Dezeen promotion: Dezeen has teamed up with the annual What Design Can Do conference to give readers a 15 per cent discount on tickets for this year's event in Amsterdam.
Founded in 2011, What Design Can Do is an annual two-day event that brings together leading designers from around the globe for talks and debates.
The event was originally created with the intention of providing designers with a platform to discuss and apply their expertise to various social issues.
The 2015 conference will run from 21 to 22 May at the Stadsschouwburg – a theatre dating from the 1890s – in the Dutch capital.
Among this year's special guests are architect Ole Scheeren, the Campana Brothers and Sissel Tolaas, who designed a scent installation designed with Mickaël Wiesengrün.
"What Design Can Do began five years ago with the ambition to connect designers with the major social questions of our age," said the organisers.
"Since then the event has evolved into a broad movement in which designers from many countries inspire one another with 'best practices' in the area of social design."
Tickets are normally priced at €395.00 for a two-day ticket and €235.00 for a single day, but Dezeen readers can receive a 15 per cent discount by entering the code DEZEEN-GIVEME15 during checkout on the What Design Can Do site.
Find out more about the conference on the website, and read on for more information from the organisers.
What Design Can Do is a conference that gathers together leading design thinkers from all over the world and challenges them to deploy their design talent to make the world a better place, as the New York Times reported last year.
The fifth annual event about the social relevance of design takes place this year in Amsterdam on 21 and 22 May. More than ever before, this year’s event focuses on how designers can apply their expertise and skills in tackling social issues in the areas of economy, culture, the environment and education.
Among this year's special guests are Alejandro Magallanes, the politically driven poster designer from Mexico. Cameron Sinclair, founder of Architecture for Humanity, will discuss the Department of Small Works, an open source design collective that tests building solutions in the field. Also appearing are star chef Alex Atala (Brasil), Stefan Sagmeister (US), Bompas & Parr (UK), Sissel Topaas (Norway), Michael Johnson (UK) and Ole Scheeren (Germany).
Other guests on the programme this year include the Campanas, the furniture design duo from Brazil, Michael Murphy of the MASS Design Group in Boston, architect Francis Kéré from Burkina Faso and Steve Rura of Google Creative Lab.
What Design Can Do began five years ago with the ambition to connect designers with the major social questions of our age. Since then the event has evolved into a broad movement in which designers from many countries inspire one another with 'best practices' in the area of social design during lectures, working sessions and informal meetings.
The growth of What Design Can Do is illustrated this year with events at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Balie Debate Centre and the Apple Store, and with the second film festival. What Design Can Do also features a daily design blog with news and background information about innovative social design.