Design Conferences Shift to Community‑First Formats

The Saturday Indesign 2025 event highlighted a series of design fallacies, with practitioners such as Ash Roberts of Ardo and Amrish Maharaj urging a move away from ideas that bigger spaces equate to better generosity. They emphasized that thoughtful proportion, natural light and unprogrammed voids can make modest homes feel generous, and warned that visual appeal should not eclipse lived experience.

Meanwhile, the Circles Conference in Grapevine, Texas, held from September 30 to October 2, was deliberately designed to prioritize human connection. Founder Ismael Burciaga explained that the schedule features 40‑minute talks, long breaks and an extended lunch to give attendees space for dialogue, collaboration and networking, positioning conversation as the event’s most valuable outcome.