Future Designer

Michael Leube, Ph.D., is a design anthropologist who serves as a university professor, author and consultant. Co-authoring two books on the circular economy and contributing to numerous articles in scientific journals, he specialises in design for social innovation and humanitarian design. His unique approach integrates anthropology, ethics and sustainability to shape a forward-looking design education focused on resilience. This approach has garnered invitations to instruct at prestigious design and architecture schools across Europe and to speak at design consultancies like IDEO and Fjord. Notably, he delivered a TED talk titled "Why designers should urgently listen to anthropologists." Leube has held positions as professor of anthropology at IE University, University of California, University of Santa Clara, London School of Economics, Syracuse University and Salzburg University of Applied Sciences.

"Leube pulls on threads from anthropology, design, and ecological justice to braid a compelling story of a future worth fighting for.”Jonathan Chapman, Professor and Director of Doctoral Studies, School of Design, Carnegie Mellon University, USA

• Introduction Part 1: Hardware, Software and Malware 1. The Human Conundrum 2. Signals: Interactions with Our Surroundings 3. Stories: How We Turn from Narrators to Protagonists 4. Models: On Flawed Representations of Humans 5. Consequences: Human Conduct with Finite Resources Part 2: Amongst the Prometheans 6. An Anthropologist Enters the World of Design 7. The Impact of Design on Human Behaviour 8. Marketing and Its Grip on Design 9. Modern Obsessions: The Holy Trinity of Design 10. How Design Students Can Recover Meaning Part 3: The Department of the Future Designer 11. A New Curriculum for Design Schools 12. Design for Sustainable Systems 13. Design for Humans Not Models 14. Design as Applied Ethics Conclusion: Design Optimism