You Cannot Not Design – A Conference on Design in Business

The You Cannot Not Design conference was the first event in Poland to connect the themes of design and business in such a comprehensive way. For two days, the Concordia Design space in Poznań brought together experts from diverse fields – innovators, trend researchers, change leaders, and design practitioners – to explore the role of design in the context of today’s business challenges.

Participants gained access to the knowledge, tools, and inspiration needed to successfully implement innovation. They moved step by step through the design process – from team building and trend analysis to idea generation, testing, and implementation. Topics such as design thinking, the disruptive economy, and futures thinking were explored both theoretically and practically, with a strong emphasis on tangible benefits for business.

The event also had a unique format – in addition to lectures, participants could take part in workshops where they worked on real business challenges submitted by the conference partners.

The program offered two parallel tracks:

• Design Mix – for those who wanted to expand their knowledge, gain inspiration from new business models, and build networks.
• Design Jam – for participants with design experience who worked on specific projects during intensive two-day workshops.

Speakers included, among others:

• Patrick van der Pijl – an expert on business models,
• Tomas Diaz – named by The Guardian as one of the world’s 10 most important digital innovators,
• Zuzanna Skalska – a trend researcher working with global brands,
  alongside many other specialists in design, technology, social psychology, and education.

The guiding motto – “You Cannot Not Design” – captured the essence of the event: in business, everything is designed, from products to experiences to organizational culture. It was a unique gathering that left behind not only inspiration, but also practical insights on how to consciously design change within companies.