Thoughts on #createdebate – a symposium on design & innovation

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending #createdebate - a symposium at Glasgow School of Art which showcased the work of the inaugural graduates of the GSA’s Masters in Design Innovation.

The event was curated by Sarah Drummond (@rufflemuffin | @mypolice) and in her showcase presentation which concluded the day, she talked about her experience of working to support a culture of service design and innovation within Skills Development Scotland.

It was fascinating and essential stuff and the message that I most came away with was that design and innovation are inseparably linked and that in an age of great challenges, when people talk about the WHAT of innovation, it is design – and increasingly user-centred design – that is the HOW.

And with regards the festivals, it made me become excited about how the thinking, practices and lesson of service design could augment and support our work here at festivalslab.