international design day 2025: outlandish optimism

27.03.2025 Announcements

What if designers embraced outlandish optimism as a mindset and design method? The International Design Day theme for 2025 is about designing narratives to imagine alternate, positive futures.

The IDD2025 theme Outlandish Optimism is about myth-breaking and refusing doom and gloom narratives. This year's theme is being developed by our host Member the Association of Polish Graphic Designers (STGU) with poster design by Ukrainian graphic designer, illustrator, and art director Olena Tverdokhlib whom we invited to give their unique interpretation of the theme.

INTRODUCTION

Humans always want more: more land, more water, more air, more materials! But historically and now, humans have not been fair about this more-seeking. And the ecosystems and land-spaces from which humans extract resources for taking, and making more, have set up unjust systems of production, consumption and distribution; systems that don’t respect all humans, and certainly not all forms of other-than-human life. For designers living and working in this reality, where making is still what we do, what about remaking ourselves, not the world? What about not making more, and considering that maybe … there is enough already? To imagine this alternate way of designing, we invite you to adopt a speculative mindset of outlandish optimism.

TRANSFORMING THE ABUNDANCE MYTH

 When we understand and experience the planet in terms of its multiple scales and timeframes (also known as “planetary-scale thinking”), a positive fact emerges: the planet does have enough resources to go around. This includes land, water, food, shelter, and all the wonderful earthly materials for making and designing things. The scarcity myth is a myth: abundance is real; the problem is distribution. Overconsumption. Fast fashion. Mountains of trash. Stuff! Human-centered approaches no longer fairly address the scale of how our planet and its inhabitants find balance. So, now what?

REFUSING DOOM AND LOOMING STUFF

What if designers embraced outlandish optimism as a speculative, wily attitude and design method? We know: optimism feels unfamiliar—an outlandish way to be thinking right now. How dare we feel optimistic in this time of ecological crises, war, greed and looming garbage! Wouldn’t pessimism and doomed-thinking be a more ethical and sustainable approach to all the looming stuff! The thing is, just having an optimistic mindset has been proven to fuel positive outcomes. It helps in human longevity, and it stimulates capacity to carry out concrete actions for change. Even more outlandish, what if OO kicks the also fuels a sense of wonder and enchantment with the at the already more-ness of the world. What if OO stimulates creativity in our relationships and work, where we no longer extract from each other and the planet, but tune-in differently to the complex dynamics that support balance, equity and flourishing?

OUTLANDISH OPTIMISM EVENT — International Design Day 2025 / Poland

OPTIMISM AS A DESIGN PRACTICE

"As designers, optimism is part of our DNA. We are trained to look forward, to imagine, to shape. But optimism is not automatic. It is a skill. A choice. A responsibility. And ultimately — a practice. We are trained to look ahead. We hold knowledge, tools, and imagination to shift perspectives — our own and others'. That is why optimism lies at the heart of design. But whether we use it depends on our readiness and agency. In a world of burnout, cynicism, climate crisis, war, speed and shallowness, optimism can feel absurd. But what if optimism is the most radical and powerful creative tool we have? The STGU event for International Design Day 2025 is a polyphonic story of Outlandish Optimism as a real professional stance. It is a gathering of people who practice optimism through action. Not by theorising — but by designing." — Association for Polish Graphic Designers (STGU) led by Lena Pianovska (Board member) 

PROGRAMME AND TALKS

Bartek Kotowicz (PL)
"Self-belief is strategy."
Brand strategist, LinkedIn expert, mentor and educator.
Helps creatives build an authentic online presence — without pressure or pretence. Shows how designers can stand out in a world where imagination has long lost to analytics. LinkedIn without cringe? That too is a form of optimism.

Anssi Kähärä (FI)
"Humanity is the Ultimate Brief"
Creative Director of Werklig, president of Grafia, juror on three continents.
Author of Helsinki’s new identity and one of Europe’s most influential designers. Brings the Nordic approach: calm, witty, inwardly confident. Shows how even public systems can be redesigned with care and courage. Believes design can make public things more human.

Pani Jurek (PL)
“Beauty as resistance.”
Artist, designer and founder of an independent ceramic studio. Creates sensual, interactive objects that sit between art and design. Her work is a materialisation of hope. Beauty and tactility become a form of resistance in a world increasingly cold and disconnected from the senses.

