KindMind  

Last September 25th, we had the privilege of being part of this year’s International Design Conference, centered on the theme “Holding the Whole.”

Across conversations on heartbreak, making, and becoming, one truth kept surfacing for our team at KindMind:

Design is not just what we create; it’s what we choose to hold.

The land, the community, the systems, the stories, the grief, the hope.
The whole.

📝 Here are a few of our Field Notes — fragments from a day that expanded us:

✨ Heartbreak is data. Our deepest grief points to what we care about and where design must pay attention.

✨ Slowness is a design choice. Speed often breaks what community is trying to mend. Slow design is not inefficiency; it’s integrity.

✨ We learn from the things we try to avoid. Failure, discomfort, and the work we “hate” doing often reveal the next layer of our purpose.

✨ Collective resilience is the real tool. Innovation is found in people daring to imagine together.

✨ The seeds of the future already exist. In unstructured communities, in indigenous wisdom, in the land itself. The work is not to invent, but to cultivate.

✨ Transformation is not an endpoint, it’s a way of being. Change ripples across scales: self, community, systems, futures.

Abi Mapúa

Some conferences are meant to inform. Others aim to inspire. When we began designing the 2025 International Design Conference of the Philippines (IDC), we weren’t trying to do either better. We were trying to pay closer attention to how people arrive, how they listen, and what actually stays with them after the event is over.

That decision changed everything.

We let go of spectacle and focused instead on practice: how the experience would be lived, not just how it would look. Care wasn’t the outcome we were trying to manufacture; it was the design principle we used to make choices about pacing, participation, and meaning.

That approach shaped Holding the Whole: Designing for Collective Flourishing.

Louisse Kayle Palomo  

“How might we design for enoughness in a world that’s always making more?” - When Jen Horn, PCC asked that, it felt like the Design Center of the Philippines IDC 2025 had already come full circle, everything we’d been hearing suddenly clicked.

Eisuke Tachikawa’s talk on Evolutional Creativity made me rethink how I build products: that mistakes are creative power and longevity is part of design responsibility. Then Joe Pine’s Progression of Economic Value hit home as true innovation isn’t just about better goods or services, but about experiences and transformations that change lives.

As a Product Manager in healthtech, these lessons hit close to home. We’re not just digitizing healthcare; we’re designing systems of care, empathy, and shared value. In a world obsessed with growth, designing for enoughness feels revolutionary.

It’s about building things that last; platforms, relationships, and habits that make collective well-being possible. Here’s to designing with malasakit, pakikipagkapwa, and a purpose larger than profit 💙

Lad Gutierrez  

Attended my 2nd International Design Conference today ✨

I really appreciate the discussion every IDC, from last year and this year's theme.

They doesn't just talk about design as visual designs, but as an impact that affect its every shape and form.

The event was divided into 3 parts.

Session 1 - BREAK: invites us to pause and acknowledge the roots of our creativity.

This reminded me that creativity doesn't need to be original, it just need to be evolved. And there are patterns where we evolve different ideas (modulation, assimilation, reduction, proliferation, migration, substitution, separation, invertion, and integration)

Session 2 - MADE: Where vision meets execution. Through the experience of the panelist, and the tools they used, we reshape creativity.

One highlight for me here is the sustainability of our creation. The panelists discussed how tools, practices, and mindsets helps the longevity of our creativity, that we don't just create for a short-term goal, but with sustainability in mind. Helping the future generations.

Session 3 - BECOME: Explores how transformation scales our creativity.

This is simple, if you want to become the person you wanted to be, flourish and transform into the person that you wanted to be.

Thank you Design Center of the Philippines for organizing this event. Looking forward to flourishing the creative nation.

Amrei Dizon, ME, CPM  

🌊 When I met Japanese designer Eisuke Tachikawa (NOSIGNER) at the International Design Conference, one line from his Evolutional Creativity framework stayed with me:“

In nature, the best ideas come from mutations — unexpected variations that survive because they adapt.”

It struck me because that’s exactly how my own company, Vitalstrats Creative Solutions, survived when we started back in 2004.

I had zero business knowledge then. Every day felt like crisis mode. Nothing went according to plan, and we were always scrambling.

