Nico Dams

Background

About Nico Dams

My mind rarely takes a break. It’s constantly spinning - ideas, questions, connections, patterns. I love diving deep into topics, unpacking complexity, breaking things apart and putting them back together in new ways. Especially at the intersection of design and research, where new possibilities begin to take shape. I come from a background in fashion design, with over 20 years of experience in business operations and organisational-management. And today, I explore futures. Sounds like a contradiction? That’s exactly what excites me. I think in-between: between disciplines, between systems and intuition, between “the way it’s always been” and “what if?” I’m currently pursuing my master’s degree in Futures Studies at Freie Universität Berlin, focusing on speculative design, scenario techniques, vision assessment, strategic foresight, innovation studies, transformation-management and futures literacy. I want to understand how futures are imagined, how they shape our decisions and how we can make them more tangible, critical, and inclusive. What fascinates me most is how design can serve as a method for making futures visible, discussable, and experiential: in research, society, and organizations. I want to work with tools such as design research, speculative design, co-creation, scenario planning, serious gaming, and visual storytelling. Currently, I work in film production specialised in journalism and documentions, where I coordinate operations and manage the organisation. It’s a field that keeps me grounded in real-world dynamics, while fueling my curiosity for new narrative forms and systems thinking. And when my brain needs a break? I play. Games have been part of my life since childhood, a gateway into alternative worlds. That, too, is a form of futures exploration. I’m always open to connecting with creative and interested people. Let’s talk, imagine, challenge, and rethink together.