News & Events

Season's Greetings

Tuesday, 23 December 2025

As the year comes to a close, the DESIGN 2026 Organising Team would like to extend warm season’s greetings to our community of researchers, practitioners, partners, and friends.

Thank you for your continued support, engagement, and enthusiasm as we prepare for the 19th International DESIGN Conference. We look forward to an exciting year ahead, with inspiring keynotes, interactive workshops, and meaningful exchanges within the global design community.

We wish you peaceful holidays and a successful, healthy, and creative New Year.
We look forward to welcoming you to DESIGN 2026.

— DESIGN 2026 Organising Team

DESIGN 2026 workshops

Friday, 19 December 2025

The 19th International DESIGN Conference (DESIGN 2026), taking place 18–21 May 2026 in Cavtat–Dubrovnik, Croatia, has released details of its workshops programme as part of the full conference schedule. These interactive sessions will give participants hands-on experience and deeper engagement with today’s most pressing challenges in design research and practice.

The workshops cover a range of timely themes aligned with the conference’s core topics, including:
- Advanced design methods & tools – exploring innovative methodologies, digital design workflows, and participatory approaches.
- Human-centred and sustainable design – focused on inclusive practice, socio-environmental impact, and sustainable development.
- AI in design – examining how artificial intelligence is shaping design theory and engineering workflows.

Each workshop is structured to promote active collaboration among researchers, educators, and practitioners, offering unique opportunities for idea exchange, skill development, and network building.

Full information is available at: https://www.designconference.org/workshops

DESIGN 2026 keynotes

Monday, 15 December 2025

The 19th International DESIGN Conference (DESIGN 2026) has officially announced first two keynotes confirmed for this year’s event, taking place 18–21 May 2026 in Cavtat–Dubrovnik, Croatia. The plenary sessions will feature leading voices in engineering design research and practice, bringing fresh perspectives on the future of design.

Featured keynotes include:
- Dr. Faez Ahmed (MIT) will present “From Data to Design: Rethinking Engineering Design With Next-Gen AI”, exploring how generative and data-driven approaches are transforming engineering design workflows.
- DESIGN 2026 / DESIGN Conference
- Dr. Hua Dong (Royal College of Art) will speak on “Inclusive Design: Who to Include?”, offering insights into expanding design processes to serve diverse users and contexts.

Full information is available at: https://www.designconference.org/keynotes

Update on the DESIGN 2026 Review Process

Tuesday, 9 December 2025

During a recent Programme Chairs meeting, all submissions were carefully screened for scope and compliance with the submission guidelines. As a result of this initial assessment, 66 papers were desk rejected for being out of scope or not meeting the formal requirements.

The remaining 458 submissions have been forwarded for double-blind peer review. This has resulted in the allocation of 1,374 individual review tasks across a community of 403 expert reviewers.

This milestone marks an important step in ensuring a rigorous, fair, and high-quality review process. We sincerely thank all reviewers for their invaluable contribution to maintaining the scientific excellence of DESIGN 2026.

DESIGN 2026 Submission is open

Tuesday, 15 July 2025

Submissions for DESIGN 2026 are now open. Details on formatting, templates, and the submission deadline are available here: https://www.designconference.org/submission

Calendar for DESIGN 2026 Conference announced

Monday, 10 March 2025

Thank you for making DESIGN 2024 a success

Saturday, 25 May 2024

On behalf of the program chairs, organizing team, and our PCO PerfectMeetings.hr, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks for your participation in DESIGN 2024 conference. Your engagement and contributions were crucial to making this conference a resounding success. We hope you enjoyed the venue, the scientific program, and the social events, and that everything met your expectations.

We are pleased to inform you that the papers from the conference are now available on the CUP website.

Additionally, next week will add recordings of the keynote sessions and the debate to our YouTube channel. We encourage you to subscribe, as we will be adding multimedia from previous events there as well.

We value your feedback and suggestions. If you have any comments or proposals, please feel free to email us.

If you are not already a member, we invite you to join the Design Society and become part of our community.

When referring to the event on social media, please use the hashtags #DESIGN2024conference, #DESIGNConference, and #DesignSociety.

Thank you once again for your participation and support. We look forward to welcoming you back to Cavtat-Dubrovnik-Croatia for DESIGN 2026, which will take place from May 18-21.

