In this keynote lecture for Rice University, Konstantin Grcic will trace the arc of his celebrated design career, which has evolved alongside the rapid transformation of tools and technologies. Since founding his studio in 1991, he has created iconic furniture, products, and lighting for leading global brands, including Flos, Magis and Vitra. Now based in Berlin, Konstantin Grcic Design continues to push boundaries in industrial and exhibition design and with collaborations spanning architecture and fashion.

Grcic will share personal reflections on the transition from analogue methods to the digital revolution, from a time before CAD and the internet to the advent of 3D printing and generative AI. Framing design as both a practice and a response to sociopolitical realities, he will explore the challenges and opportunities of creative work in an increasingly complex technological and cultural landscape.