Beyond Thoughtless Design — Forum highlights & thank you 💙
From accessibility to policy, from empathy to advocacy — the BEDA Design Forum 2026 in Munich made one thing clear: everything is design 🧩💡
As Christina Melander (
@christina1608 ) put it:
💬“Design must no longer be treated as an afterthought, but embedded as a core driver of decision‑making.”
Across panels and deep dives, we explored how design shapes inclusion, governance, and responsibility — and why scaling what already works is now Europe’s shared task.
🙏 Thank you to all speakers and contributors:
Christina Melander, Mark Illi, Jesko Rölz for setting the tone on design as a strategic driver
Regina Hanke,
@rihardsfunts & Janis Frisvalds, Katerina Katmada (
@kinvent_official ), Chele Esteve Sendra (
@ideas_upv )for exploring accessibility, inclusion, and lived experience
Tom Watts (
@dccireland ) for creating space to reflect and shift perspectives in the Accessibility deep dive.
Marzia Mortati (
@polimi ),
@karelvanderwaarde , Svenja Bickert‑Appleby (
@neworderdesign.academy ), Teri Okoro (
@toca_uk ) for unpacking design’s role in policy and governance;
Piotr Swiatek (
@peemef ) for reframing advocacy as long‑term, relational work;
and Sophia Bonne (
@euipo ) for highlighting the importance of design protection and collective awareness at European level.
Europe has the tools. Now it’s time to scale 🚀
➡️ More insights from the Forum on the BEDA website - link in bio
🙏 Thank you to our partners, supporters, and everyone who joined the conversation in Munich.
And special thank you to our local partners:
@bayerndesignconnects •
@munich_creative_business_week •
@wirtschaft.bayern
MADres: Co-funded by the European Union • Powered by BEDA • Supported by Creative Europe
#BEDADesignForum #BeyondThoughtlessDesign #DesignPolicy #DesignForAll #DesignProtection #ImpactByDesign