DESIGN 2024 conference now open for business

Sunday, 19 May 2024

We're thrilled to announce that the DESIGN 2024 Conference has officially begun with regsitration of delegates! Stay updated with the latest conference highlights content by following the Design Society's LinkedIn profile

Final program for the DESIGN conference now available

Friday, 19 April 2024

The DESIGN conference is pleased to announce that the final program for the entire event is now available online. Participants, and all who are interested, can access a comprehensive schedule of all sessions, workshops, meetings, and keynote speeches, including the much-anticipated 5th Design Debate. The complete program details are accessible at the following link: https://www.conftool.net/design2024/sessions.php.

5th edition of the DESIGN Debate announced

Monday, 15 April 2024

The DESIGN 2024 Conference is thrilled to announce its upcoming 5th Design Debate taking place under the banner "Product is Dead. Long Live Systems!". Historically, DESIGN debates have emphasized the tangible over the theoretical, critically examining the state of design research and the efficacy of design methodologies. This year’s theme challenges the traditional emphasis on product design, advocating instead for a systemic perspective that mirrors today’s multifaceted global challenges.

Session chairs and presentation slots announced

Wednesday, 27 March 2024

In our continued effort to ensure a smoothly run and engaging conference, potential session chairs were recently contacted regarding their willingness to lead discussions and oversee sessions. This vital role contributes to the quality and success of the conference, fostering an environment of meaningful exchange and professional growth. Simultaneously, presenting authors have been informed about their respective presentation slots. This step marks a key phase in our preparation, allowing authors to plan and prepare for their presentations effectively. The allocated slots have been carefully considered to maximize attendee engagement and thematic relevance across the diverse array of topics to be covered at the conference. The full program is planned to be announced in mid-April.

Accepted papers now with publisher

Monday, 11 March 2024

We are excited to share a significant milestone for the DESIGN 2024 conference. All papers that have been accepted and registered for the conference have been officially sent to the publisher (Cambridee University Press). This progression ensures that your groundbreaking research and innovative ideas will be showcased to the global design community. By moving forward with the publishing process, we are one step closer to sharing the collective knowledge and insights that have emerged from our rigorous selection process.

Onshape announced as lead sponsor for DESIGN 2024

Friday, 23 February 2024

We are thrilled to announce Onshape(PTC) as the lead sponsor for the upcoming DESIGN 2024 conference! This partnership marks a significant milestone for our event, highlighting the convergence of innovation, technology, and design. For more details about Onshape/PTC and what they bring to the DESIGN 2024 conference, please visit https://www.designconference.org/onshape.

Explore cutting-edge workshops organised by Design Society SIGs

Monday, 19 February 2024

Check the details of an exceptional series of workshops brought to you by the Design Society's Special Interest Groups (SIGs), happening at DESIGN 2024. Dive deep into the latest trends, methodologies, and tools across various domains. Each workshop is curated to foster learning, collaboration, and innovation among attendees. For a more detaols, check out https://www.designconference.org/workshops.

Announcing our keynote speakers

Monday, 19 February 2024

We are thrilled to unveil our lineup of distinguished keynote speakers for DESIGN 2024, featuring prominent academics and industry leaders and pioneers from the field. Their insights and experiences promise to inspire and ignite discussion. For more details on our keynote speakers and their presentation topics, visit https://www.designconference.org/keynotes.

Registration and accommodation reservation is open

Wednesday, 31 January 2024

Registration for participants is open. All information is available at:
https://www.designconference.org/registration

Accommodation reservation is open. All information is available at:
https://www.designconference.org/accommodation

Those who need a visa to enter Croatia should read the information provided at:
https://www.designconference.org/visas

DESIGN Conference Paper Review Results

Wednesday, 31 January 2024

After receiving reviews, the Programme Chairs have made their final decision on the acceptance of the papers. To remind you, we received more than 500 submissions, highlighting the event's popularity and the high caliber of research within our community. Notably, 15% of these submissions were desk-rejected by the Programme Chairs before the review stage, and from those reviewed, 71% were accepted. This rigorous selection process is a testament to the competitive nature of the DESIGN conference.

1311 review tasks were sent out

Tuesday, 12 December 2023

In a recent Programme Chairs meeting, a thorough assessment of submissions led to significant decisions. Out of the total submissions, 75 were desk rejected due to being out of scope or not compliant with the submission guidelines. From the remaining pool, 437 submissions were carefully chosen to be sent to reviewers. This decision resulted in a substantial distribution of review tasks, with 1311 tasks being delegated across 358 reviewers. This step underscores the committee's commitment to a detailed and fair review process, ensuring only submissions that meet the specified criteria and guidelines are considered.