Tokyo · Nov 14–15, 2026
The conference about digital design
Spectrum Tokyo Community · 50% off
Spectrum Tokyo × Design Matters
Design Matters is an international conference about digital design. The global design community gathers in Tokyo for two days of talks and workshops across four themes.
As Design Matters’ operating partner in Japan, Spectrum Tokyo offers our community 50% off. Same event, same lineup, same official checkout. Wherever you are — if you’re part of the Spectrum Tokyo community, this rate is for you.
This year’s talks and workshops revolve around four themes, chosen together with the board.
Speed is easy. Slowing down is a skill.
Speed is easy; slowing down is a skill. This theme treats intentional restraint as intelligence, not nostalgia. Being human means processing, questioning, and choosing with care — so we can think deeper and design better.
Information is abundant. Meaning is not.
Information is abundant; meaning is not. Amid data saturation, judgment and taste are formed through intuition and accumulated experience — not datasets alone. Designers must commit to a position, even within ambiguity.
We are not interfaces. We are human.
We are not interfaces; we are human. This theme centers on connection beyond digital mediation — empathy as practice, inclusion as responsibility. What happens after the click, the scroll, after the system has done its job?
The role is shifting. So the question becomes harder.
The role is shifting, so the question gets harder. As tools evolve faster than titles, we navigate uncertainty by strengthening the human skills — communication, collaboration, taste, responsibility — that resist automation.
Speakers joining from around the world. More to be announced.
“Mind the Gap”
“You Are What You Pay Attention To”
“Decolonizing Generative AI: Who Gets Left Out?”
“When Content Refuses to Sit Still”
“Designing for Nervous Systems: What Motherhood Revealed About Delight”
“Designing With Youth for Inclusive Futures”
“The More Data, the Less Meaning”
Talk TBA
Talk TBA
Talk TBA
Talk TBA
Talk TBA
Talk TBA
DMM.com Head Office
Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower, Roppongi, Tokyo
Right in the heart of Roppongi, Tokyo. Detailed access info to follow.
View on Google Maps →
Spectrum Tokyo’s community gets 50% off. Purchase right here below.
spectrumtokyo Applied automatically at checkout. If it isn’t, enter the code above.
Attending as a team or company? Group-discount tickets are also available — please apply via the dedicated form for details.
