Promoting the Social

The UBI DESIS 5th Social Design Days, held under the theme “Promoting Social Design”, brings together researchers, educators, students and practitioners to reflect on the role of design in addressing contemporary social, territorial and environmental challenges. The event provides a platform for critical discussion on socially oriented design practices, highlighting participatory approaches, collaboration and community-centred design processes across research, education and professional contexts.

Originally initiated at the Escuela Superior de Diseño de Aragón (ESDA), Zaragoza, the Social Design Days have become a space for exchange within the DESIS community and its wider network. The 2026 edition marks the first time the event is organised at the University of Beira Interior (UBI), reinforcing the institution’s engagement with socially oriented design research and education. In full articulation with ESDA Desis Lab, this event is coordinated by the iA* Lab DES’SIDE, a member of the DESIS Network since 2025 and partner of its ‘Design from the Margins’ Work Group. The result of this institutional compromise and partnership can be seen in UBI DES’SIDE EXHIBITION at Wool Museum, Royal Veiga Factory nuclei (MUSLAN), through PhD, Master’s and Bachelor’s students’ projects.

Another central component of this edition is its plenary sessions, which bring together invited international speakers to foster dialogue on the current challenges and perspectives of social design. These sessions aim to expand the discussion beyond disciplinary boundaries, connecting design practice with broader social, cultural and territorial contexts.

Alongside the plenaries, panels and workshops explore situated design approaches and their relation to territory, local knowledge and collective well-being. In this context, the panel “Social Design and Innovation from the Mountains”highlights mountain territories as relevant contexts for examining how design can engage with place-based realities and contribute to locally grounded processes of change.

Workshop 01
Form Social Design versus Right-Wing Policies (Nicos Souleles)

Workshop 02
Reading the Place: Graphic-Semantic Map as a Tool for Social Design Intervention (Cátia Rijo & Helena Grácio)

Workshop 03
Filo: Tool for Social Resilience in Aging Rural Communities (Cátia Ascensão)

Workshop 04
Shaping Heritage, Planting the Future — Regenerative Design based on the Bisalhães Pottery (Raul Pinto)

KEYNOTES

Cecilia Casas Romero holds a Law degree from UNED, a MA in Sociology of Public and Social Policies at University of Zaragoza and has studied Artistic Photography at EAH. She currently teaches photography and social design at the Escuela Superior de Diseño de Aragón (ESDA) in Spain. She specializes in Practice and Education in Social Design with communities in vulnerable situations or at risk of social exclusion. She also applies the social uses of artistic photography and the Photovoice methodology to her work with disadvantaged communities. She coordinates ESDA’s DESIS Laboratory, which has developed its own unique programme in which more than a third of ESDA’s teachers are involved. She is working to make this social design education programme transferable to other educational environments, developing research to produce a model that serves this purpose. She organizes the ESDA DESIS Social Design Days, which bring together leading figures in social design education from around the world, including Ezio Manzini (Politecnico de Milan, Lorraine Gamman, Adam Thorpe and Francesco Mazzarella (UAL)). She co-founded along with Francesco Mazzarella (UAL) the DESIS Cluster “Design from the Margins” in which more than 20 universities from all around the word are involved. Along with Dr. Francesco M. and the Social Design Network they lead the CUMULUS Working Group DESC (Design Education for Social Change), they have delivered workshops in which more than 30 teachers from different international Design Schools have participated, to date. Her ongoing PhD research focuses on defining a model for educational institutions teaching social design to create healthy working environments (WHO, 2010).

Francesco Mazzarella is a design researcher, educator, and activist, striving to create positive social change, especially working with marginalised communities. As Reader in Design for Social Change at London College of Fashion, UAL, he explores how design activism can be used to create counter-narratives towards sustainability, in and through fashion. Francesco’s research spans design activism, textile craftsmanship, decolonising fashion, design for sustainability, social innovation, and place-making. Francesco is a member of the Design Council Expert Network, Fellow of Advance HE, Co-founder of the DESIS Cluster ‘Design from the Margins’ and of the Cumulus Working Group ‘Design Education for Social Change’.

Dr Nicos Souleles (PhD, AMCollT, FCES) is an accomplished academic and independent researcher specialising in social design education, design education, and technology-enhanced learning. He earned his PhD in Educational Research from Lancaster University, concentrating on e-learning in art and design. Dr Souleles has held various teaching and leadership roles across Australia, England, the United Arab Emirates, and Cyprus. His research interests include social design education, learning design, curriculum development, digital and multimedia design, and integrating the UN Sustainable Development Goals into higher education curricula. He leads the “Art + Design: Learning Lab – Design for Social Change,” engages in European projects focused on digital upskilling and sustainable assessment, and co-edits DISCERN, the International Journal of Design for Social Change, Sustainable Innovation, and Entrepreneurship.

