Mihaela Angelova is a graphic designer and illustrator specializing in Brand Identity, Editorial Design, and Visual Storytelling. She holds a BA in Illustration, Book, and Printed Graphics from the National Academy of Arts, Sofia, and studied Graphic Storytelling at LUCA School of Arts, Brussels. Since 2017, she has been part of Studio PUNKT, creating visual concepts and designs for digital and print media. Her work has received international recognition, including awards from TED Countdown’s Artists for Climate and Marvellous Machines by GRAFIXX. She won a textile design competition at the Melba Design Festival and had her graduation project ranked among the top five of all graduating students that year. Fluent in French, English, and Bulgarian.
Month: May 2025
Nadezhda Karidova
Nadezhda Karidova is a graphic designer and illustrator with a passion for book design and illustration. In 2023, she graduated from the National Academy of Arts Sofia with a degree in Illustration, Book, and Printed Graphics, also spending a semester at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design Bratislava specializing in Illustration and Printmaking. Over the years, she has participated in several competitions and workshops. For nearly five years, she has been a key member of Studio PUNKT, contributing to diverse projects including web illustrations, exhibition graphics, layout design, corporate and festival branding, and package design.
Nawon Koo
Nawon Koo, originally from South Korea, spent her teenage years in Singapore, where she explored various art forms and immersed herself in a diverse cultural environment. This experience shaped her creative outlook and deepened her curiosity about design’s role in different societies. After graduating, she returned to South Korea, Seoul, to pursue a professional design education in her native language, allowing her to reflect critically on the power of design in shaping social structures. Seeking to expand her perspectives and engage with global design discourse, she moved to the Netherlands to study Social Design at the Design Academy Eindhoven.
Everything You Need to Know About WDCD Live Amsterdam 2025
Designing for complexity, community and climate resilience—WDCD’s one-day festival is back with a sharper edge.
By Next Gen Design
What does it take to design for real change? On 6 June, creatives from across the world will gather in Amsterdam to explore that question at WDCD Live 2025, the latest edition of What Design Can Do’s long-running festival for social and environmental impact. Set against the buzzing backdrop of Pakhuis de Zwijger, this year’s event feels more urgent, more critical—and more collaborative—than ever.
Rather than focus on design as a solution, this year’s edition asks: what is design obliged to do in a world shaped by inequality, ecological collapse, and disinformation?
Here’s what you can expect—and why it matters.
Three themes that cut deep
WDCD 2025 revolves around three interconnected themes, each unpacking a core challenge of our time.
- Climate Futurism invites us to rethink what progress looks like. Beyond carbon targets and efficiency metrics, how can design help regenerate systems and shift entire worldviews? This isn’t greenwashing—it’s about long-term resilience and radically local solutions.
- Truth to Power tackles the murky terrain of manipulation, disinformation, and AI’s role in shaping narratives. How can creatives wield new tools with integrity? Expect conversations on ethical storytelling, digital justice, and the politics of visibility.
- Belonging Beyond Borders is perhaps the most personal of the three. With growing tensions around migration and identity, this theme explores how design can build spaces—physical, cultural, emotional—where everyone feels seen and heard.
Together, they form a lens through which design is not just decorative or problem-solving, but deeply political.
Two parts, one mission
WDCD Live is structured as a day in two halves:
- The Work (afternoon): Intimate, hands-on workshops and discussions that invite deep dives into each theme. This is where festival-goers connect, test ideas, and co-create with experts and fellow participants.
- The Celebration (evening): A public gathering of talks, stories, and performances, spotlighting the next generation of design-led changemakers. There’ll be music, food, and more than a few surprises.
Throughout the day, you’ll also meet winners of recent WDCD open calls—projects pushing circularity, inclusion, and justice forward in surprising ways.
Why attend?
WDCD Live isn’t your standard design event. It’s less about shiny portfolios and more about bold provocations. It’s where creative practice meets protest, community organising, and climate action. And it’s where design isn’t just talked about—but lived, tested, celebrated.
Whether you’re a student, policymaker, strategist or storyteller, this is a chance to connect with people asking the hard questions—and proposing daring alternatives.
📍 WDCD Live Amsterdam 2025 takes place 6 June at Pakhuis de Zwijger.
🗓 More info at whatdesigncando.com/events
Nils Sorger
I’m Nils, a Berlin-based designer passionate about merging tradition with innovation. My work explores the interplay of materials, processes, and social contexts, creating products that resonate with cultural and technological dynamics.
Boldizsar Csongor Nagy
Boldi is a versatile visual artist engaged in a wide range of projects, from visual storytelling to immersive multimedia experiences. Currently pursuing a Master’s in Media Design at Moholy-Nagy University of Arts and Design, he excels in problem-solving and thrives on learning, adeptly navigating diverse projects and technologies. He enjoys taking on new challenges and bringing creative projects to life.
Szonja Somogyvári
Szonja is a graphic designer and illustrator in her final year at Moholy-Nagy Art University Budapest. She is specializing in experimental design, biodesign, and 2D animation. Her work explores new ways of expressing graphic design, often combining illustration with unconventional materials and sustainable concepts. She is very into conceptual designs. Currently as a freelancer, she focuses on book covers, illustrations, and motion design. She thrives in collaborative environments and enjoys pushing creative boundaries through hands-on experimentation.
Nora Gulya
Graduating from the Textile Design MA program at MOME, Nora now works as a research intern at the MOME Innovation Center while also developing her own projects. Her work centers on sustainability and innovation, with a focus on materials like textiles, biopolymers, and natural dyes. Passionate about the intersection of design and eco-conscious practices, she aims to push the boundaries of sustainable development and bring circular solutions to everyday life.
Quan Zheng
Software engineer, baker, and outdoor climbing enthusiast, Quan dedicated a year after his BSc degree to simplify his lifestyle to combine freelance web-development with travel. With his thirst for exploration quenched and hunger for new challenges, he is now working on hardware to create new ways of computer interaction with a focus on accessibility.