Dutch Design Week Eindhoven
October 19 – October 27, 2019
Eindhoven

In October of each year, Dutch Design Week (DDW) takes place in Eindhoven. The biggest design event in Northern Europe presents work and ideas of more than 2600 designers to more than 350,000 visitors from home and abroad. In more than 110 locations across the city, DDW organizes and facilitates exhibitions, lectures, prize ceremonies, networking events, debates and festivities.

Although during the event every imaginable discipline and aspect of design is on offer, the emphasis is on experiment, innovation and cross-overs. Exceptional attention each year goes to work and development of young talent. DDW concentrates on the design of the future and the future of design. It is our objective to show how designers from around the world shape a positive future and to strengthen the position and meaning of Dutch designers.

Focus points for the coming years

1. The future requires international thinking and acting: we realize that Dutch designers by definition act in an international environment. Designing the future is an international objective. With Dutch Design Week we therefore want to become the major international hub where the future is shown, explored and discussed.
2. The future requires connection: if we want to strengthen the position and meaning of Dutch designers, we do that best by connecting them to a world of clients. That is why we strengthen our role as matchmaker. DDW offers a podium and network to designers and clients. In the coming years we will make more and more matches, also with international clients.
3. The future requires responsibility: as designers we are optimists, but we also want to take responsibility. Even more because we believe in the power of creative minds. That is why we want to connect designers to social issues more actively in the coming years.

Dutch design

DDW does not just see Dutch design as a label for a certain group of designers or design aesthetic, but as a permanent reflection of a culture and attitude that is characteristic of the Netherlands and of Dutch people. We identify with a solution-oriented approach, functionality, humanism, free thinkers, brutality, humour, ability to put things into perspective, single-mindedness, not hindered by thinking in terms of hierarchical barriers, the unconventional. But also the readiness for taking stakeholders seriously and involving them in the solution, in the creative process. Dutch design is an attitude and does not by definition refer to a nationality.

History

DDW all began back in 1998. In that year the Vormgeversoverleg (a designers collaborative) organised the first Day of Design. Objective: introducing entrepreneurs to designers. The event, which took place annually in Eindhoven, attracted more interest each year and grew exponentially. The Day of Design became the Week of Design in 2002 and ultimately in 2005 it was renamed Dutch Design Week (DDW). DDW is optimistic and believes in the problem-solving capabilities of designers. They have demonstrated that they dispose of the inventiveness and flexibility of mind that can lead to innovations that our rapidly changing world so craves. Our ambition has three pillars:
1. Offering a platform to designers, irrespective of origin or nationality, with a Dutch design attitude: our organisation reinforces Dutch design through offering a leading international stage.
2. Offering designers opportunities: helping them move forward through introducing media, commerce and other sectors to designers and their work – in the form of publicity, network expansion and assignments.
3. Talent development: our future-oriented vision is not limited to tomorrow. Which is why one of our organisation’s spearheads is the stimulation and support of the new generation.

more. www.ddw.nl