You can now apply for participation in DDW21 in Eindhoven! Check out this page to apply and to find all the necessary information you might need about the application process, selection criteria, FAQ, costs and much more. In addition to the physical festival in Eindhoven, there is a limited number of 3D Viewing Rooms available for the online event. We will fill these in conjunction with the community.
Dutch Design Week 2021
We are looking ahead optimistically and are aiming for a physical festival in Eindhoven this October. The past year has shown us that the digital part of DDW is indispensable, but also that the physical event remains the core. DDW stands for serendipity and chance encounters; new potential clients, relevant collaboration partners and new ideas and perspectives that surprise and inspire you unexpectedly. That's what we strive for. In a little over six months' time, we hope to be able to welcome visitors, spread out over various locations, in a way that fits in with the COVID-19 measures in place at that time. This decision follows consultation with the design community, key partners and relevant agencies. Evidently, alternative scenarios are ready, but we believe in the possibility of a physical event by then.
The festival will also be supported by an online programme including the 3D Viewing Rooms and DDW TV, which were first introduced in 2020. Both of these will be revised and further developed so that they will work well with the 2021 edition.
DDW21 theme: The Greater Number, a quest for the better number
After the corona crisis, will we continue on the same road that we've been following for the past decades, namely a road built by economic growth? That is a question many people have asked during the last year. DDW doesn't think so and calls for reflection and change with 'The Greater Number'. Change should focus more on social values and taking better care of the planet rather than on purely economic reasons. Perhaps less consumption is needed to reduce waste, more sustainable products should be used, or a new change in behaviour is required between consumer and product. A future where there is a constant search for a better number - sometimes less, sometimes more but then of higher quality, and sometimes simply different. Also, when it comes to opportunities and inclusiveness in our society. All of this is captured in the overarching theme 'The Greater Number', a quest for the better number. DDW hopes that with this theme, participating designers and partners are inspired to share their vision with the help of various subthemes surrounding the pandemic, wellbeing economy, the climate, inclusivity and the design field. Check out the complete motivation behind the DDW21 theme!