Event Details

Dutch Design Week is all about the design of the future and the future of design. DDW opens, inspires, shares and connects. During the nine-day event, taking place from 21 to 29 October, Eindhoven is completely immersed in design, with all conceivable disciplines and aspects of design on offer. The emphasis is on expertise and talent, experimentation, innovation and crossovers. 
 
This year’s theme, Picture This, is an urgent call to face that future scenario and to turn the tide. An indispensable aspect of this is the commitment of designers, with their new schools of thought and exceptional powers of visualisation. 
The theme appeals to everyone’s imagination and celebrates the imaginative power of designers, and to designers themselves: aesthetics and beauty are incredibly powerful tools for opening the doors to meaning and getting people moving. Designers are experts in formulating and visualising different perspectives, which enables them to lead people through a process of change and breakthrough paralysis.
 
DDW23 introduces ten brand new programme narratives that guide visitors and designers to find each other during the week. The immense variety of activities, events and exhibitions taking place in Eindhoven are all plotted to help designers, collaborative partners, policymakers, trendwatchers, knowledge institutes, creatives and every other visitor to find the topics and perspectives they are most interested in.
 
Missions
ACHIEVING OUR EQUAL SOCIETY
To achieve equality in society, we must (re)design systems and interactions that value everyone. Safety, inclusiveness and connection are key here.
 
BOOSTING OUR HEALTH & WELL-BEING
Designs that improve our quality of life and health – from the food we eat to healthcare and personal well-being.
 
CHALLENGING OUR DIGITAL FUTURE
Explorations from virtual worlds to artificial intelligence and from global platforms to individual experiences.
 
CREATING OUR LIVING ENVIRONMENT
Designing our living environment, mobility and the materials we use to create them goes hand-in-hand with shaping our quality of life.
 
ENABLING OUR THRIVING PLANET
For a healthy planet, design must enhance the power of nature, or at the very least not stand in its way.
 
World Design Embassies
 
Embassy of Circular and Biobased Building
With 'Possible Landscapes', the Embassy of Circular & Biobased Building explores a new green, regenerative economy. From land to structure, from crop to industry and from ideal to financially fair value system, what will the chain look like in the future?
 
Embassy of Food
Our food chain is in need of change: From improving biodiversity to the availability of healthy and nutritious food for all. This year's Embassy of Food focuses on 'The farm of the future'. If sustainability, animal welfare and health are the goals, what would that farm look like?
 
Embassy of Health
Health may be our most valuable commodity. With 'Health as currency', the Embassy of Health explores the (re)valuation of health. How can we put our health before the economy? And how do we make putting our health first accessible to the whole of society?
 
Embassy of Inclusive Society
The Embassy of Inclusive Society is about breaking patterns, about 'Learning and Unlearning'. Through a spatial experiment, you can train and strengthen your own inclusivity muscle and develop new, more inclusive habits. 
 
Embassy of Mobility
The Embassy of Mobility is about creating liveable cities collaboratively. People first! Starting from DDW as a living lab, the Embassy explores new proposals that make the transition towards cities for people tangible. 
 
Embassy of Safety
Based on the theme 'Make Better', the Embassy of Safety shows examples and asks visitors to think and create. 
 
Embassy of Water
With 'Water-based', the Embassy of Water explores the future of regenerative housing in practice.