What is Futurism and Why Does it Matter Now?
Jul 31, 2025By Chrissie Bonner, Visioning Strategist at FutureGood
Chrissie Bonner is Visioning Strategist at FutureGood. Connect with her on LinkedIn or reach out to her by email at [email protected].
Historians study the past. Futurists study the future.
This distinction has stuck with me since I read Trista’s book, FutureGood. I didn’t quite understand what it meant to “study the future.” How can we study what doesn’t exist yet?
I recently bolstered my learning about futurist-based planning through the FutureGood Studio program and was able to flesh out my understanding and how we can leverage futurist tools to support powerful planning processes. I created these graphic notes to help crystalize my own understanding of the framework.
My high-level takeaway: Futurism isn't about predicting the future. It's about understanding possibilities, and preparing ourselves and our systems to respond wisely. Studying the future involves understanding exponential change, mapping plausible future scenarios and influencing today’s choices to shape a better tomorrow.
In this moment, perhaps you’ve noticed too, there’s a bit of overwhelm. But well-executed scenario planning and visioning can help us move from reacting to reimagining. We can orient ourselves to the present and look far into the future to crystalize a long-term vision. We can harness volatility using design thinking, learn to be more adaptive, and consistently commit to more equitable choices as situations arise.
As a facilitator and illustrator, I love bringing these futures to life. Through graphic recording, illustrated tools, and visual storytelling, I can help groups see their choices more clearly. When we can see the shape of complexity, we’re more likely to understand it and move through it with purpose. Visual tools are powerful not just because they’re clear, but because they spark new ways of thinking, align diverse teams, and help people remember what matters.
If you’re also sitting with big questions about the future, I’d love to be in conversation.
