'Designing a sustainable e-future' was the first in a five-part series of evening fora where the Design Council sparks debate on issues that affect all our futures and where design can make a critical impact.

The programme of events supports the Design Council's existing work on e-strategy, by exploring how an e-future relates with future trends, design challenges and opportunities.

Four protagonists were invited to respond to the role design can play in achieving equilibrium between technology and appropriate need:

Techno centric future: Bill Sermon, Design Director, Nokia Group. Through extensive IT penetration are we creating a 'Generation Gadget'? What are the hidden costs resulting from a computer in every home? Where and when is the saturation point? Can e-thinking assist with product dematerialisation?

Progressive Networking: John Browning, Co-Founder, First Tuesday. What are the learning opportunities? How can strategic design positively create our collective future? Does this make information more accessible? How can we share responsibility?

Trust and Transparency: Oliver Sparrow, Director, Chatham House Forum. Is "Doing a Dell" the only way forward? What's our collective responsibility in a world where the editor is king/queen? How do company values translate in the digital arena?

Sustainable Contexts: Sara Parkin, Programme Director, Forum for the Future. What are the future impacts of a techno-centric economy? How can corporate and social responsibility impact the future of business?

Writer and social commentator Pat Kane captured the essence of the evening. Read on…

And to find out more about the speakers, read their biographies…