The Design Across Borders: United in Creativity conference aims to be a celebration of the transformative power inherent in design—a force that transcends geographic and cultural boundaries. In an era characterized by unprecedented connectivity, the theme of the conference embodies the spirit of unity, collaboration, and
creativity.
Tracks:
1. Design for Change: Social Innovation | Co-creation | Participative Design | Sustainability | Diversity, Inclusion and Equity | Climate Change | Inclusive Business Models | Circular Economy
2. Speculative Futures: Future of Art and Design | Technology | Immersive Experiences and Virtual Realities | Artificial Intelligence
3. Education in Art and Design: Educational Innovation | Interdisciplinarity | Global Collaborations | Digital Transformation
4. Translocality: Global South | North-South Borders | Migration, Immigration and Displacement | Decolonization
Hosted by National School of Architecture, Art and Design Tecnológico de Monterrey and Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM).
Keynote Speakers
Paula Scher
– partner at Pentagram since 1991, is one of the world’s most influential graphic designers, known for blending pop culture and fine art. Her iconic work includes the identities for The Public Theater, Citibank, and Tiffany & Co., which have become benchmarks in contemporary design. Scher’s career spans decades, earning her numerous accolades, including the AIGA Medal and the National Design Award. Her work is exhibited globally and held in major museum collections. A prolific educator and author, she is featured in the Netflix series “Abstract: The Art of Design.”
Cuauhtémoc Medina
– art critic, curator and historian. He is currently Head Curator at MUAC Museum (Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo) at the National University (UNAM) in Mexico City. In 2012, Medina was Head Curator of the Manifesta 9 Biennial in Genk, Belgium, titled The Deep of the Modern and in 2018 he was Chief Curator of the 12th Shanghai Biennale: Proregress. He also received the Walter Hopps Award for Curatorial Achievement of the Menil Foundation in 2013.
Alberto Villarreal
– named one of the 20 Most Influential Latinos in Tech by CNET (2017, 2018), is a Creative Leader with over 20 years of experience in Industrial Design, Interior Architecture, and Design Strategy. Currently Director of Design at TONAL, he leads Industrial Design, User Experience, and User Research teams. Previously, he spent nine years at Google as Creative Lead, overseeing the design of the Pixel mobile products. Co-founder of AGENT, a design firm in Mexico City, Alberto has received over 50 international awards and has spoken at prestigious global events.
Alice Rawsthorn
– award-winning design critic and author, whose books include Design as an Attitude, Hello World: Where Design Meets Life and Design Emergency: Building a Better Future, co-written with Paola Antonelli, senior curator of design at MoMA, New York. Alice’s weekly design column for The New York Times was syndicated worldwide for over a decade. She is a co-founder, with Paola, of the Design Emergency podcast, YouTube channel and research platform, which investigates design’s role in forging a fairer future.In all her work, she champions design’s potential as a social, political and ecological tool.
Don Norman
– Distinguished Professor, emeritus at the University of California, San Diego, former Vice President of Advanced Technology at Apple, and co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group, emeritus . He has three honorary degrees, is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an honorary fellow of the Design Research Society. In 2021 he received the British Sir Misha Black Medal for Distinguished Services to Design Education. His 21 books include Emotional Design, Design of Everyday Things, and Design for a Better World: Meaningful, Sustainable, Humanity Centered. That last book compelled him to co-create a charity, The Don Norman Design Award, that rewards early career practitioners who practice what he preaches.
Ana Elena Mallet
– Distinguished Professor in Design at Tecnológico de Monterrey and independent curator specializing in modern and contemporary design, and cultural management. Ana Elena shares, learns and discovers things about the past that she can apply to the present. She faces the challenge of being meticulous and understanding that historical research takes a long time, and thus requires her patience. She is a member of the Architecture and Design Acquisitions Committee at MoMA (New York City) and has collaborated with museums such as the Art Institute of Chicago and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Stuart Candy
– Distinguished Visiting Professor in Critical Futures at Tecnológico de Monterrey. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and was an associate professor of social foresight at Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York. He has supported communities, creatives, and leaders around the world to design their future, including governments and global institutions such as UNESCO, the World Economic Forum, IDEO, BBC, International Red Cross, among others. He is a member of the World Futures Studies Federation and The Long Now Foundation.
