In September 2015, The Institute of Design Innovation (InDI), The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) held the inaugural Wellbeing by Design conference in Horizon Scotland, Forres. This booklet provides an overview of the conference format, activities, and common themes and insights emerging from the presentations and discussions.
Wellbeing by Design brought together 21 practitioners and researchers from Masters, Doctoral and Post-doctoral communities who are united by their interest in using design approaches to support communities to live well. The conference encouraged delegates to collaboratively explore and expand evolving de nitions of wellbeing and to consider their individual and collective experiences of how re ective practice and re exivity can support creativity, enhance collective knowledge, and be harnessed when exploring complex social challenges. Areas of wellbeing central to the conference included:
• the democratization of care
• asset-based approaches and social prescribing • social isolation and loneliness
• health inequalities
• marginalized, fragile, or rural communities
• identity: culture, gender, race, sexuality, age
The conference programme consisted of two keynote presentations from Professor Irene McAra-McWilliam, Head of the School of Design at GSA and Director of the Creative Futures Partnership, and Professor Ken Neil, Head of Research at GSA, seven lightning talks from InDI researchers, 21 presentations from delegates, and an exhibition of delegates creative practice, as well as a re ective group workshop, a lm screening, a drinks reception, and a conference dinner. The conference team sought to create an intimate, supportive and informal space for delegates to discuss their struggles, as well as their successes.