1 Going Fast To Nowhere – Friday at 1:30 pm, on the main stage
Sebastian Padilla ought to have some great advice on creative multi-tasking. He’s the co-founder and creative director of Anagrama, a Mexico City-based firm that does pretty much everything: from branding and graphics to architecture and interior design and even software development. In addition to all that, Padilla writes music and screenplays, and has a fashion label, a taco shop, and a liquor brand in development. He’ll talk about how to do it all, one step at a time.

2 This is Progress – Friday at 2:30 pm, in the lower lobby
Christopher Simmons heads up MINE, a San Francisco studio that designs brands, books, products, packaging and just about anything else thrown their way. Simmons’s talk will explore the ways that design affects culture – representing not only our aesthetics, but our ethics – and how innovation and invention shapes everything in our lives, from the way we make coffee to the way we connect with each other.

3 A Field Guide to Creative Adventuring – Friday at 3:30 in the lower lobby
Paddy Harrington is best known for his decade-long stint with Bruce Mau Design, where he served as creative director. Last year he launched Frontier, his own brand that encompasses a magazine, a design studio and a ventures group. His talk will follow the path from an empty page to an exciting idea, delving into the best places to seek inspiration and reminding us that problems can become opportunities.

DesignThinkers runs November 12 to 13, at the Sony Centre, in Toronto.