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Insights Design Lecture Series

The Walker’s Insights Design Lecture Series showcases leading design thinkers and professionals who are reshaping the field.

The annual Insights Design Lecture Series presents in-person lectures by leading design thinkers and professionals. A longtime collaboration between the Walker Art Center and the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Minnesota, Insights serves as a resource for anyone interested in design. In addition to hosting four marquee lectures each year, the series also offers free workshops and an online video archive of past lectures. Since its inception in 1986, Insights has welcomed both established and emerging voices from around the world, from April Greiman, Sheila Levrant de Bretteville, and Irma Boom to Experimental Jetset, Martine Syms, and Bráulio Amado.
Organized by the Walker Design Studio, Insights offers a snapshot of a discipline always in flux. In addition to showcasing incredible work, the series addresses contemporary issues in design, expanded studio practice, and design’s possible futures. In partnership with Minneapolis’ own Shapco Printing, the series is accompanied each year by a free printed poster that serves as a record of the work of the studio and its ongoing dialogue with the wider field.

Watch the talks

A cluttered table with papers, glue, flowers, and people crafting and cutting out magazine images.

2025

Shannon Maldonado, Yowie

watch

A hand with gold nails holds a mango with cocktail ingredients printed on its skin, above more mangoes.

2025

Zeynep Orbay, Wieden+Kennedy

watch

A set of ten colorful film script books standing upright in a row on a white background.

2025

Actual Source

watch

An illustration of a monster.

2025

Odd Mart

watch

Two books titled Reading Like a Computer and Seeing Like a Computer with eye illustrations on the covers.

2025

Unknown Unknowns

learn more

A hand pointing to a printed sample on a table

2025

Designer and Printer Collaborations

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A neat grouping of books in various colors. A hand reaches to grab one.

2024

Alex Lin

watch

A garden with a food truck behind some trees with a mural of hands and eye.

2024

Leila Taylor

watch

2024

DIA Studio

watch

Black and white image of several zines laid out on a table.

2024

Twin Cities Zine Fest

watch

A grouping of book covers on a table top.

2024

Temporary Services

watch

2023

Grupa Ee

watch

Illustration of the grim reaper looking over a maze with people running through it

2023

Extreme Noise Records

watch

Image of a cartoon like video game of characters talking to each other inside a home.

2023

Angela Washko

watch

An adult poses wearing Nike sportswear

2023

Serifcan Ozcan

watch

Buildboard with images of historical Black men and the words Men of Change

2023

WeShouldDoItAll (WSDIA)

watch

A group of adults write on a large piece on paper on the floor.

2023

Prem Krishnamurthy

watch

2022

Tracy Ma
(Homer)

watch

2022

Danielle Aubert

watch

Sill life of skull, oranges, globe, magazine, flowers

2022

Wael Morcos &
Jonathan Key

watch

blurry photo of chinese characters etched into stone wall

2022

Piotr Szyhalski
(Labor Camp)

watch

Zoom webinar screengrab with colorful collage in background and image of two men speaking into microphones

2021

Eric Timothy Carlson &
Aaron Anderson

watch

Zoom conversation window overlaid on image of 30 hanging faces in gallery

2021

Heather Dewey-Hagborg &
Chelsea Manning

watch

Image of model wearing graphic tshirt

2021

Daniel DeSure
(Total Luxury Spa/Commonwealth Projects)

watch

2020

Ruben Pater
(Untold Stories)

watch

2020

Leland Maschmeyer
(Chobani)

watch

2019

Forest Young
(Wolff Olins)

watch

2019

Bráulio Amado
(B.A.D. Studio)

learn more

2019

Mirko Borsche
(Bureau Borsche)

watch

2019

Gail Bichler
(New York Times Magazine)

watch

2018

Archie Lee Coates IV
(PLAYLAB INC.)

watch

2018

Sheila Levrant de Bretteville
(Yale University/SheilaStudio)

watch

2018

Greg Hoffman
(Nike, Inc.)

learn more

2018

Paul Soulellis
(Counterpractice)

watch

2017

Rob Giampietro
(Google Design)

watch

2017

Andy Rementer

learn more

2017

Clara Balaguer and Kristian Henson
(Office of Culture & Design/Hardworking Goodlooking)

watch

Digital painting of a landscape with trees and a home atop a hill, next to Justin Timberlake's face crying a stream into the river below. With an MTV logo in the bottom right corner

2017

Richard Turley
(Wieden + Kennedy)

watch

2016

Sulki and Min Choi
(Sulki & Min)

watch

2016

Brian Roettinger
(Hand Held Heart)

watch

2016

Jon Sueda
(Stripe S.F.)

watch

2016

Susan Sellers
(Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2×4)

watch

2015

Andrew Blauvelt
(Minnesota by Design)

watch

2015

April Greiman

learn more

2015

K-HOLE

watch

2015

Bart de Baets

watch

2015

James Langdon

watch

2014

Lance Wyman

watch

2014

Sara De Bondt

watch

2014

Martine Syms

watch

2014

Henrik Nygren

watch

2013

Geoff McFetridge
(Champion Studio)

watch

2013

Eike König
(Hort)

watch

White abstract calligraphy on black paper

2013

Job Wouters
(Letman)

watch

2013

Luna Maurer
(Moniker)

watch

2012

Aaron Draplin
(Draplin Design Company)

watch

2012

Khoi Vinh
(Lascaux Co.)

watch

2012

Michael Lejeune

watch

2012

David Pearson

watch

2011

Kevin Quealy
(New York Times)

watch

2011

Michael Hart
(Mono)

watch

2011

James Goggin
(Practise)

watch

2011

Julie Beeler
(Second Story Interactive)

watch

2011

Casey Caplowe
(Good)

watch

2010

Eddie Opara

watch

2010

Peter Buchanan-Smith
(Best Made Co.)

watch

2010

Irma Boom

watch

2010

Stefan G. Bucher
(344 Design)

watch