Fura Johannesdottir, Chief Design Officer at Huge and D&AD Digital Design Judge, shares the year’s best technology-based design, service design and digital products, discussing the meaning of excellence in digital design and the trends that are shaping the discipline.

Johannesdottir praises the standard she’s seen in the digital design category this year. “Digital is the driver and change is happening faster and faster,” she says. “And when we are working with our clients we need to be at the forefront of tech and what that is going to do in terms of changing human behaviour.”

Currently, she is most interested in work that marries digital and the physical space. As it stands, the discipline includes gaming and apps, social advertising, campaign websites, integrated digital campaigns, the use of influencers and much more.

The conversation turns to the impact of Covid-19 and how it has forced some brands to catch up digitally, meaning small brands are now going direct to consumers to survive. “I think it has really accelerated a lot of this stuff not only for people going into e-commerce but also just the way we live… This acceleration is forcing us to change,” says Johannesdottir.

Speaking about the importance of agility and speed in digital design, Johannesdottir explains that the power of the discipline comes when combined with data and AI, but creatives should be wary of the danger of bias. “I think we need to be careful when we go into AI. I think it could be very positive if we manage to get the bias out of the system. It will help us move into a more positive world where we will be more diverse and more equal,” she adds.

Hosted by Adobe Content & Community Manager Emma Lextrait
Originally broadcast on Adobe Live, the community where creatives share ideas online.