One of Asia’s premier design festivals, Singapore Design Week (SDW) celebrates Singapore’s distinctive brand of creativity, exploring design through three defining festival pillars: Design Futures, Design Marketplace, and Design Impact.

Organised by the DesignSingapore Council (Dsg), SDW is a celebration of creativity and innovation, championing thought leadership and showcasing the best of design from Singapore and beyond in our UNESCO City of Design.

FESTIVAL PILLARS

DESIGN FUTURES

Design Futures focuses on the design of the future and the future of design, through the lens of forward-looking Singapore – where a more positive future is prototyped for Singapore and the world. The pillar aligns with Singapore’s strengths and reputation as a futuristic city of design and innovation economy.

Speakers and segment moderators for the “Design Futures Forum: Design for Better Futures” at Singapore Design Week 2023. Photo: Lumiere Photography.

DESIGN MARKETPLACE

Design Marketplace uncovers lifestyle trends from across the globe, with a spotlight on the fast-growing Southeast Asia region. The pillar aligns with Singapore’s position as a global-Asia hub and gateway to Southeast Asia.

The EMERGE exhibition at FIND – Design Fair Asia 2022 was curated by Suzy Annetta and featured a broad range of objects including these table lamps made with cow dung by Indonesian designer Adhi Nugraha. Photo: Studio Periphery.

DESIGN IMPACT

Design Impact inspires with innovative real-life solutions that address society’s biggest questions and create a better world by design. The pillar aligns with Singapore’s design values and our strengths as a purveyor of sustainable urban solutions.

Following its debut at Milan Design Week 2023, the Singapore design showcase Future Impact will have its homecoming during SDW 2023 at the National Design Centre. It includes advanced automated constructions in textile by Tiffany Loy. Photo: Stefan Giftthaler.

PAST EDITIONS

PAST EDITIONS

Following a two-year review, SDW returned in 2022 with a brand new vision that carves a distinctive and enduring niche by focusing on Singapore’s unique design strengths. Proclaimed “A bigger, bolder flagship design fest” by The Straits Times, SDW 2022 brought together more than 70 events and 200 designers over 10 days, and welcomed over 300,000 local, regional and international visitors.

View the SDW 2023 website here.

View the SDW 2022 website here.

SDW had its roots in the Singapore Design Festival, which was launched in 2005, before transforming into Singapore Design Week from 2014 onwards.

From 2014 to 2019, SDW championed thought leadership by bridging the design, business, and public policy worlds to bring about innovative solutions to build businesses, engage communities, and enrich people’s lives. Presenting a collection of local and international design, SDW served as a hub where the best design talents and businesses from Singapore and Asia converged to be showcased to the world; and a platform where Singaporeans and visitors experienced the value of design through delightful experiences.

Some notable highlights from past editions include the Brainstorm Design conference, Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition, SingaPlural programme, and district activations such as Street of Clans at Bukit Pasoh Road and District Design Dialogue at Holland Village.

For SDW 2022, the National Design Centre was brought to life by the exhibition N*thing is Possible by Potato Head, OMA, and friends. Photo: Studio Periphery.