But here’s the pattern I now see, looking back through Esuke’s lens:
→ The projects that clicked came from “accidental” twists in our process
→ The relationships that sustained us were the ones born under pressure
→ The systems that lasted weren’t carefully engineered — they were patched, tested, and evolved in real time

Amrei Dizon, ME, CPM  

I listened to Joseph Pine at the International Design Conference in Manila, and his talk on the Transformation Economy left me thinking about what this means for Filipino businesses.

This line stayed with me: experiences are what we remember, transformations are what change us.

Coffee becomes more than a drink when a café helps people create mindful routines.

Bread becomes more than food when a bakery reconnects families with healthier, local grains.

A bottled agri by-product becomes more than a product when it guides communities toward sustainable living.

A workshop becomes more than a session when a training company builds confidence and habits that last.

Goods and services form the base. Experiences add memory. Transformations create meaning.

When businesses help people become healthier, more capable, more conscious — they step out of transaction and into impact. Hearing Pine in Manila reminded me that this shift isn’t just for big brands. It’s within reach for MSMEs too — if they dare to design for it.

Micah Morelos  

Just came back from the International Design Conference (IDC 2025) with the Design Center of the Philippines amid yesterday’s political climate.

This stage reminded me of what we’re losing and the need to create space to notice what has been eroded, honor indigenous wisdom, and reconnect with my personal anchors.

My lifelong dream—my “other hats” as a biologist, horticulturist, farmer, or botanist—has always guided me back to nature. Being rooted in both design and nature, I feel the need to create space to bridge the two.

Raf Dionisio from MAD Travel said: “There is so much wisdom to gain from unstructured societies.” His words show how traditional knowledge and unstructured ways of living guide regenerative design.

Decolonization underscored how colonial systems altered our connection to nature and emphasized that AI should be our partner, helping humans engage in the creative work only we can produce.

For fellow designers, Prof. Eisuke Tachikawa (from @nosigner_design )’s Evolutional Creativity is worth exploring! It shows how creativity can evolve much like a living system. His 9 Patterns of Change offer a practical framework for generating fresh ideas, enabling designers to experiment, combine, and adapt concepts in exciting and unexpected ways.

Azel Lorena  

More than creativity, design demands care, accountability, and impact. 🌱

I'm grateful for the opportunity to have attended this year's International Design Conference, hosted by the Design Center of the Philippines. It was more than a gathering of creatives – it was a reminder of the responsibility we carry as designers and as humans.

A few takeaways that will stay with me:

• Design is more than aesthetics – it must lead to change, to impact that heals and brings hope.
• True design is rooted in kapwa – seeing ourselves in others, expanding our circles of care, and building not just with but for others.• Beauty is goodness – it manifests in care, charity, and actions that sustain life rather than exploit it.
• Growth is not always about speed or scale. Sometimes, going slow and staying true to our values leads to deeper impact.
• Creativity should not be a privilege. Tools, knowledge, and opportunities must be accessible, because design belongs to everyone.

Rev Naval  

“Living life itself is a creative act” — Grateful to experience Design Center of the Philippines 2025 International Design Conference with top-tier designers, strategists, and C-level design-led professionals’

Eisuke Tachikawa of NOSIGNER, pioneer, Evolutional Creativity, member of Board of the World Design Organization, and led the Japan Pavilion concept for Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai

Joe Pine, co-author of Experience Economy, co-founder of Strategic Horizons LLP, a management advisor to Fortune 500 companies, and Transformation Economy thought leader

Amidst the super typhoon last Friday, that didn’t stop what’s meant for the design-led community of Manila to learn, evolve, and to transform not just their services and products, but the required mindset to pursue and activate design-led missions to achieve systemic change— systemic evolution rather

Fabrice Jonas  

Last Friday, Joie Cruz and I, for Limitless Lab, stepped into a vibrant jungle of ideas at the International Design Conference organised by Design Center of the Philippines in Manila.

From spheres of transformation to the vision of collective flourishing, it wasn’t just about design; it was about re-imagining how purpose, prosperity, knowledge, and wellbeing can intersect to shape the future.

What struck me most was the mix: orchids and spotlights, wisdom and wonder, local roots and global conversations. Manila proved once again that it’s not on the sidelines of design innovation ; it’s right at the heart of it.

