Design Summer Sessions 2025

The Design Summer Sessions is an online three-day festival of learning for creative minds to:

• Re-energise, connect and share
• Reboot their creative practice and business skills
• Hear from leading Irish and international designers and subject-matter experts in a wide range of matters relating to design.

Come together with designers from diverse backgrounds and at various stages of their careers to get inspired, upskill and learn from subject-matter experts and leading design professionals discussing design practice, thinking, processes, areas of expertise,  useful tips and tricks in their fields.

From looking into emerging tools like AI to refine skills like project management, or leveraging social media. Hear about new solutions such as mediation or dive into topics shaping the future of design such as accessibility, sustainability and leadership.  There is a session tailored to every design discipline and career level!

Tickets now available on Eventbrite!

Design Summer Sessions Programme

Social: The Most Ignored Superpower in Your Agency

Rethinking your Socials with Danielle O’Connell and Lauren Higgs from Gold as Gold

Social media is now central to how brands connect, create, and grow – but many designers still treat it as an afterthought to their own business development.

This no-slides-needed session is a practical, honest forum for agency owners to share where they’re at with social; what’s working, and what’s not.

Wednesday, 13th August 2025 – from 9:30am to 10:30am

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Universal Design: Designing for Everyone

With Shivaali Scully and Dan Eames from the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design

Make a real difference through your work. Discover the real-world impact of Universal Design in this engaging session. You’ll be introduced to its core principles, see how they are applied in real-world context and explore how the EAA (European Accessibility Act) is shaping more inclusive practices across varied sectors.

Wednesday, 13th August 2025 – from 11:00am to 12:00pm

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Reignite your Business

Shape your value proposition to lead the market with Cathy Winston

Refocus and reframe your business by sharpening the one thing that makes it special: your value proposition.

If you are a design agency or studio owner, join us to find out how you can strategically re-align to market needs, skip the fluff and take brave steps forward in an increasingly challenging landscape.

Wednesday, 13th August 2025 – from 1:00pm to 2:00pm

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Good Vibes, Great Teams

Learn how to craft a team culture one block at a time with Jeannette Naughton

Discover the Culture Canvas and its 9 building blocks that shape positive and high-performing teams. Walk away with a practical tool that you can implement right away.

Wednesday, 13th August 2025 – from 3:00pm to 4:00pm

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Mastering Design Orchestration

Scope your potential: turn design strategy into action

Scope your potential with the necessary competencies to orchestrate design operationally, tactically and strategically with international design leader James Hall, Company Director of PARK and former VP of Design at Hasbro.

Thursday, 14th August 2025 – from 10:00am to 11:00am

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Seeds, Weeds and Stones

A Practical Approach to sustainability with Design Declares

Get ready to take action with this practical and very interactive session. Explore how to apply tools and resources from the Design Declares movement, such as Seeds, Weeds and Stones and the 8 Acts of Emergency, to find practical, ready-to-use answers to your daily sustainability challenges.

Thursday, 14th August 2025 – from 12:00pm to 1:00pm

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Less stress more success

Project management made simple

Want impact rather than effort?

Make your life easier! Deal with the prickly pears of project management in this short, snappy session with James Louttit of Impactful Project Management.

Thursday, 14th August 2025 – from 1:00pm to 2:00pm

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AI Tools for Prototyping

A Practical Introduction with George Longwill

This hands-on session will introduce AI-powered tools like V0.dev and the Cursor Code Editor, walk you through live demos and share practical workflow tips to help you build prototypes smarter, quicker and with confidence.

Perfect for designers ready to embrace the future with AI.

Thursday, 14th August 2025 – from 2:30pm to 3:30pm

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Conflict Resolution via Mediation

A quicker and cheaper route to settle disputes

Anywhere there is an agreement there is a potential for conflict – with clients, freelancers, employees, contractors, even family!

Join this awareness and information session for senior managers, account directors and solopreneurs, introducing the mediation process as a route to resolve conflict.

Friday, 15th August 2025 – from 10:00am to 11:00am

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Innovation by Design

Design Thinking Meets Innovation Strategy

Explore the fundamental practices behind why organisations need to innovate and what competencies companies need to continually innovate successfully with international design leader James Hall, Company Director of PARK and former VP of Design at Hasbro.

Friday, 15th August 2025 – from 12:00pm to 1:00pm

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Fees

Member Price: Complimentary

Non-Member Price: €10

Current Members of IDI, IAPI, ICAD, 100 Archive working in the private or commercial semi-state sector and based in the Republic of Ireland can avail of complimentary place on the sessions.

Find out how to become an IDI member and avail of further Design Skillnet subsidies.