Design and a New* Economy
*
Degrowth, Well-being, Regenerative, Post-growth
Seminar
Date: 2 May 2026
Time: 10.00-16.30
Soft welcome from 9.30 with coffee and croissants
Place: Lundtoftegade 23 st
Copenhagen/Denmark
What is the relationship between design, the economy, and the discipline of economics? This question is at the core of a series of gatherings taking place in early 2026 at The__School for Designing Critique.
In a preliminary reading group, we will explore how the design discipline is entangled in the capitalist economy. In the subsequent seminar, we will examine how a new economy, based on ideas such as degrowth, doughnut economics, regenerative economics, and well-being economics, may affect the design discipline, and how design can contribute to shaping and transitioning toward this new economic paradigm.
The Theme
At first glance, this relationship may not appear to be the most obvious focal point. However, when viewed through a longer historical lens — one that traces the rise of capitalism from the dawn of industrialization alongside the later emergence of design as a discipline — it becomes clear that design and the capitalist economy have been highly compatible and intimately connected throughout the twentieth century. One aspect of this relationship is that design has both delivered desirable products to a consumer society and, at the same time, helped to create desire for those very same products through advertising.
Within the discipline of economics, particularly in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, a broad and diverse body of theoretical work has emerged — often gathered under the umbrella term post-growth. This field encompasses a range of perspectives such as Degrowth, regenerative economics, well-being economics, and the doughnut model. While differing in emphasis and methodology, these perspectives propose alternative forms of economy beyond capitalism. A central concern across this post-growth literature is how, in the age of the Anthropocene, we can create economies that both acknowledge planetary boundaries and accommodate the needs and well-being of all humans and non-humans alike. A key critique within these perspectives targets the prevailing belief in perpetual economic growth as measured by GDP — a metric that fails to distinguish between economic profit for the few and broader social and ecological value. This limitation is particularly significant in Global North economies — where this school is situated and where the economies are already operating beyond the planetary boundaries.
From these concerns, two intertwined questions emerge at The__School for Designing Critique: The first asks how a new economic paradigm might affect and reshape the discipline of design —when the conditions and incentives that frame design practice begin to shift, what happens to the designer and to the things that are designed? The second question reframes this relationship by asking what role design itself might play in giving form to this emerging economic paradigm.
The Reading Group
January-March 2026
The focus on the relationship between design and economics will be initiated by a reading group exploring the question: how is the current capitalist economy entangled with the design discipline? This question will be addressed through the reading of the book "Design After Capitalism" by Matthew Wizinsky.
The Reading Group will take place at the lovely bookstore Supertimebooks at Nørrebro, Copenhagen.
The Seminar
2 May 2026
10:00–16:30 CET, with a soft welcome from 9:30 with coffee and croissants
The seminar will explore how a new economy, based on ideas such as degrowth, doughnut economics, regenerative economics, and well-being economics, may affect the design discipline, and how design can contribute to shaping and transitioning toward this new economic paradigm.
The seminar takes place at Lundtoftegade 23, 2200 Copenhagen N
Buy tickets
(Lunch is included in the ticket)
The Program
| Welcome and introduction to the framework of the seminar + we say hi to each other |
| Talk on post-growth economics by PhD and activist Line Kvartborg Vestergaard |
| Talk by PhD and design researcher Åsa Ståhl about her design practice and the research project Design after Progress |
| Lunch |
| A guided tour into the workshop space of I tråd med verden by Head of Design and Development Liv Beier Heckmann |
| An online talk by Adrià Garcia i Mateu about his design practice and engagement in the Catalan design studio Holon |
| Closing remarks + check out |
Curriculum
Boehnert, J. (2018). Anthropocene Economics and Design: Heterodox Economics for Design Transitions. She Ji The Journal of Design Economics and Innovation. 💌
Elzenbaumer, B. (2020). Moving from Critical Design to Caring Design Practices in an interdependent World. 💌
Julier, G. (2021). The Promise of the Creative Industries, Design Work and Livelihoods. Parole.cc. 💌
Kallis, G. et al (2025). Post-growth: the science of wellbeing within planetary boundaries. The Lancet Planetary Health. Elsevier. 💌
Kimmere, R.W. (2022). The Serviceberry. Emergence Magazine 💌
Lauridsen, A. and Hansen, J. (2022). Hvad laver en økonom i Designrådet?
(The text is in Danish, but the title translate “What does an Economist do in the Danish Design Council?” ). Parole.cc. 💌
Schmelzer, M., Vetter, A., Vansintjan, A. (2022). The future is degrowth: a guide to a world beyond capitalism. Verso. Introduction Chapter.
Ståhl, Å. (2025). Design and Householding. Seasonal Designing with the Holding Surplus House. Växjö, Linnaeus University Press. 22-31. 💌
Tonkinwise, C. (2025). Online talk about “Degrowth Design – Transitioning Human-Thing Relations”. 🎥
Wizinsky, M. (2022). Design after Capitalism - Transforming Design Today for an Equitable Tomorrow. The MIT Pres. Introduction chapter and first part Diagnosis & Critique. https://designaftercapitalism.org/