Design shapes our daily lives, influencing how we interact with each other and with our environment. When at its best, design is a powerful catalyst for change. Conversely we can think of change as a catalyst for design; Design and designers flourish in a state of flux and the most interesting work can emerge from the chaos.

Founded in 1966, the Design Research Society (DRS) is the multi-disciplinary learned society for the global design research community. Members and participants are drawn from diverse backgrounds and as well as running a biennial conference, DRS sponsors a wide range of events and publications.

DRS2018, hosted by the University of Limerick and Limerick School of Art and Design, Limerick Institute of Technology, invites designers to explore these relationships across an exciting four-day conference from 25th- 28th June 2018. Building on the futures orientation of DRS2016, DRS2018 will explore emergent themes at the intersections of design research, design practice, design education and design policy.

It aims to provide a platform for discussions around the changing territorial contexts of design locally, nationally and transnationally. Ireland is an ideal location to position these explorations as it has recently launched an ambitious programme of capacity building for design policy and practice.

We invite practicing designers, design researchers, academics and students to input and share research and practice insights through keynotes, debates, presentations, workshops and conversations. We actively encourage engagement from traditional and non-traditional design researchers from around the world.