Designing for the Future Short Course

About this course

The course examines how design can respond to and influence change. Participants explore futuring, trend forecasting and strategic foresight, considering cultural shifts, long-term strategies and alternative worldviews rather than focusing only on linear or technology-led change. Teaching combines interactive lectures, case studies and collaborative application of future-thinking frameworks. Participants use these approaches to imagine future scenarios, identify design opportunities, develop creative directions and consider strategic responses to uncertainty.

What you'll learn

• Apply futuring methods to construct and examine possible future scenarios
• Use trend forecasting and strategic foresight to consider cultural change
• Identify design opportunities arising from alternative future possibilities
• Develop creative directions and strategies in response to uncertainty
• Evaluate how design can act as both a response to change and a force that shapes it

Is this course right for you?

The course is intended for creatives, entrepreneurs and anyone seeking to start or deepen their understanding of future-thinking in personal or professional contexts. It is suitable for beginners as well as learners with some existing experience, with participation involving lectures, case studies and collaborative activities.

• Suitable for learners approaching the subject for the first time
• Relevant to both professional and personal development
• Includes collaborative work alongside taught sessions