Great design can improve any product, business or service - and we're here to show you how...

Rise & Design is one of our most popular events ever, and we're finally bringing it to Liverpool!

Design isn’t just about how something looks...

It’s about how something works, how it’s experienced, and how it performs. It can be anything from applying Design Thinking principles to truly understand your audience and create solutions they’ll love, to using brand strategy to increase trust and reach new markets.

Design also plays a huge role behind the scenes, in how you manufacture, or how your internal processes run, how you deliver services, or how your digital platforms function.

Design touches every part of your business, and it can be absolutely transformational when you do it right.

So this event isn’t just for designers. It’s for you if:

You want to dive into what design means for your business, how to apply it and potential impacts
You run a business and want to improve your products or services in any capacity
You’re launching something new and want to get it right from the start
You work in marketing, product development, operations or strategy
You’re interested in innovation, growth, and doing things a little differently to your competitors
You want to make your business more sustainable, scalable, or efficient
You’re curious about how design thinking could benefit your organisation
You want to connect with like minded people and share experience and insights

Whether you’re a founder, a leader, or just someone looking for fresh ideas – this event is packed with inspiration, practical insight and real stories from people who’ve made design work for them.

What to Expect

We’re giving you direct access to some brilliant companies from the Liverpool region, who will share how design has transformed their businesses and helped them develop unique products, launch new services, and achieve sustainable growth.

You’ll hear honest stories about what worked, what didn’t, and what they learned along the way.

Meet the Speakers

Jonathan Butters – Butters Innovation

Jonathan is an award-winning product designer, having created medical products for foetal monitoring, blood monitoring and infection control; lifesaving solutions for the RNLI, and recycling systems.

His focus is on user-centred innovation and co-design, ensuring he designs and creates the 'right thing' – the thing that truly delivers what the user wants, which sometimes isn’t obvious at first.

He will take us through his exploration of actual user needs and the design process that leads to great products.

Steve Threlfall – Life of Ply

The Life of Ply team is a 'beautiful collision' of engineers, designers, architects and makers, with over 25 years' experience in furniture design and manufacturing. They combine digital design and manufacturing technology with artisan, handmade processes and finishes to produce honest, durable and stylish products. Their approach to manufacturing keeps both the planet and their community in mind.

The Life of Ply brand is part of a bigger Social Enterprise that offers a range of creative, practical and educational opportunities to individuals and communities experiencing exclusion.

Steve will tell us more.

Daniel Isler, D Squared Product Development

Established in 2012, and based in Liverpool, DSquared Product Development offer product development, design and engineering consultancy services, to clients across the consumer, medical and industrial sectors.

Recent projects include telemetry systems for fire fighters, spectacles with adaptive lenses that can be adjusted to suit each user, various acoustic products such as spatial speakers and a microphone tree, and even a prosthetic leg for a pigeon.

Daniel will explain how they apply their design skills to such varied projects.

More speakers to be announced soon…

About Rise and Design

Rise and Design lasts for approximately three hours and includes networking both before and after the talks. There’s also a chance to pitch at the end of the speaker presentations – a friendly, informal way to share your idea or project. We encourage all delegates to stay for the post-event networking – it’s one of the most valuable parts of Rise and Design.

Rise and Design - The Power of Design

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