The Future Tense powered by Lürssen conference has presented the first edition of Future Tense Magazine, a new publication that maps the key questions of the contemporary moment, and those still to come, through the intersection of business, technology, art and social change. In its printed edition, the magazine serves as an extension of the conference itself, offering analytical insights into new technologies and trends, conversations with leaders shaping their industries, and original visual collaborations that connect creativity with business thinking.
The presentation of the magazine was accompanied by a panel discussion focused on the future of business, with an emphasis on a holistic approach to society – spanning technology and sustainability, as well as culture, art and broader social responsibility.
The panel featured Zlatan Vehabović, artist and author of the cover; Christoph Schoefboeck, President of the Management Board of Erste Bank; Lada Tedeschi Fiorio, Vice President of Atlantic Grupa; Gordan Kolak, President of the Management Board of KONČAR; and Manuela Šola, Director of the agency Komunikacijski laboratorij, the organiser of the Future Tense powered by Lürssen conference and publisher of the magazine.
Speaking about the role of financial institutions in broader social processes, Christoph Schoefboeck highlighted the importance of long-term responsibility as the foundation of sustainable business, stressing that such an approach is an integral part of Erste Bank’s identity and its relationship with the community in which it operates.
Building on the theme of long-term thinking, Lada Tedeschi Fiorio pointed to the role of culture as a key framework that gives business meaning and direction. According to her, culture does not necessarily offer ready-made answers, but it asks the right questions – which makes it a powerful link to business, because without this broader and long-term perspective, business can easily be reduced to short-term transactions.
The discussion was rounded off by Gordan Kolak with a message about the importance of bold moves in a time of accelerated technological change: “The legacy I want to leave is breaking through the barriers we have set for ourselves as a small nation in a big world. Stepping outside the frameworks we are used to can be an example that encourages us to dare to do things that today may seem impossible.”
The magazine’s cover, created by Zlatan Vehabović, is designed as a collage of fragmented elements that come together into a tense yet thoughtfully balanced whole. Visual “errors” and deliberately introduced chaos evoke the aesthetics of artificial intelligence and its imperfections, while the collage medium itself symbolises the coexistence of different ideas, perspectives and challenges that will define the coming decade.
Vehabović explained how an artistic way of thinking can open up new perspectives even in a business context: “Art does not provide answers; it asks questions. Fragmentation is a defining feature of our time, and it is precisely through such a visual language that we can communicate the complexity of the world we live in.”
Since 2018, when the conference was launched, its stage has hosted futurists, scientists, public policy makers and business leaders united by the same belief: the future is something we build together. It is from this idea that the magazine was born, and it will be distributed once a year to representatives of the Croatian business community, European institutions, communication and technology hubs, at the Future Tense powered by Lürssen conference, held on 22 April in Zagreb, and subsequently in Copenhagen.
