+ Part Proposal +

Previous student symposiums sought to contribute to design discourse by addressing and challenging contemporary issues within the discipline. Students traditionally invite distinguished scholars and practitioners to give lectures, panel discussions, and workshops that inform all other event activities. With each gathering, the network of scholarly activity grows stronger, while the event garners more prestige and participation from current and prospective graduate students, academics, and practitioners alike.

Moving beyond a traditional symposium format, this year’s event is a symposium plus a proposal—a Proposium. With your participation, we would like to collectively create an international “Graduate Design Network,” which includes students, recent alumni, and forward-thinking businesses. We think this form of design collective among graduate students would benefit and support our discipline as a whole.


+ Part Symposium +

Conferees may attend in-person or remotely to discuss, map, and solidify a shared mission for the network and the support platform. The event will include two keynote speakers, two design strategy speakers, and four strategy-oriented workshops aimed at conceptualizing the network. Remote attendees will have exclusive access to videos of the keynote addresses and participate in the workshops through online collaborative tools. By the end of the Proposium, participants will identify task force groups who will take the next step in developing the Graduate Design Student Network and the support platform.


+ What do you think? +