The Future of Design – Designing the Future

The Imag(e)ing Futures conference will examine the epistemic, aesthetic, and political practices of design through the lens of visions and images of the future. It asks how visions of the future emerge, how they circulate in cultural and media contexts, and how they exert their influence. Here, processes such as prototyping and speculative approaches are understood not merely as forms of expression, but as methods through which spaces of possibility can be made visible, and alternative narratives of the future can be explored.

The conference is based on the idea that visions and images of the future (Zukunftsentwürfe) play a key role in how society understands itself amidst ecological, technological and social changes. These visions and images function not merely as projections, but as practices that organise expectations and guide present-day action. The conference addresses this by collectively and interdisciplinarily examining the aesthetic forms, epistemic claims and political dimensions of such visions.

Visions and images of the future are examined as cultural and media forms that condense contemporary analyses, value judgements and collective expectations. Research into ‘imaginaries’ reveals that visions of scientific and technological progress frequently align with concepts of the common good and shared futures. Imag(e)ing Futures brings together researchers, futurologists, designers, lecturers, students and alumni to explore the role of design in developing visions of the future whilst questioning the future of design itself. The conference demonstrates how design makes the future conceivable and negotiable, from visual media and product and interaction design to spatial and visual practices.

The aim is to combine focused interdisciplinary discourse with conceptual clarification, case studies and workshop formats. An open-access publication will make the conference’s processes and results accessible to specialists. An exhibition of the same name, showcasing the work of students from the Faculty of Design, will accompany the conference.

Program

Thursday, November 5, 2026

• Welcome and opening remarks
• Panel 1: The Future of Images – Images of the Future
  (headed by Prof. Johhanna Diehl)
  Which visual forms and narrative patterns shape contemporary visions of the future? This section explores how the future is formed, presented and understood through images, and how current experiences influence our expectations.
• Lunch
• Panel 2: Sustainability & Future Studies in Design
  (headed by Dr. Beatrice Barrois)
  How are visions of the future shaped in discourses on sustainability and transformation? The focus is on goals, values and areas of conflict, as well as on how these visions are translated into political, social and cultural processes.
• Dinner-Keynote & Exhibition opening

Friday, November 6, 2026

• Welcome 
• Panel 3: Prototypes and other tools for thinking about the future
  (headed by Prof. Judith Glaser)
  To what extent do prototypes, scenarios, and speculative design processes generate new knowledge? This section looks at how designs reveal assumptions and make alternatives tangible and testable, as well as how criticism of linear assumptions about progress can be captured methodologically.
• Lunch
• Panel 4: Transferring visions of the future
  (headed by Prof. Erich Schöls)
  In practical contexts such as policy advice, planning, education, technological development and cultural outreach, how do visions of the future come into play? This section examines how such visions are used as a guide, the criteria that determine their plausibility, and their impact on decision-making processes.
• Farewell

Speaker

(confirmed)

• Prof. Raffaela Aversa
  University of Campania (IT), Materials Research and Bioengineering
• Prof. Manuel Casasola-Merkle
  University of Applied Sciences Nürnberg (DE), Computer Generated Imaging

• Prof. Sydney Craig
  Herron School of Art and Design, Indiana University (USA), Narration and Artistic Practice

• Prof. Dr. Rafael Dernbach
  University of Applied Sciences Bielefeld (DE), Media Theory
• Prof. Dr. Gesa Foken
  University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt (DE), Art and Design Didactics and Research
• Prof. Carl Frech
  Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (DE), Design, concepts and ideation
• Prof. Dr. Eileen Mandir
  University of Applied Sciences München (DE), Systemic design in the context of social change and transformative processes
• Julian Moder
  Technnical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (DE), Design research and science communication
• Prof. Andreas Muxel
  Technical University of Applied SciencesAugsburg (DE), Physical human-machine interfaces
• Prof. Dr. Nicholas Müller
  Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (DE), Social informatics and the social aspects of digitalisation
• Prof. Susanne Ritzmann
  Kunsthochschule (Academy of Arts) Kassel (DE), Sustainable product design and development
• Prof. Dr. Gerhard Schweppenhäuser
  Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (DE), Design, Communication and Media Theory
• Magdalena Soetebeer
  Schaltzeit GmbH (DE), Future Studies
• Markus Turber
  Intuity Media Lab (DE), Innovation development
• Prof. Dr. Jörg Vogel
  Helmholtz – Centre for Infection Research (DE), Data interfaces for RNA-based infection research
• Prof. David Voss
  University of Applied Sciences Mainz (DE), Post-disciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches in Design
• Samira Wirtz
  Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (DE), Design and Intersectionality
• Prof. Joanna Zylinska
  King’s College London (GB), Photography, Media Philosophy and Critical Digital Practices