Global Research in Action – Selected papers from the World Design Congress London 2025
Exploring the theme of Design for Planet, WDO’s biennial World Design Congress was hosted by the Design Council and took place in London (United Kingdom) from 9–11 September 2025, bringing together design, business, education and sustainability visionaries from around the world to explore design-led solutions to the climate crisis.
This publication presents the papers selected for the World Design Congress 2025, highlighting cutting-edge research, innovative practices and critical reflections at the forefront of three themes: Shifting Paradigms — From Extractive to Regenerative Design; Economy and Design — Innovating for Circular Economies and Policy and Design — Shaping a Global Response.
Showcasing diverse perspectives on sustainable design, circular economy strategies, climate- responsive approaches, and socially inclusive solutions, the papers reflect the depth and breadth of contemporary design and offer a window into the emerging ideas and methodologies that are shaping the future of design for planetary well-being.
To learn more about the World Design Congress 2025 and see the posters presented, please visit here
PAPER | Theme 3: Policy and Design — Shaping a Global Response | Page 264
Designing Climate Understanding for Policy: A Co-design Approach to Visualizing Temperature Overshoot
Authors: Angela Morelli, Tom Gabriel Johansen, Anna Pirani, Andy Reisinger, Shobha Maharaj, Jan S. Fuglestvedt
Abstract:
As the world approaches 1.5°C of global warming, understanding ‘temperature overshoot’ — temporarily surpassing and then returning below this threshold — has become vital, but remains poorly communicated. To address this, leading climate scientists and information designers from InfoDesignLab co-created a visual communication toolkit as part of the Annual Review paper Overshoot: A Conceptual Review of Exceeding and Returning to Global Warming of 1.5°C. Through an iterative co-design process, scientists, designers, and other actors collaborated from the start, using information design and data visualization not just to illustrate results, but to shape the scientific narrative itself. This project demonstrates how a design-led process can impact the communication of a scientific concept, fostering shared mental models and better-informed policymaking. Embedding professional design early in scientific workflows enables deeper engagement, clearer insight, and more effective communication at the interface of science, policy, and society.
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