Where does assistance end and where does the transfer of responsibility begin? What role do judgment, attitude, and responsibility play?

Never before have designers had access to so many tools. Yet never before have questions of responsibility, quality, and human judgment been as relevant as they are today. We develop AI systems, while at the same time these systems are reshaping our work, our thinking, and our decisions.

As AI generates content, informs decisions, and influences creative processes, a critical question emerges: who is responsible, the technology, its developers, or those who use it? Artificial intelligence accelerates workflows, expands creative possibilities, and blurs the boundaries between humans and machines. At the same time, it creates new challenges: algorithmic bias, opaque decision-making, questions of copyright, accountability, and broader societal impact.

This event explores AI not as a promise of innovation, but as a design and leadership challenge. What responsibilities do designers and design leaders carry when implementing intelligent systems? How is AI transforming the roles, skills, and ways of working within design teams? And which capabilities will remain uniquely human in the future?

A further focus is on design education. As research, visualization, and concept development become increasingly supported by AI, what will students need to learn going forward? What role will creativity, critical thinking, judgment, and ethics play in an AI-driven world of work? Bringing together perspectives from design, technology, academia, and education, the event examines what a responsible future of design might look like and why human values and judgment become even more important as our tools grow more powerful.

In collaboration with the Berlin University of Applied Sciences (HTW Berlin) and the Association of German Industrial Designers (VDID).

Companies, agencies, freelancers, and young talents have until November 17 to submit their work for the UX Design Awards – Spring 2027. You can find all the details about this global competition for outstanding experience design on the UX Design Awards website.

One eagle, countless associations - and a remarkable design story. IDZ board member Rayan Abdullah takes us behind the scenes of the redesign of the German Federal Eagle and explores what it means to rethink one of Germany’s most recognisable symbols.

What makes an eagle a symbol of state power? And how much design freedom lies within one of the country’s most iconic emblems?

In the lecture "Animals in Power - The Federal Eagle", designer, typographer, and IDZ board member Rayan Abdullah traces the history, symbolism, and visual evolution of the German Federal Eagle.

From its origins as a symbol of divine authority and rulership to its associations with strength, justice, and national identity, the eagle has taken many forms over the centuries. The lecture explores heraldic traditions, changing visual styles, and the challenge of translating a historic emblem into a contemporary graphic mark.

Drawing on his own experience redesigning the Federal Eagle for the visual identity of the German Federal Government, Abdulla offers rare insights into the design process. Through concrete examples, he demonstrates how proportions, form, feather structure, and expression shape the perception of a symbol, and why functionality, recognisability, and a distinctive visual language are essential.

A lecture about the power of visual symbols, the responsibility of design, and the balance between tradition and contemporary relevance.

For everyone who wants to do more than see design - for everyone who wants to understand it.