On 1 October, Tallinn Design Festival will bring together internationally recognised designers, design leaders and industry experts for the international conference “Future of Product Design” at Põhjala Factory in Tallinn.

The conference explores some of the most pressing questions shaping product design today: how rapid technological development and artificial intelligence are changing the design process, how material innovation and sustainability are influencing the products we create, and what kind of responsibility designers carry in a world of increasingly complex choices.

The discussion goes beyond how future products should be designed. It also asks a more fundamental question: what should we create in the first place, and which products deserve to remain relevant for decades to come?

Speakers will approach the future of product design from perspectives ranging from sustainability and longevity to AI, visualisation, business strategy, materials and contemporary design practice.

Speakers and talks

Luke Pearson (UK), Co-Founder & Director, Pearson Lloyd
Resilient Design for an Uncertain Future

Richard Hall (UK)
Fake It Till You Fail It: Why Your CGI Renders Are Lying to You

Jean Louis Frechin (France), Founder of NoDesign / Designer & Author
Le Design des Choses (The Design of Things)

Ilkka Suppanen (Finland), Studio Suppanen / Designer & Architect
The Weight of Lightness

Jenny Nordberg (Sweden), Industrial Designer
Strategies for Moving Freely – How to Be a Designer Today

Siim Karro (Estonia), Designer & Co-Founder, Myceen
Earning the Right to Look Like Itself

Jaume Domenech, Vitra
Sustainability by Design: The Beauty of Responsibility in Vitra’s Vision for the Future

Hallgrim Sagen (Norway), Managing Partner, Lomi Agency / Former Director of Design, Cisco
Design as a Business Weapon — Not a Service

Srini R. Srinivasan (USA), CEO & Founding Board Member, Don Norman Design Award / WDO Senator & Past President
North by Design: Where the Future Takes Shape!

The day begins with coffee and gathering at 09.45, followed by an introduction from Tallinn Design Festival founder and main organiser Ilona Gurjanova and a welcome by Bianka Soe from the Estonian Ministry of Culture.

The conference takes place on Thursday, 1 October, from 10.00 to 16.00 at Hangar 1, Põhjala Factory. The conference is held in English and the ticket includes lunch.

Tickets:
https://fienta.com/tallinndesignfestival-futureofproductdesign

Conference programme and more information:
https://disainioo.ee/2026-program/design-conference