Fail we may. Sail we must.

Embrace uncertainty and get started with Futures Thinking

  • Phil Balagtas, founder of the Design Futures Initiative and the global Speculative Futures network, shows you how designers and futurists have made futures work at companies such as IBM, Apple, Disney, Autodesk, General Motors, Lufthansa, Ellery Studio, Futur2, Twitch

  • You'll learn about Strategic Foresight to identify patterns and trends to anticipate and prepare for change; Speculative Design to explore the relationships between science, technology, and humans; and how to build a strategy toward your future visions


  • This book demystifies the process of Futures Thinking into a language that's practical and useful for both designers and strategists.


“The ultimate handbook to empower futures ambassadors within your company”
— Lina Rodríguez, Design Strategist at frog
“With design, we can stop acting in reaction to predictive events and be a proponent of creating the realities we want for our organizations or society. Making Futures Work is a testament and guide to how we can use futures and design more proactively and effectively and how to adapt today’s thinking into more visionary leadership.”
— Juliana Proserpio, Founder and Chief Design Officer, Echos Desirable Futures Lab

The Futures Mindset

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Preparing for Futures Work

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Strategic Foresight

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Design Futures

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Speculative Design

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Design Fiction

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Science Fiction Prototyping

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Strategy

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Measuring Futures Work

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Integrating Futures into an Organization

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Designing Futures Workshops

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The Futures Mindset // Preparing for Futures Work // Strategic Foresight // Design Futures // Speculative Design // Design Fiction // Science Fiction Prototyping // Strategy // Measuring Futures Work // Integrating Futures into an Organization // Designing Futures Workshops //

“If you want to drive futures conversations and need practical advice on where to start, this is your toolkit. Phil helps you understand how we got here, why we use these tools and where to break the rules.”
— Christy Ennis Kloote, Experience Director and Advisor, Latticework

About the Author

Phil Balagtas is a design leader with over two decades of experience designing innovative digital products and services. Working for companies including General Electric and McKinsey & Company, he’s served the retail, aviation, oil and gas, utilities, public sector, and consumer electronics domains just to name a few.

As a consultant and university professor he guides students and businesses on Design, Futures Thinking cultural and digital transformations and provides expertise and facilitation driven from his experience working with clients around the world.