Claire Pillar is a freelance editor and proofreader with degrees in History (BA), Asian Studies (MA) and Public Health (MPH). She also has diplomas in Librarianship and Marketing Communications. Until 2025, she was an associate of the Art + Design Lab: Elearning at Cyprus University of Technology. Now based in the UK, she is the copy editor for Discern, the International Journal of Design for Social Change, Sustainable Innovation, and Entrepreneurship.

Agenda
Provisional Programme

Thursday / March 19

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09h00 | REGISTRATION
MUSLAN -   Royal Veiga Factory nuclei

10h00 | WELCOMING SESSION
MUSLAN - Royal Veiga Factory Auditorium

Ana Paula Duarte
Rector of the University of Beira Interior

Francisco Paiva
Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and Scientific Coordinator of iA* Arts Research

Flávio Almeida
President of the Arts Department

Rita Salvado
Director of the Wool Museum of the University of Beira Interior

Ana Margarida Ferreira
UBI DESIS V SOCIAL DESIGN DAYS Scientific Committee

Ezio Manzini
Honorary Professor at Politecnico di Milano, Chair Professor at University of the Arts London, and Distinguished Professor on Design for Social Innovation at ELISAVA, guest professor at Tongji University and Jiangnan University and founder of DESIS - International Network on Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability

11h00 | PLENARY SESSION
MUSLAN - Royal Veiga Factory Auditorium

‘Education in Social Design: Hackingfrom Inside’

Cecilia Casas Romero
ESDA DESIS LAB Coordinator, former Coordinator of ESDA DESIS SOCIAL DESIGN DAYS, Professor and Researcher / Escuela Superior de Diseño de Aragón

11h45 Coffee Break

12h00 | ROUND TABLE
MUSLAN - Royal Veiga Factory Auditorium

‘Social Design Education and Activism: Exploring Portuguese Educators’ Perspectives’

Chair: Francesco Mazzarella
Reader in Design for Social Change / London College of Fashion, UAL

Panel:
Ana Margarida Ferreira
Design Professor, iA* Arts Research Unit and founder member of DES’SIDE iA*Lab / University of Beira Interior

Graziela Sousa and Inês Veiga
Fashion and Communication Design Professors and Researchers of REDES / University of Lisbon

Paula Trigueiros and Alison Burrows
Design Professor, Inclusive Design Researcher and member of LAB2PT; Independent Researcher/ University of Minho

Teresa Franqueira
Design Professor, Coordinator of the ID+ DESIS Lab and former International Coordinator of the DESIS Network / University of Aveiro

13h00 Lunch

14h30 | PLENARY SESSION
MUSLAN - Royal Veiga Factory Auditorium

‘Designing from the Margins’

Francesco Mazzarella
Reader in Design for Social Change / London College of Fashion, UAL

15h15 Coffee Break

15h30 | WORKSHOP

Workshop 01
MUSLAN - Textile Workshop
(90 minutes)

´Social Design versus Right-Wing Policies’

Nicos Souleles
Independent researcher and Co-Editor in Chief, DISCERN, the International Journal of Design for Social Change, Sustainable Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, Greece

17h30 I UBI DES’SIDE EXHIBITION OPENING
Wool Museum -   Royal Veiga Factory nuclei

19h30 Dinner
Paço 100 Pressa

Friday / March 20

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10h00 | PLENARY SESSION
MUSLAN - Royal Veiga Factory Auditorium

’The social design challenges of putting together and editing the online journal ‘DISCERN, the International Journal of Design for Social Change, Sustainable Innovation, and Entrepreneurship’

Nicos Souleles
Independent researcher and Co-Editor in Chief, DISCERN, the International Journal of Design for Social Change, Sustainable Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, Greece

Claire Pillar
Freelance editor and proofreader and DISCERN copy-editor, UK

10h45 Coffee Break

11h00 | PRESENTATIONS + WORKSHOP
MUSLAN - Royal Veiga Factory Auditorium

‘Social Design and Innovation from the Mountains’

// Futures Cartographies Observatory: Design for Social Innovation in Peripheral Territories

Aline Moreira Monçores
iA* Arts Research Unit / University of Beira Interior, Portugal

Cláudia Alquezar Facca
iA* Arts Research Unit / University of Beira Interior, Portugal

// Agroecological Imaginaries: Co-Designing Peasant Technologies and Food Sovereignty through Participatory Research and Alternative Narratives

Susana Paixão-Barradas
Kedge Art School / Kedge Business School, Marseille, France

