Campfire with Mat Hunter, Chief Design Officer at The Design Council

If anyone epitomises the use of design as a force for good, it’s Mat Hunter. Chief Design Officer at the Design Council, his inventive use of architecture and design has helped solve a myriad of complex problems; from stopping the spread of superbugs, to reducing crime and promoting wellness for the aged. His Design Challenges programme aims to show how design can create practical solutions to the big issues of our time.

Graduating from the Royal College of Art in the mid-nineties, Mat started his career as an interaction designer at internationally renowned design and innovation consultancy IDEO, in their San Francisco office. There he soon found himself working alongside some of the pioneers that created the digital world that we enjoy today, and rose to become a partner at the prestigious company.
Now back in the UK, Mat’s enjoying contributing to what many consider to be a huge opportunity for design: social innovation. Often enabled by digital platforms and driven by a new generation of designers passionate about putting their skills to a higher cause, this world of services and products is providing new fuel for creative minds and a new frontier for design.

In his Campfire talk Mat will relate some of the ways in which design has changed for him over the past 25 years, evolving from static to interactive products, to services and then systems, but also exploring design’s dual nature as a cultural and economic agent.

Supporting Mat’s Campfire talk, the ditto doors will exhibit The Design Council’s design challenges. Each competition is designed to address societal issues, showing how design can create practical solutions to complex problems and stimulate opportunities. The Challenges are: Living with Dementia, Independence Matters, Reducing Violence and Aggression in A&E, and Design Bags Out.