Lena Pianovska & Bożena Cichecka (PL)
"Trust as strategy: the Kraków Music Centre case study"
STGU board members. Two creators. Two perspectives. One shared commitment.
The story of working with the City of Krakow on the identity for the Music Centre. A public tender that didn’t turn into farce — but into a flagship process grounded in trust, partnership and craftsmanship. A case proving that trust can lead to the best public design process in Poland to date.
"We work with businesses, cultural institutions, municipalities and NGOs. We know optimism is a choice — and that it is worth designing for good times, not only hard ones."

EVENT FORMAT

• Hybrid: Warsaw + livestream (to be confirmed)
• 2 Languages: Polish and English (no translation provided)
• Guests from Poland, Finland and beyond
• Format: workshop, talks, conversation, case study

Note from STGU: This is not an event about perfection. It is a meeting of people who work because they believe better is possible. Outlandish Optimism is not a theme. It is a stance.
It is the act of working as if the world can be fixed. Because it can. In Poland — a place where history lives close to the surface — optimism must be crafted with care. It is a conscious act of creative defiance. Our programme reminds us that even in ruins, we can imagine and design for good times. Not just for survival.

FURTHER 2025 ACTIONS + PROMPTS

Looking for more ideas on how to celebrate International Design Day 2023? Here are some ideas for ways to celebrate together:

We encourage designers and organisations to create events around this theme. These could be digital events like live interviews, conferences, talks streamed via social media or in-person meetings, discussions, or workshops inspired by theme and the following prompts:

— Is your design optimistic?

— Do you feel defeated by the pressure to create more “stuff”, to design unethical objects or systems of distribution that are not fair or kind? How can your design practice break the myth that there are “not enough” resources to go around?

— Which doom and gloom narratives are censoring you from designing the way you want? What about bringing more positivity into your practice?

— How can you use the tools of design to shift perceptions so that all people and living things can “bloom”? Can you imagine developing a positive model for something no one has seen yet?

— What outlandish design act could you carry out to prove optimism can support balance, equity and flourishing?

Follow us and share news about your own IDD2025 Outlandish Ooptimism celebration:

— Instagram tag @internationaldesignday #IDD2025 #outlandishoptimism

— Facebook: join the IDD Group and post your stories


— X (formerly Twitter: tag @theicod #IDD2025

*Please note that only posts that follow the IDD2025 theme, Outlandish Optimism will be shared.

STORY BEHIND THE POSTER DESIGN 

The Outlandish Optimism (OO) poster for this year’s International Design Day draws inspiration from a profound narrative of resilience. Created by Ukrainian designer Olena Tverdokhlib amidst ongoing confrontation, the design embodies hope and optimism in the face of adversity.

Flowers symbolise resilience and the unwavering belief that hope blooms even in the bleakest circumstances. The poster’s dark background represents the harsh realities and instability echoing across nations today. Against this backdrop, eyes serve as lenses through which we perceive the world—lenses that creatives have the power to adjust, focusing on light that can exist within the shadows. These visual elements encourage us to seek out and nurture positivity in challenging environments.

As designers and creatives, we have the tools and the power to shift perception. Our work can craft narratives, guide attention, and orient minds towards optimism, particularly during difficult times. This poster reminds us that our creative vision can illuminate paths forward, inspiring others to find beauty and resilience in unexpected places. In this, we invite all designers to reflect on our role as creators in shaping a more optimistic worldview that resonates with those facing conflicts and challenges worldwide.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Olena Tverdokhlib is a Ukrainian graphic designer, illustrator, and art director. Born and educated in Kyiv, she studied Decorative and Applied Arts and has over a decade of experience creating bold visual identities, packaging, and communication campaigns.

Olena has worked with leading agencies in Ukraine and Poland, including Ogilvy, Grey, Scholz & Friends, and Dozen, shaping creative for both local and global brands. She has also designed numerous social campaigns, bringing visual clarity and emotional impact to issues that matter.

 Her work has earned recognition from Effie, KIAF, and Red Apple, among others. As a member of the Polish Association of Graphic Designers (STGU), Olena brings a sharp eye for concept and detail, blending artistic sensibility with strategic design thinking across branding, illustration, and art direction.

Olena Tverdokhlib: be.net/LenaTV