Design, after all, is not just about objects ; it’s about creating systems where people, businesses, and cultures can truly flourish.

And yes, doing it together makes the journey even brighter.

Beth Macdonald  

The International Design Conference was once again a remarkable event. Thank you to the amazing team from The Design Center of the Philippines. The timely and targeted theme of the conference “Collective Thriving” is a territory that is close to our hearts. The work of Eisuke Tachikawa was a thorough and systematic approach to evolutionary creativity, social innovation and multidisciplinary approaches set the frame for the conference. His work echoes that of the many organizations that are searching for strategies to work across silos, disciplines and organizations to solve problems creatively.

Eisuke’s company is “Nosigner” so I was amused when Joe Pine told me he’s a NotConsultant! His work was an intriguing lesson in the evolution of the market place… taking us on a journey from commodities to transformation(as a product). I’m looking forward to the next International Design Conference and deepening of these concepts with the concepts of vertical development and an exploration of how they will best be executed in Asia by Asians.

Design Center – thank you for stimulating our minds and generating amazing dialogues. In the meantime, we’ll continue to explore how to create partnership across departments, companies and sectors!

Louie Gutierrez  

What an inspiring International Design Conference that was organized by Design Center of the Philippines! The event focused on the purpose of design that is to carry the responsibility forward, create imagination and systems to shape community.  
Towards the end of the event, participants were surprised to take home seed packets from Urban Farmers PH (UF Sustainabile Concepts Organization Inc.) which were hidden under their seats. The next day we were also happy to welcome one of the main speakers, Eisuke Tachikawa and his family to visit us at the BGC Community Farm to experience what we have designed.

Let the seeds that we grow flourish and transform better communities!

Jemmarie Bocalbos  

Attending the International Design Conference for the first time (on its 9th run) has made me realize yet again that design is not just about aesthetics or function, it is deeply tied to purpose, resilience, and humanity. It affirms how I define design, especially visual design, as something that is crucial for communication. One of the recurring messages I noted was the importance of making design matter. Jen Horn’s reminder (morning session facilitator) that this should not be “just another conference” challenged me to think about how design can create meaningful impact, not just temporary solutions.

I was struck by the idea that design is about communication. The example of Typhoon Yolanda, where people did not evacuate because terms like “storm surge” were unclear, shows how failure in communication can cost lives. As a person involved in the creative industry, a visual designer for the most part of my life and still designing now, this reminded me that clarity and empathy must guide my work.

Christine Joyce Pelayo  

🌸𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓🌸
𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞: 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠
Read more to see my thoughts about this event ⬇️

It was an honor to be part of such a significant event and to share the space with designers from so many different disciplines. This experience broadened my understanding, allowing me to look beyond my initial ideas of what a "Designer" is.

I learned that the term "design," derived from the word "designare," means "to symbolize," and I believe that by the time we departed, we all had a clear understanding of what we collectively wish to symbolize. Design, I now realize, extends far beyond mere aesthetics; it is fundamentally about leveraging creativity to achieve a compelling purpose and goal.

Our focus must shift towards designing for collective flourishing, rather than solely for personal gain, with the understanding that every action we take is a commitment to the future generation.

Coming from the energy sector, I now recognize that I possess a powerful platform which is to drive change and transformation in our country and the environment through the application of design thinking. This memorable experience has instilled in me a sense of profound metamorphosis, and I am now deeply driven to make a substantial impact. I eagerly look forward to attending the 10th International Design Conference next year

Jen Horn  

When I received the invitation to facilitate a segment of this year’s International Design Conference themed Holding The Whole: Designing for Collective Flourishing, I felt really kilig because the theme really spoke to me.

It almost felt like the organizers added my Pagbubuo meanderings + the writing of authors, facilitators, community organizers and activists whose work I resonate with (the late Joanna Macy, adrienne maree brown, Céline Semaan Vernon of Slow Factory, Ida Persson of DesignShifts, @willowonearth of Atmos, Robin Wall Kimmerer, All We Can Save’s Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson, the late Jane Goodall, etc. etc.) and plugged it into some AI thing and asked it to craft a conference concept and invitation especially for me: