Lara Hanlon is a design strategist, food systems & sustainability advocate, and community builder.
Through her work, Lara has transformed organisations, changed mindsets, and received a few awards along the way. Her portfolio spans user experience, systems design, and visual communications.
She is the Founder of Portion Collaborative, Project Director at 100 Archive, Steering Member at Design Declares Ireland, and Lecturer at IADT.
Lara enjoys making complex ideas simple, is fascinated by human behavior, and strives to create positive outcomes through design.
Publications & Features
Irish Tatler / Business Post – Feature
The Designers swapping New York for the West…→
Boyle Arts Festival – Film Screening
Dinner 2050: Future of Food in Ireland →
Food Design — Interview
Food Design Voices Vol 2 →
Guzzle — Article
POTATO: A Portal to the Past, Present, and Future →
IBM Design — Blog
10 Reflections on Designing a Design System →
IBM Design — Interview
International Women’s Day and its impact →
Why Design — Interview
Addressing gender imbalance in design→
IBM Design — Blog
Remote Collaboration for World Domination→
100 Archive — Article
So what is design thinking, anyway?→
Shopify — Article
Web Design Trends 2018→
Just in Mind — Article
Top UX Design Trends for 2018→
Just in Mind — Interview
Prototyping and UX Design Culture→
Prototypr — Blog
Work Better, Not More→
100 Archive — Review
Postcards from The Future...→
Marvel App — Blog
How to Lead and Hustle in Design...→
Silicon Republic — Interview
A design for life revolution is sweeping IBM→
Offscreen Magazine (issue 14) — Feature
A Day in the Life of →
Silicon Republic — Feature
What is design thinking...→
Bloomsbury Publishing — Publication
Developing Citizen Designers→
100 Archive — Interview
Modern Practice→
100 Archive — Blog
Designing for Big Blue: My Story So Far→
Dezeen Magazine — Feature
éntomo→
Talks & Exhibits
Climate, Design, and Entrepreneurship
Irish Design Week, 2024
Climate Change: The Design Challenge Of Our Time
Design Leaders Conference, 2024
No Nature, No Food
Future Food Movement, UK, 2023
Agriculture, Food Policy, Sustainable Food Systems
IFIAD Annual Conference, University of Galway, 2022
Sustainability by Design (Moderator)
100 Archive in assoc. with Heritage Week, 2022
Designing The Future Through Food
Birmingham Design Festival, UK, 2022
Remote Creativity
WhyDesign, 2020
IBM Think Summit (MC)
IBM’s annual business and tech conference, 2019
Motyf: Virtual Types
Festival of Interactive & Motion Typography, 2018
Commitment
Creative Mornings, Dublin IRL, 2018
100 Archive and Irish Design
OFFSET, Dublin IRL, 2018
Strategic Creativity at Work (Moderator)
Workspace Business Insights, London UK, 2018
Design Thinking at Scale
Mobile UX London, 2017
Design for Impact
The Future, Dublin IRL, 2017
Design for Impact
National Digital Design Conference, Pakistan, 2017
Food to Feed the World
TEDx Ha'Penny Bridge, Dublin IRL, 2017
Design Facilitation
Bulgaria Web Summit, 2017
IBM x Etsy: Design in Business & Tech
OFFSET, Dublin IRL, 2017
Me, Myself and I
SEU Fine Arts Gallery, Austin TX, 2016
Designing Human-centric Products
Inspirefest Conference, Dublin, 2016
IBMxIADT: Designing Designers — Moderator
OFFSET, Dublin IRL, 2016
IBM Design Thinking Workshop
IxDA : Interaction16 Helsinki, 2016
Defuse: Design for Use
IxDA, Dublin IRL, 2015
LIMINAL Dublin
Irish Design 2015 flagship exhibition, 2015
Blueprint Talks | Designing Digital
Irish Design 2015 x Making Space, 2015
NEED: When Design Empowers Human Potential
Milan Design Week, 2015
Introducing IBM Design
IRDG Annual Conference 2014: Design Thinking, 2014
Recovery: The Power of Design
Shenzhen Design Awards for Young Talents, 2014
Honours & Awards
Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI) 2025
Special Awards; Category Winner
Creative Boardroom: Collab4Change・Collaboration
FastCompany Innovation by Design 2022
Enduring Impact; Finalist
IBM Research・Team
FastCompany Innovation by Design 2022
Best UX Design of 2022; Honorable Mention
IBM Research ・Team
SheGenerate Accelerator Lite Showcase 2022
Finalist
Portion Collaborative・Individual
Fingal Chamber Young Business Person of the Year 2018
Nominee; Finalist
IBM Ireland・Individual
100 Archive Selection 2016
Design Directory Ireland→
IBM Ireland・Team
100 Archive Selection 2016
Attention Economy→
Institute of Creative Advertising and Design (ICAD)
Design Island→
IBM Ireland・Atelier Projects・Collaboration
100 Archive Selection 2015
Design Island→
IBM Ireland・Atelier Projects・Collaboration
Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI)
Highly Commended 2015
Atelier Projects・Team
Institute of Creative Advertising and Design (ICAD)
Bronze Bell Award 2014
Atelier Projects・Team
100 Archive Selection 2013
Vernacular→
Atelier Projects・Team
Shenzhen Design Awards for Young Talents
New Star Award 2013–14