Design Talk Roundtables at the City Museum of Ljubljana
On Wednesday, April 2, 2025, as part of the international GoinGreenGlobal Design Week 2025, two engaging Design Talk roundtables took place at the City Museum of Ljubljana, shedding light on the role of design as a strategic tool for sustainable business, company growth, and international cooperation.
The event was hosted by Assoc. Prof. Blažka Muller, PhD. It opened with a keynote by Prof. Nada Rožmanec Matičič, u.d.i.a., Dean of the Faculty of Design, who presented the topic “Why is Design Important for the Creative Industries.”
First Roundtable: Design as a Catalyst for Sustainable Business
The first roundtable, “Design as a Catalyst for Sustainable Business”, was moderated by Lynne Elvins (Design Rally, UK) and Steiner Valade-Amland (Three Point Zero, Denmark), in collaboration with Design Management Slovenia (DMS) and the Competence Centre for Design Management 4.0.
Participants included:
- Assoc. Prof. Jordan Berginc, PhD, Asst. Prof. Mateja Š. Dimic, MSc, and Assoc. Prof. Tanja Devetak (Faculty of Design, Slovenia)
- Prof. Dušanka Komnenić, PhD and Prof. Dragan Ćalović, PhD (Faculty of Contemporary Arts, Serbia)
- Asst. Prof. Robert Klun, u.d.i.arh. (Robert Klun Architects, Faculty of Design, Slovenia)
The discussion was followed by a relaxed networking coffee break.
Second Roundtable: Design as a Strategy of Growth of Every Company – International Cooperation Event
Later in the morning, the second roundtable titled “Design as a Strategy of Growth of Every Company – International Cooperation Event” took place, moderated by Prof. Nada Rožmanec Matičič, u.d.i.a. and Asst. Prof. Marija Miloshevska Janakieska, PhD (International Balkan University, North Macedonia).
We had the pleasure of hosting:
- Prof. Giuseppe Marinelli De Marco (ISIA Roma Design, Italy)
- Taco Langius (Libera Accademia Belle Arti, Italy)
- Asst. Prof. Arbresha Ibrahimi, PhD (IBU, North Macedonia), representing the WDO – Young Designers Circle
- Asst. Prof. Robert Klun, Ambassador of Designers Hub Dubai (Robert Klun Architects)
- Anamarija Čuden, representative of DOS mladi (Designers Society of Slovenia Youngsters)
- Jan Krmelj, Head of the International Office of the Faculty of Design, presenting the faculty’s international activities
- Prof. Roberto Biloslavo, PhD, who introduced the joint Master’s programme in Sustainable Interiors and Open Spaces Design (collaboration Faculty of Design with EMUNI University)
- Barbara Gunčar (Nets d.o.o.), representative of the lead partner in the KCDM 4.0 project (DMS)
The discussion touched on several timely and relevant questions, such as:
- Is design becoming the new core of sustainable business?
- How can design be integrated into leadership and management structures?
- Why is interdisciplinarity essential for successful international cooperation?
The event concluded with an open debate and a pleasant networking lunch.
Once again, the Design Talks demonstrated the importance of building bridges between academia, practice, and the international arena, and showed how design can serve as a foundation for a more sustainable, inclusive, and innovative future.
We look forward to more dialogue and inspiring encounters in the days to come.
Take a look at the highlights from the event:
