In 2011, the Dutch graphic designers and creative directors Richard van der Laken and Pepijn Zurburg co-founded the graphic design agency Designpolitie (The Design Police), the graphic design collective Gorilla, and the design platform What Design Can Do — an international organisation that seeks to accelerate the transition to a sustainable, fair and just society using the power of design.
Since then, What Design Can Do (WDCD), has challenged the international creative community to tackle the world’s most pressing issues. Each edition provides creatives with the connections, resources, skills and funding which is required to pilot, test and scale cutting-edge innovations.
After several successful editions in Amsterdam, São Paulo, Mexico City, Nairobi, and Tokyo, WDCD is coming to India in March 2025 for the first edition of WDCD Live in Delhi — one of South Asia’s most rapidly evolving cities. The event comes at a critical time as India faces increasing climate-related challenges like uncontrolled plastic pollution, rising sea levels threatening coastal communities, unpredictable monsoon patterns disrupting agriculture, and intensifying heat waves endangering millions of people.
“The planetary climate crisis calls for spaces of joint action and urgent collaborative efforts, WDCD’s Delhi inaugural edition intends to foster a collective, a community of stakeholders passionate to take charge of these key and critical themes for change, resilience and social justice.”Sourabh Gupta, Founder of The Design Village
“We're very excited about What Design Can Do coming to Delhi. The climate urgencies we face as a region requires a uniquely local response as much as it requires collective global action. Any effort towards climate action must factor the social, economic, political and cultural nuances of South Asia," says Ayush Chauhan, the co-founder of Quicksand — a New Delhi-based design studio and business consultancy firm and the research partner of WDCD in Delhi. "This (WDCD Live Delhi) is an incredible opportunity to center the voices and imaginations of creative changemakers from India and the South Asian region."
"WDCD has, over the last decade, created a powerful global platform for designers and the wider creative community to demonstrate the power of design in addressing issues of climate justice and social equity."Ayush Chauhan, Co-Founder of Quicksand
The day-long symposium will highlight real-world examples of creative approaches to building a fair and regenerative future through talks, workshops, exhibitions, and cultural performances led by some of the most influential creatives from South Asia and beyond such as design technologist Som Ray, architects Abhimanyu Singhal and Depanshu Gola, Rainmatter Foundation founder Kailash Nadh, and bio designers Namita Bhatnagar and Emma van der Leest.
WDCD Live Delhi 2025 will focus on three key themes: Circular Planet: Design for a Regenerative Future; The Power of Community: Design through Radical Collaboration; and Rethinking Technology. By weaving together global perspectives and local insights, WDCD Live Delhi 2025 aims to inspire bold strategies that foster more resilient, circular and collective ways of living. The festival will merge conversation and concerns around climate with the creative imagination needed to spark action.
What Design Can Do Live Delhi 2025 will take place at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, on March 8, 2025. Learn more about the festival and buy tickets here.
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