Inspiring Today, Transforming Tomorrow

The Design Leaders Conference
Thursday, January 30th, 2025
Light House Cinema, Dublin

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Creative Courage

Creative Courage is at the heart of every design and business success story. It is an instinct and mindset that has guided the achievements of this year’s international line-up of thought-provoking speakers and panellists. Bravery and persistence informed their success. Learn to harness it in your own creative work and leadership. Join us at the Light House Cinema, Dublin on January 30th 2025 to uncover the real stories that drive projects and how creative courage is essential for design leadership and for all our futures.

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This Year's Brand

Our goal was to craft an identity that reflects the compound effect of learning, where each year builds upon the last. Rather than starting fresh, we’ve designed a brand that will evolve—growing stronger with the knowledge, creativity and leadership gained from each conference. This year, the Design Leaders Conference brand is centred on Creative Courage. Read more about Design Leaders Conference brand identity...

Join us at Design Leaders Conference

Confident Creativity

The true catalysts of change are the instigators, design leaders and clients who dare to be bold, challenge the norm and question the status quo. Design’s transformative power and its potential for societal impact only unfold when designers muster the courage to make brave creative and leadership decisions. Explore with us how to take responsibility and make a difference by being prepared to challenge our work, business models and clients in response to the big emerging issues that are changing the world around us.

Success From Failure

Every leader has faced failure, made mistakes —both big and small— and carved out their success through trial and error. Inspiring as they are, none of their stories are linear. The good as much as the bad days along the significant challenges have all played crucial roles in shaping their personal paths. Our speakers will not only delve into their recognition and achievement but also what happened when things went wrong and certain failure was on the horizon. Discover how failure and recovery made all the difference in their growth as outstanding leaders.

Focus and Resilience

The conference will explore the essential elements of creative courage. What are the daily habits that encourage these and how does determination and consistency in everything we do fit into long-term success? How does the culture of our own organisations support the habit of creative courage and how can we stay the course and remain consistent when the odds are against us?

Responsibility and Legacy

Successful design work is inherently multiplied and can have greater impact beyond initial objectives. Enduring brands and identities leave lasting impressions, architecture builds permanence and effective products and services can impact the lives of millions. With power comes responsibility. How can designers and clients embrace these bigger opportunities? We will explore how we take creativity to this next level and what structural changes are required for our work to benefit everyone.

“It gave me time out to think about my business”
— Mary Doherty, Red Dog

“The best conference for meeting fellow designers and connecting with peers”
— Bobby Comerford, Catapult

“An opportunity to benchmark my thinking on design as a profession”
— Stephen McGilloway, Bigsmall Design