Date

27 February 2025

Design as a tool to foster cohesion among communities and create a better life

In the year of the XXIV International Exhibition of Triennale Milano, the Italian Design Day 2025 embraces its theme to highlight a defining feature of Italian design: working to create a better life, reduce inequalities, value differences, and improve access to individual and collective well-being.

Italian Design Day is an initiative by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (the Farnesia), in collaboration and with the support of the Ministry of Culture launched in 2017. It is an effective tool in supporting the promotion of design and the internationalization of a strategic industrial sector for Italian exports.

As part of the international ecosystem of Italian design, we have been part of different events around the world:

 

  • Lagos, Nigeria – Riccardo Balbo, Chief Academic Officer and Dean at IED Istituto Europe di Design Group

“Rapid Integration of AI in Architecture” was the title of the event that took place on February 25th.

More info here.

 

  • Copenhagen, Denmark – Giovanni Ottonello, IED Art Director.

Copenhagen Design Museum hosted the event where Giovanni Ottonello and

Prof. Marco Sammicheli, Italian Design Museum director and curator, presented their vision on how design can contribute to creating a better world.

More info here.

 

  • Lyon, France – Simona Bordone, IED Milano teacher.

Simona Bordone offered a talk about what democratic design means today.

More info here.

 

  • Barcelona, Spain - Manuela Procopio, Academic Manager.

Manuela moderated a roundtable where designers Elena Salmistraro and Pepa Reverter reflected on the role of design as a tool for transformation.

More info here.

 

Keep tuned for new events in the following days. 

You may be interested in:

30 October 2026

IED joins the Chile Diseño 2026 Awards as institutional partner, speaker and jury contributor

IED supports the awards through jury participation and a talk by Spanish illustrator Puño.

Side view of a presentation with the audience seated and five panelists

28 October 2026

“Strategic Design Clinic” explores disruptive futures at IED Barcelona

Held to mark 20 editions of the Master in Strategic Design Management and as part of Barcelona Design Week, the clinic brought together professionals, innovation leaders and students to tackle real-world challenges through strategic design thinking.

Poster with the program of activites for a two-day conference

28 October 2026

The IED Barcelona community takes part in the conference that brings together the world’s leading figures in Design Management

“Service Design Disrupted” explored the future of design with contributions from lecturers Alessia Rullo, Mabel Lazzarin and Markel Cormenzana, Business Design student Fer Herrera, and Manuela Procopio, Academic Manager at IED Barcelona, who moderated a panel discussion.

Man with glasses showing a yellow pen cap

28 October 2026

Marc Stickdorn at IED Barcelona for a Service Design Disrupted satellite workshop

The founder and CEO of Smaply explored service design, innovation and organisational transformation in an additional workshop held ahead of the international conference at DHub as part of Barcelona Design Week.

27 October 2026

Keiji Takeuchi: Design between objects and context

Keiji Takeuchi guides second-year students of the Product Design BA Degree at IED Milano through a design journey exploring the relationship between objects, people and their surroundings, combining research, model-making and observation of everyday life.

Art and design exhibition featuring two central rocks sewn with printed fabrics

23 October 2026

“Valor Ancestral: Latam Creative Talent 2026” makes a stop at IED Barcelona

Following its presentation at IED Madrid and ahead of its move to IED Kunsthal Bilbao, the latest edition of the international exhibition, an initiative promoted by IED since 2022, was on display to coincide with the Barcelona campus’s activities as part of Barcelona Design Week.

Young woman showing off her award at the event's photocall

20 October 2026

Pentawards 2026 recognises IED Barcelona’s packaging design with Gold and Silver awards

“SOLMOD”, by Sofía Millán, and “Drop”, by Livia Ylldiz Struga, both second-year Product Design students, competed in the category for student concepts that have not yet been brought to market.

16 October 2026

The Word for Border is Water

IED participates for the third time at the Class of 26 exhibition during Dutch Design Week

16 October 2026

The three IED projects selected for the ADI Design Index 2026

Textile Refugee (IED Milano), EVOluzione and Sei Complice (IED Roma) are in the running for the 2028 Compasso d’Oro in the Targa Giovani category.