Design and imagination contribute to urgent transitions
During Dutch Design Week 2024 (DDW24) in Eindhoven, the Dutch Design Foundation presents Designing Society, an exhibition spanning over 600m², inviting visitors to explore new perspectives on possible futures. Through a variety of themes, you’ll discover how, as a society, we can deploy the power of design to address the complex challenges of today and tomorrow. Around 40 projects envision a world that tackles today’s challenges and explores a promise for a better future.
Designing Society
Everything around us is designed—from the houses we live in to the social systems we rely on. And if something can be designed, it can also be redesigned. We are living in times of revolutionary change. Together, we face crises like climate change, polarisation, and conflict, all of which demand urgent and fundamental shifts in our systems.
By combining the creativity of designers with scientific insights, social responsibility, and political will, we can redesign our world into a sustainable, liveable, and fair society for future generations. Designing Society offers a glimpse of this potential future.
Designing Society is an overarching exhibition born from the collaboration between several of Dutch Design Foundation’s key programmes: De Publieke Ontwerppraktijk (PONT), World Design Embassies, What if Lab, and Maakruimte voor Mooi NL. In partnership with businesses, governments, and the creative sector, Designing Society explores the power of design as a means for change.
Inclusive and accessible
The exhibition is free to visit and is located at Ketelhuisplein, the beating heart of Dutch Design Week. Accessibility is a priority in various ways: at the entrance, a tactile model of the exhibition allows visitors with visual impairments to explore the space by touch, project signs are hung at a wheelchair-friendly height, and the projects are explained through text and video. There is a free public tour every hour, and volunteers are on hand to provide personal assistance.
Mission Days
This year, Dutch Design Week introduces the Mission Days. From Monday 21 to Friday 25 October, designers and professional visitors will gather for a programme focused on the different missions of the Dutch Design Foundation. The aim? To facilitate meaningful connections. Each weekday will focus on one specific mission. Key partners for the programming are PONT, ClickNL, Design United and World Design Embassies. Registration is required for each event, and the full programme is available at ddw.nl/missiondays.
