In the final episode of our Inclusive Design mini-series, we're joined by Anita Forte and Cristina Douglas, two creative directors who blend craft, research and strategic insight to create more inclusive experiences.

Cristina has been making things professionally since 2008. She believes that creativity can’t be constrained by discipline. She writes, develops strategy, and makes brands meaningful. Anita brings deep expertise across product design, branding, and UX/UI in consumer goods and tech industries.

Together, they take us inside their approach to inclusive design: testing early and often, understanding user needs and accessibility.

We touch on their work at R/GA, developing generative AI for interface design, the ethics and how they see it fitting into and shifting the design process.

A huge thank you to Anita and Cristina for such an open and insightful conversation 💬

In the second episode of our Inclusive Design mini series, we’re joined by Aziza Mohamed, Content Design Lead at Today.

Aziza is passionate about designing and facilitating research, telling better stories, and creating impactful outcomes for communities across Australia.

We talk about engaging communities in meaningful, safe, and creative ways as well as balancing project scope and client needs with an inclusive approach to design.

We explore real-world examples from projects with Nike and Vic Health, getting a unique insight into design processes that prioritise inclusion.

A huge thank you to Aziza for such an open, insightful conversation 💬

Referenced in episode 👇

The Climate Compass

Make Tools

In this episode, we talk to Martin Ford and Louise Helliwell about all things Inclusive Design.

Martin is a Senior Social Innovator at The Australian Centre for Social Innovation. With over 30 years of experience, he draws on his background in visual arts and graphic design to work creatively and collaboratively alongside people with lived and living experiences, elevating their voices in the design of policies, services, and systems.

Louise is Partner and Experience Design Director at Folk, where she leads complex service and digital design projects across government, health, housing, and environmental sectors. She’s known for building high-performing teams and shaping national programs that embed user needs at the heart of systems and policy.

Join us as we dive into this topic, exploring what Inclusive Design means, what it looks like when embedded in real projects, and how designers can cultivate a more inclusive design practice.

Thank you Martin and Louise for sharing your insights and experiences with us. If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review or drop us a line at [email protected]

Referenced in the episode 👇

Coproduction: Putting principles into practice

Work from Cath Roper, Flick Grey and Emma Cadogan.

In this episode, we talk to Jasmine Phillips on all things digital game design 🎮

Jasmine is a 2D game artist, animator, and founder of Nomo Studio. Born and raised in the Philippines, she studied Game Design and Development before freelancing with studios on titles like Episode, World Chef, and Laboratory Mayhem. Now in Australia, she’s continued freelancing while also starting to develop her own games, most recently collaborating with Fat Alien Cat on their debut indie title Momento.

Join us as we chat about the transition from freelancing to running an independent game studio, the technical complexities of game art, how to navigate government grants and funding, and the challenge of balancing business operations with creative focus.

Thank you Jasmine for sharing your journey and insights with us, and to Josephmark for providing us a space to record in 💙

If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review or drop us a line at [email protected].

In this episode we talk to Urusaro Rwagaju as we get a taste of the physical craft of Game Design.

Saro is a design strategist, award-winning vocalist & songwriter, and the creative lead at the Museum of Sticks and Stones. Her work explores how creativity, dialogue, play, and design can bring people together to foster social cohesion and build common ground.

Join us as we chat about play and community engagement, the making of MoSS’s game Smorgasboard (with a little demo at the end 👀), and the role of play in building social connection for adults 🏕️

Thank you Saro for giving us your time to talk about games and to Josephmark for providing us with a studio to record in.

If you're keen to get yourself a copy of Smorgasboard, you can get it from the MoSS store here: https://sticksstones.store/

If you liked this episode make sure to leave us a review or get in touch with us at [email protected].

In this episode we talk to Dr Zac Fitz-Walter on all things Gamification.

Zac has a PhD in user experience, gamification, and motivational science. He’s the co-founder of the Make It Toolkit, co-runs a game and design studio called Eat More Pixels, and lectures in university Game Design courses.

Join us as we discuss the evolution of gamification, user motivation and engagement, best practices on implementation and real-world examples of gamification.

Thank you Zac for taking the time to chat with us, and shout out to Josephmark for providing us a space to record in.

If you liked this episode make sure to leave us a review or get in touch with us at [email protected].

We sat down with James Martin—aka Made By James—partner at Lincoln Design Co. James is a brand designer, storyteller, educator, and relentless sharer of process—someone who’s built an authentic brand and community around his work.

Recorded while James was in Sydney for the Canva Design Advisory Board, this conversation covers everything from designing like a boutique hotel to turning handovers into hugs. We explore why a standout client experience might be more powerful than churning out content, and how staying true to your process can build a lasting, engaged community.

If you’ve ever felt stuck chasing dream clients or uneasy about self-promotion, this one’s for you.

Big thanks to James for sharing his time and insights, and to Canva for hosting us.

This episode, listen in as Aa Design Studio Creative Director, Andrew Ashton sits down to chat with Amber Bonney, founder of The Edison Agency. They dive deep into the world of fast-moving consumer goods, and Amber speaks candidly about her experience with neurodiversity and how it’s impacted her working life.

On this final episode of our ⁠The Design Conference⁠ '24 series tune in to hear Anzac Tasker founder and executive creative director of ⁠Guardians⁠ an agency led by intention, that was born out Aotearoa, New Zealand, speak with Nu Goteh the principal of ⁠Room For Magic⁠, a community-centric research and creative studio based in Los Angeles that instigates equitable exchange.

Their conversation gets into the really big questions: what design is, how we think about it as well as its potential, and how we quantify its value.

A huge thank you to Nu and Anzac for taking the time to record with us, and to The Design Conference team for having us!

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review or share it with a friend 💙

In this episode, we hear from Rob Duncan and Dominic Hofstede, Creative Directors and Partners at Mucho. They explore a variety of topics including the perception of Australian Design, challenges with decision-makers and uncertainty, and their insights into wayfinding, with some fun facts on airports 🛫

Special thanks to Rob and Dominic for taking the time to chat with us at the very end of the conference, and to The Design Conference team for having us!

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review or share it with a friend 💙

This episode, listen in as Studio Emmi founder Emmi Salonen, chats with mindcoach, Corine Roesner about creative leadership and management skills, as well as diving deep on burnout - from their own personal experiences with it, to crafting environments that might better prevent it, and the importance of addressing the root issues.

Thank you to Emmi & Corine for joining us!

Learn more about our guests:

Studio Emmi

Roes Coach