Are you caught in the headlights of complexity? Struggling to see beyond the immediate horizon, or reliably identify emerging trends? With so many pressing problems, it can sometimes seem counterintuitive to focus on the future. Yet productive futures work is not some far-off fantasy experiment. It is a strategic investment in time, collaboration and understanding that will underpin transformative decision-making today. 

For over a decade, the Royal College of Art has been a leader in design futures research and practice, and today offers a one-year MDes in Design Futures. Now we are looking to create more opportunities with this Futures Through Design short course. This in-person, intensive three-day experience is designed for organisational leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals and high-performing recent graduates who are seeking to transform strategic uncertainty into innovative opportunity. Participants will learn advanced design methodologies to anticipate, map, and use complex future scenarios to affect change across your organisation, industry sector or community.

Through hands-on engagement with futures thinking tools and techniques, you will develop new approaches to strategic innovation that can be immediately applied in your professional context.

Please find more information on our webpage here. 

We have limited spots available on this course and we encourage you to book as soon as possible. If you are interested in joining us, please use this booking form here. 

Key Details

Full Fee: £1,575

Early Bird Fee: £1,375

Dates

25, 26, & 27 March 2026

(9:00am to 5:30pm GMT)

What are the benefits?

1. A new way of understanding how a variety of design methods can be applied to futures thinking
2. A pioneering framework helping you see different levels of zoom in any given situation
3. Illustrative techniques for pulling together different types of research to inform shaping scenarios
4. Cutting-edge perspectives on how to situate design futures in a different environments
5. A set of global case studies to use as inspiration and examples in your work
6. Networking opportunities with other professionals looking to apply design futures in different industries and fields 
7. A custom toolkit to help communicate your learnings with you organisation
8. A certificate of attendance from the Royal College of Art

Who should attend?

The course is particularly valuable for leaders in rapidly changing sectors seeking to develop resilience, innovation capacity, and strategic foresight. It is also open to graduates and designers who want to learn or update their knowledge about design futures work and its impact.

We encourage participants from all backgrounds but this course could be particularly valuable for people from the following professions:

• Innovation and Strategy Directors
• Business Development and Transformation Leaders
• Design and Creative Directors
• Policy and Planning Directors
• Senior Management Consultants
• R&D and Foresight Managers