Call for Contributions
The 2026 Relating Systems Thinking and Design Symposium (RSD15: Shades of Systemic Design) aims to explore the recognition and cultivation of multiple, coexisting ways of knowing and doing within systemic design.
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Systemic design integrates systems thinking with design practice to address complex societal and ecological challenges. It draws from a wide range of methodological traditions, each rooted in distinct epistemologies, values, and contexts. As the field matures and expands globally, designers and researchers increasingly work with overlapping aims but different vocabularies, frameworks, and ways of knowing, raising vital questions about coherence, legitimacy, and inclusivity. This diversity is a source of richness, but also practical and methodological tension. The absence of consensus can create uncertainty about what constitutes rigorous or legitimate practice, particularly in high-stakes contexts like sustainability transitions, where approaches must be both inclusive and actionable.
Systemic Design Pluralism is emerging as a central concern for the field. Pluralism invites us to embrace methodological diversity not as fragmentation but as a condition for collective learning
and creative adaptation. It foregrounds questions of epistemic justice, intercultural dialogue, and the ethics of collaboration across disciplinary, institutional, and geographical boundaries. This theme originates from reflections developed collaboratively among researchers from several European design schools, who have been exploring the plural and evolving nature of systemic design practices.
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Building on these conversations, RSD15 brings together systemic designers to expand the dialogue globally, engaging diverse voices and perspectives to deepen the understanding of pluralism in systemic design.
We invite academic papers that explore how systemic design is practised, named, and made meaningful across different regions, cultures, and disciplines, and how pluralistic perspectives can strengthen its theoretical foundations and practical relevance. Systemic Design Pluralism will be the central theme of the upcoming RSD15 conference in Torino, where we aim to advance this collective inquiry through shared reflection, critical debate, and experimental practice.
Intent to submit
for any type of contribution
Deadline
April 24, 2026
To submit a contribution to the conference, you must first send an intent to submit by the indicated deadline, including the title of your work, the authors, and the type of call you intend to apply for. An abstract is not required at this stage. The information you provide can be updated later on.
Submission via EasyChair
- Details coming soon
TOPICS OF INTEREST
The purpose of RSD15 is to create a space for dialogue and reflection on:
Geographies and ecologies
Explores how places and ecosystems intertwine, and how systemic design can foster resilient relations among human and non-human contexts.
Pedagogies and methods
Explores how places and ecosystems intertwine, and how systemic design can foster resilient relations among human and non-human contexts.
Visions and ontologies
Explores how places and ecosystems intertwine, and how systemic design can foster resilient relations among human and non-human contexts.
Practices
and tools
Explores how places and ecosystems intertwine, and how systemic design can foster resilient relations among human and non-human contexts.
Submission Categories
Preparing your submission
For RSDX/proceedings standards and detailed support in setting up your document see the RSDX Guidelines.
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​Editorial Workflow provides details about peer reviews, author responsibilities, and the production process. Production schedules and key dates are also included.
Full Papers present completed or advanced-stage research and follow a clear scientific structure. Submissions should demonstrate conceptual rigor, methodological transparency, and a substantive contribution to the topic addressed.
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Full Papers are expected to include:
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A clearly articulated research problem or question
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A review of relevant literature
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A detailed description of methodology
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Presentation and analysis of findings
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A critical discussion of implications
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A clear contribution to theory, method, or practice
Papers should not exceed 5,000 words (excluding references).
Short Papers are intended for research in progress, theoretical or methodological reflections, or well-documented case studies. These contributions may adopt a more flexible and descriptive structure while maintaining analytical clarity and scholarly grounding.
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Short Papers may include:
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Emerging research trajectories
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Conceptual explorations or theoretical positioning
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Methodological innovation
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Practice-based insights and case studies
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Reflective accounts of systemic design interventions
Short Papers should not exceed 2,500 words (excluding references).
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RSD15 paper sessions, and PhD Colloquium will take place online and in person. You will be asked to indicate your preference when you make your submission.
All accepted papers will be presented online October 8–9, 2026 and will be publicly available as open-revision manuscripts, providing a foundation for dialogue ahead of the in-person gathering in Turin.
The PhD Colloquium provides a dedicated space for doctoral researchers to present and discuss their ongoing research within a supportive and critically engaged academic environment. The Colloquium is designed to foster scholarly dialogue and intellectual exchange across diverse trajectories in Systemic Design.
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Submissions (maximum 2,500 words, excluding references) should present work in progress and clearly articulate the research direction, positioning, and challenges. Contributions may reflect early-stage conceptual framing or advanced dissertation work.
PhD Colloquium papers are expected to include:
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A clear statement of the research problem or inquiry
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Theoretical and conceptual positioning within relevant literature
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Research aims and questions
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Methodological approach (proposed or implemented)
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Preliminary findings, if available
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Key challenges, open questions, or areas where feedback is sought
Rather than presenting fully consolidated results, submissions should foreground the research trajectory and articulate the contribution the project intends to make to Systemic Design theory, methodology, or practice.
Workshop proposals are intended as interactive sessions that actively engage participants in systemic inquiry, experimentation, co-design, or collective reflection. Workshops should contribute to advancing discourse and practice within the RSD community.