Marie Julie Cartoir-Brisson
Department of Communication, Culture and Language / Audencia Nantes, France

// Human-centered Design Concept: A cultural sustainable strategy in addressing the wide spread redundancy of the ‘white wedding gown’ in the Ghanaian marriage culture

Haruna Ibrahim
Department of Fashion Design and Textiles Education / University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Ghana

// Emergency Design in Low Density Territories

Mónica Romãozinho
iA* Arts Research Unit and DES’SIDE Coordinator / University of Beira Interior, Portugal

Joana Casteleiro
iA* Arts Research Unit and DES’SIDE member / University of Beira Interior, Portugal

// The ‘Future of our Villages’ Project. Participatory speculative co-design with communities

Hernâni Alves
iA* Arts Research Unit and DES’SIDE collaborator / University of Beira Interior, Portugal

Eduardo Gonçalves
iA* Arts Research Unit and DES’SIDE member / University of Beira Interior, Portugal

Ana Margarida Ferreira
iA* Arts Research Unit and DES’SIDE member / University of Beira Interior, Portugal

// Designing Responsible Consumption: From Everyday Practice to Social Innovation

Rafaela Norogrando
CIAUD-UBI / University of Beira Interior, Portugal

Caroline Loss
CIAUD-UBI / University of Beira Interior, Portugal

Miriam Reis
ID+ / University of Aveiro, Portugal

// Weaving Memories: A Methodology for a Participatory Iterative project

Soraia Maduro
iA* Arts Research Unit and DES’SIDE collaborator / University of Beira Interior, Portugal

Mónica Romãozinho
iA* Arts Research Unit and DES’SIDE Coordinator / University of Beira Interior, Portugal

// The ‘Nós Vamos’ Project

Laura Reis
Industrial Design Master / University of Beira Interior, Portugal

Inês Gonçalves
Industrial Design Master / University of Beira Interior, Portugal

Paulo Freire
Industrial Design Master / University of Beira Interior, Portugal

Workshop 02
MUSLAN - Cafeteria Space
(120 minutes)

‘Reading the Place: Graphic-Semantic Map as a Tool for Social Design Intervention’

Cátia Rijo
iA* Arts Research Unit / Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa do IPL, Portugal

Helena Grácio
iA* Arts Research Unit / Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa do IPL, Portugal

13h00 Lunch

14h30 | WORKSHOPS

Workshop 03
MUSLAN - Textile Workshop
(60 minutes)

‘Filo: Tool for Social Resilience in Aging Rural Communities’

Cátia Ascensão
University of Coimbra, Portugal

Workshop 04
MUSLAN – Cafeteria Space
(90 minutes)

Shaping Heritage, Planting the Future — Regenerative Design based on the Bisalhães Pottery’

Raul Pinto
University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Portugal

16h00 I CLOSING SESSION
MUSLAN - Royal Veiga Factory Auditorium

Ralitsa Diana Debrah
Coordinator of Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability Network (DESIS), Design Professor and Researcher / Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, and Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa

Ana Margarida Ferreira
Design Professor, iA* Arts Research Unit and founder member of DES’SIDE iA*Lab / University of Beira Interior, Portugal

16h15 Coffee Break

16h30 I GUIDED VISIT TO WOOL MUSEUM
MUSLAN - Royal Veiga Factory

Committees

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Scientific Committee
UBI iA*Lab DES’SIDE and DESIS Network
‘Design from the Margins’ Working Group

Ana Margarida Ferreira
Cecilia Casas Romero
Cláudia Facca
Eduardo Gonçalves
Francesco Mazzarella
Joana Casteleiro
Júlio Londrim
Mónica Romãozinho
Nicos Souleles
Ralitsa Debrah
Susan Melsop
Teresa Franqueira

Executive Direction
Ana Margarida Ferreira
Cecilia Casas Romero
Joana Casteleiro
Mónica Romãozinho

Executive Committee
Ana Farias
Cláudia Facca
Eduardo Gonçalves
Estrela Nunes
Fátima Veríssimo
Hernâni Alves
Inês Camaño Garcia
Luís Ginja
Natacha Pinto
Pedro Fernandes Oliveira
Soraia Maduro
Tabata Aviles Parra

Exhibition Curatorship
Ana Margarida Ferreira
Joana Casteleiro
Mónica Romãozinho

Graphic Design
Fátima Veríssimo
Natacha Pinto

Institutional Support
iA* - Arts Research Unit
MUSLAN - Wool Museum
Department of Arts
PhD Program in Design

UBI DESIS 5th Social Design Days
When: 19 MAR

Where: MUSLAN / UBI