The International Design Conference (IDC), the Philippines’ premier platform for design innovation since 2017, has returned this year with a bold ambition: to elevate design from a problem-solving tool to a catalyst for transformative change. Organized by the DTI-Design Center of the Philippines, IDC 2025 convened designers, business owners, and decision-makers from across sectors, each bringing diverse perspectives to a shared vision of collective flourishing.
With the theme “Holding the Whole: Design for Collective Flourishing,” the conference held at Samsung Hall, SM Aura Premier last September 26 challenges attendees to look beyond individual projects and see their work as a systemic force for good.
Beyond serving as a platform for showcasing design excellence, the IDC is a pivotal thought leadership platform that aims to provoke new thinking, challenge norms, and explore uncharted territories across design, policy, and social transformation.
By bringing together leading global and local voices, IDC empowers the industry to see their work not merely as a profession, but as a systemic force capable of influencing change on a national scale. It encourages participants to look beyond and consider the long-term impact of their creations on society, the environment, and the nation’s collective future.
This year’s conference, divided into “Make,” “Break,” and “Become,” is a call to move from designing solutions to guiding transformation. It urged the brightest minds in the industry to explore how design can shape a future rooted in human dignity, ecological harmony, and shared purpose.
Transformation towards collective flourishing
NOSIGNER CEO and founder Prof. Eisuke Tachikawa discusses the concept of evolutional creativity in his talk, “Creativity as Evolution: Awakening to Life’s 3.8 Billion Year Design Process”
Prof. Eisuke Tachikawa, CEO and founder of the design firm NOSIGNER, focused on rewilding the creative practice, urging the audience to look into their personal fractures and question what it truly means to flourish for them to heal and ignite a transformation.
Beyond personal transformation, Tachikawa noted that every individual can also help transform the Philippines. “The Philippines’ archipelagic geography is very unique, so it must innovate and adapt according to its own circumstances. Filipinos—even young people—could contribute to making a transformative change in their own way. Every stakeholder has a role in making an impact,” he added.
Meanwhile, the panel discussion dwelled on how flourishing can take root in different contexts, with the panelists sharing how they rewilded the way they live to create a path towards flourishing. Another panel discussion explored the concept of reinvention in a changing landscape, highlighting creative endurance and ingenuity.
The Experience Economy author Joseph Pine highlights the role of business leaders in spearheading the transformation of the country
Joseph Pine, co-founder of Strategic Horizons and author of The Experience Economy and The Transformation Economy, encouraged the attendees to lead the transformation, underscoring the role business leaders play in transforming the economy for a collective flourishing by not just serving, but also elevating.
“The reason for the existence of your business [should be] to help people collectively flourish; you help not just the customers, but also the employees. It [would create a ripple effect] on the communities and societies in the Philippines. Then, you’re making a real difference—you’re making an impact,” said Pine.
By fostering a space for critical dialogues and unconventional ideas, IDC 2025 shifted the conversation to a shared vision for collective flourishing. It inspired a re-evaluation of what design can be and served as a call to help shape a future where creativity is a tool for social progress and every design choice contributes to a better world.
The event was not just a conference, but an invitation to shift perspective and spark a movement. By building relationships, exchanging ideas, and collaborating, IDC 2025 inspired a new wave of creative energy and created a ripple effect from the transformation that started from within. Through collective efforts, the Philippine design community can help pave the way for a brighter future.
