SHIFTING PERSPECTIVES ON DESIGN : a round table discussion

hosted by the Design Department at ALBA

The design department at Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts (ALBA) - University of Balamand is proud to be hosting a round table discussing the future of Design and the shifts that this industry is witnessing. With the uprise of more intangible outcomes for Design, our field has found its way into the public realm taking new shapes such as services, systems and strategies. To discuss the possible future of Design in our local and regional economy, this round table will have representatives from 5 different sectors: the educational, the public, the corporate, the SMEs and the NGOs.

Round table guests are:

• Ghassan Najjar, strategic planning manager at Mitsulift group
• Joumana al Jabri, co-founder at Visualizing Impact
• Karim Attoui (facilitator) and Ibrahim Zahreddine (strategist), representing Public Interest Design Levant
• Karim Chaaya, co-founder at ACID
• Marc Baroud, head of the design department at ALBA

Moderated by: Stefanie Baumann, Ph.D. in philosophy

Our topic:

The design industry is witnessing a true shift in its practice and principles. New trends have emerged focusing more on process rather than outcome and more on intangible impact rather than physicality. Designers' skills and expertise have started to infilitrate new and different sectors. While methodologies such as Design Thinking, Participatory Design and Inclusive Design are taking more and more the front seat. Designer are slowly shifting towards role of facilitators rather than main spotlight actors. Together in this round table we will discuss the impact of this shift on our society.