Tomorrow 16th May, the third edition of What Design Can Do kicks off with design documentaries, expositions, vegetarian meat tastings, breakouts, a design tour through the new Stedelijk Museum of Amsterdam and lectures by international experts on the social significance of design.

Design is everywhere according to founder Richard van der Laken: “Step out of bed in the morning, check the time on the clock, sit down at a wooden table to eat your breakfast cereal from a blue or white bowl, then bike to work and send messages via WhatsApp. It’s all been designed.” That’s why the role of the designer can’t be ignored and that’s exactly the focus of What Design Can Do. Designers with a huge impact on our daily life are invited: Mike Kruzenski (Head of Design at Twitter), Next Nature (a collective which studies the relationship between man and nature) and Bas van Abel (a young designer who has developed a cellphone free of ‘bad’ natural resources, the Fairphone).

This is the third time that What Design Can Do takes place in Amsterdam. Designers from all disciplines — fashion, product design, graphic design, architecture and more — are gathering for two days to discuss the social impact of design. The conference wants to show that the power of design goes further than making a nice sofa.

The innovative and disruptive power of creative people should be used to create a better, fairer and cleaner world. Van der Laken: “We want to show that we can change things.” This year the event moves up a scale with breakout sessions at the Apple Store on Leidseplein, a programme of documentary films at the Balie debate centre, and an exhibition about designers Helllicar & Lewis at the Stedelijk Museum. What’s more, fake meat will be served at a vegetarian tasting event devised and designed by Marije Vogelzang, one of the Dutch guests at What Design Can Do on 16th and 17th May in Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam.

Tickets and the complete programme are available at www.whatdesigncando.nl