About Design Matters
Design Matters is a Copenhagen-based conference on digital design – made for designers, by designers. Design Matters has 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. In January 2020, it landed in Tokyo for the first time with a two-day event.
Because of the travel restrictions imposed due to the pandemic, Design Matters Tokyo 21 will be ONLINE. The event will be live-streamed and also recorded, so that anyone in the world can watch the event, at any time!
Design Matters will present some of the best speakers from the previous Design Matters conferences as well as some new ones, who will share their insights and learnings on digital design. Since Design Matters Tokyo is designed to have a focus on Japan, skilled Japanese designers will also be online to share their knowledge on digital design. In addition, Design Matters Tokyo 21 will have interpreters translating from English to Japanese.
The format
Design Matters Tokyo 21 is a 2+1 day event. One Day 1 and 2, 22 talks will explore: the most important topics and design movements relevant for digital designers today; the Danish design attitude and approach to design, which share interesting similarities with the Japanese approach.
On Day 3, an in-depth and practical workshop will dive into interfaces, design patterns, and web forms. This workshop can be attended alone or in addition to the two-day conference.
All ticket holders will be able to attend the conference live (JST time) from the safety and comfort of their homes and offices. They will also be able to watch the event after it has started and after it is over. This way, anyone in the world can join and watch the conference at the most convenient time!
The conference will start at 9 AM (JST), which corresponds to 4 PM PST time (San Francisco), 7 PM EST time (New York) , 1 AM CET time (Copenhagen). The access to the recorded conference does not expire, meaning that you can watch and rewatch the conference as many times as you want, forever!
EXPLORING NEW MOVEMENTSIN DIGITAL DESIGN
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!
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.
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.