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How members of the ADW21 board define futuring

Proposals for Austin Design Week 2021 are due in less than two weeks! We can’t wait for everything ADW21 has in store. But we need your input to make it happen!

The entire week of events is powered by the community — from workshops to panels to studio tours. Everything is put together by community members like you, and it’s all centered around our theme.

This year’s theme is Futuring. You can read more about the inspiration behind the theme here.

We’re excited to explore what ‘futuring’ means to you. But in the meantime, if you need some inspiration while putting together your event proposal, we asked this year’s advisory board (AKA the people responsible for curating the events) what ‘futuring’ means to them.

Here’s what a few of our board members have to say about this year’s theme.

  • Joie Chung headshot

Joie Chung, Director of Product Design, Realtor.com

“I really like the idea of ‘futuring’ in the Austin and design industry context. The practice of figuring out what we should do next. What are the goals, what are all the ways the future could be or look like, and how are all the ways we can get there?”

  • Alisha Moore headshot

Alisha Moore, Senior UX Designer, IBM

“I define ‘futuring’ as the art of creating solutions before needs arise. It encourages creative conversations and the co-creation of our collective futures. If the stories we tell are ones that allow everyone to exist in the world of tomorrow, perhaps we will be more inspired to make that world a reality.”

  • calvin headshot

Calvin Mays, Founder and Principal of Qubicle Design

"For me, ‘futuring’ is simply exploring scenarios that may lead to many potentially interesting futures in a fun and approachable way. Recalling my design grad experience in Futures studies, I really like the idea of sharing a framework that helps non-futurists think further, creatively, and without the burden of being correct, or ridiculed for producing absurd outcomes."

Have questions about the proposal process? Join us for an online information session on June 22nd, 12 pm CDT. RSVP here.

The call for proposals will close on Monday, June 28th at 11:59pm CT.

Learn more about hosting and apply!