Design As

Who does design belong to, and who is it for? How does it serve us—all of us—and how can we learn to better understand its future, and our own?

On Design As— podcast from Design Observer—we’ll dig into all of this and more, in conversation with design leaders, scholars, practitioners, and a range of industry experts whose seasoned perspectives will help illuminate the questions as well as the answers. In our first season, we considered the topics of Culture, Complexity, and Citizenship in terms of their impact on the design practice and also in terms of how they themselves are being shaped by design today. In season two, recorded at the Design Research Conference 2024 in Boston, we gathered new round tables to discuss Design As Governance, Care, Visualization, Discipline, Humanity, and Pluriverse. Plus, our bonus episodes are exclusive recordings of conference panels!

Guest

Albert Shum

Albert Shum is a career design leader who retired from Microsoft as Corporate Vice President of Design in 2022. Albert has served as a mentor, partner, and leader in programs like the Adobe Design Circle and its Scholarship Fund, the Design for Inclusivity Industry Summit, the LEAP apprenticeship program at Microsoft, and in student design challenges with IxDA, AIGA, and the Emily Carr University of Art & Design. He currently serves as an advisor to the Dean of the Institute of Design.

Guest appearance on:

Design As Fast | Design As Slow