What does it mean to design for trust in an age of uncertainty?
The European Academy of Design Conference returns in 2027 with the theme TRUST___DISTRUST, inviting the international design research community to reflect on one of the defining challenges of our time.
Trust shapes institutions, technologies, relationships and everyday experiences. Yet it is increasingly tested by misinformation, artificial intelligence, environmental crises, political polarisation and rapid social change. Within this landscape, design occupies a pivotal position, capable of reinforcing trust, exposing its fragilities or imagining new forms of collective confidence.
Researchers, practitioners, educators and doctoral candidates are invited to submit original contributions that critically engage with the conference theme from diverse disciplinary perspectives.
Submission deadline: 15 September 2026
We welcome submissions that explore how design can respond to contemporary challenges while expanding the ways in which trust and distrust are understood, negotiated and designed.
EAD 2027: TRUST___DISTRUST
All information, submission guidelines and key dates are available at: http://trust.fba.up.pt .