. How right he was. We should all try to get rich at heart, or die trying.’
Image: Richard van der Laken on stage at WDCD2014 with moderator Hadassah de Boer