Design Matters Tokyo will be back for its 5th edition on 13-14 September, in Tokyo and online. As per tradition, the conference will bring Japanese and international designers on stage to discuss everything digital design. This year, the Design Matters Board, Team, and our Tokyo Representative have carefully considered the trends, traditions, and urgent conversations shaping the design landscape in 2025. The result? Four themes that will guide our discussions, spark new ideas, and challenge us to rethink how we design for the future. Explore the themes below—and don’t forget to grab your ticket: https://ti.to/design-matters/tokyo-25
Theme 1: Equipping for the Future
The design landscape is shifting fast. Staying relevant means adapting, learning, and embracing new tools—but which ones truly matter? This theme explores how designers can prepare for the future, embrace change, and adapt by filling our toolbelts with the necessary skills to stake our claim in an evolving industry.
Theme 2: Responsible Designers
Designers hold incredible power, shaping life, experiences, and society—and that responsibility can not be ignored. This theme tackles ethics, sustainability, and inclusivity, urging designers to move beyond good intentions and actively create accessibility, equity, and sustainability for ALL. How do we design for a greener future? And how do we embed DEI and sustainability into the very core of our work?
Theme 3: Magic in the Details
Designers are born with an incredible instinct that can’t be taught or artificially created. This theme will honor the magic in the details, the warmth, the personality, the style, and the originality that designers possess -their human touch. Covering how the attention to little things is what makes great designers craft good designs.
Theme 4: Local Heroes to Global Icons (guest-hosted by Kontrapunkt)
Great brands balance authenticity with adaptability. This theme explores how brands can honor their local heritage while scaling to a global audience, creating meaningful connections across cultures.
Why Join DMT25?
The role of designers has never been more complex, or more exciting. We’re expected to adapt, lead, and create with meaning, all while navigating rapid shifts in technology and culture. That’s why this year’s themes go beyond trends. They challenge us to be prepared, be responsible, embrace the details, and scale with purpose. At Design Matters Tokyo 2025, we’ll dive into the ideas shaping our industry, so we can design with more intention, impact, and responsibility. Whether you’re refining your craft, rethinking your role, or shaping the future of design, this is your chance to be part of the conversation. Join us in September—let’s prepare for what’s next, together.