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1. Alignment with RSD Themes and Focus Areas
In what ways does the proposed workshop relate to the RSD15 themes? Proponents should articulate the conceptual framing of the session and clarify how it advances systemic design discourse, research, or practice.
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2. Participant Engagement​
What will participants be doing during the workshop? Proposals should describe the types of activities involved (e.g., mapping, prototyping, dialogue, systemic analysis, collaborative modelling, scenario building) and clarify the expected level of interaction.
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3. Structure and Agenda
How will the workshop be structured? Proposals must include a clear agenda outlining the sequence of activities, time allocation, and facilitation approach. This should demonstrate coherence between objectives, methods, and intended outcomes.
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4. Format and Delivery Mode
Is the workshop intended to be delivered in-person or hybrid format?
Proposals should specify spatial, technological, or material requirements and indicate any constraints or preferred modalities.
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Notes:
In-person sessions
In-person workshops take advantage of physical space and materials—there should be a reason for the workshop being in-person rather than part of the online programme. Hybrid workshops may also be accepted, provided that proponents organise an in-person workshop and choose to use platforms that allow for online participation as well.
Length
We accept sessions lasting 90 to 120 minutes. For any specific requests, please discuss with the organising committee.
Number of participants
Please highlight the minimum and maximum number of participants per workshop.
In a world shaped by interconnected crises, algorithmic governance, and planetary-scale data flows, visualisation is no longer a neutral act of representation. Data visualisations actively construct relationships: between parts and wholes, actors and systems, evidence and interpretation, knowledge and decision-making. They influence how complexity is perceived, negotiated, and acted upon.
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Data in Relation frames data visualisation as a systemic design practice through which interdependencies are made perceptible, fostering critical awareness and shared processes of sense-making that enable responsible engagement with complex conditions and contribute to the pursuit of more sustainable futures. Within this framework, the exhibition foregrounds experimental approaches that challenge dominant data visual languages and supports practices that integrate quantitative and qualitative data, narrative and analysis, as well as human and non-human perspectives by enhancing the concept of systemic design pluralism. Data is thus examined as a relational medium capable of articulating connections, interpretations, and meaning across heterogeneous and interdependent contexts. Data to explore the recognition and cultivation of multiple, coexisting ways of knowing and doing within systemic design.
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We invite contributions that explore the role of visualisation in representing complexity, transition processes, and systemic change toward sustainability, including but not limited to the following directions:
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Relational representations of part–whole dynamics and interdependencies;
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Visualising uncertainty, ambiguity, and incomplete data;
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Ethical, critical, and socio-political dimensions of data and visualisation.
The call welcomes a range of exhibition formats that explore data as a relational and systemic medium. Contributions may include static visualisations, interactive or dynamic representations in digital or physical form, and hybrid artifacts artefacts that combine data, narrative, and material engagement. Submissions based on research-through-design are encouraged when they highlight process, method, and critical reflection. Both completed works and exploratory projects are welcome, provided their conceptual clarity and systemic relevance are clearly communicated. Submissions should present recent and previously unpublished work, demonstrating the use of original visual languages and experimental approaches, including innovative applications of both analogue and digital tools.
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How to Submit
The selection process will be based on short abstracts and descriptions, supporting images, and web links to interactive visualisations. Following this preliminary review, selected authors will be invited to submit a poster in accordance with the official layout guidelines.
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Applicants are required to present not only the final outcome of their work, but also the conceptual and methodological framework that underpins it. Particular importance will be given to the clarity of argumentation, critical positioning, and coherence between concept, process, and execution.
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Description (approx. 1000 words)
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Provide a concise yet analytically rigorous description of the work, foregrounding the role of data as both material and conceptual driver of the project. Clearly identify the nature, source, scale, and structure of the data employed (e.g., quantitative datasets, qualitative archives, real-time streams, relational databases, algorithmically generated data). Explain how processes such as collection, cleaning, filtering, modelling, aggregation, or transformation informed the development of the visualisation. Particular attention should be given to how these operations are not merely technical steps, but epistemic acts that shape interpretation and meaning. Describe the visualisation strategies adopted — including mapping techniques, relational structures, temporal layering, interaction design, algorithmic systems, or spatial encoding — and clarify how these choices articulate the concept of relation: between datasets, between variables, between human and non-human agents, etc.
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Intentions and Concepts
Explain the ideas, concepts, or themes you intended to convey and the message, emotions, and effect you aimed to evoke. Describe any symbolism, metaphors, or visual storytelling elements in the artwork. Submissions should evidence conceptual coherence, methodological transparency, and critical awareness of the cultural, political, scientific, or ethical implications of working with data. The committee particularly values projects that interrogate how data structures relationships, mediates knowledge production, and influences perception.
Creative Process
In this section, outline the development trajectory of the project from initial data inquiry to final visualisation. The emphasis should remain on methodology, analytical framing, and decision-making processes rather than anecdotal narrative. Where appropriate, reflect on interdisciplinary approaches, collaborative dynamics, or technological tools that informed the work.
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