The Design Center of the Philippines, an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry, welcomes October with two design celebrations, Design Week Philippines, and the International Design Conference as part of its continuous commitment to promoting a culture that thrives on creativity, value creation, and innovation. During these volatile, uncertain, and complex times, this design conference and festival play a crucial role in enlightening various industries in the country on the importance of a design innovation ecosystem with a clear vision of impact-driven design solutions that are not only technically sound but also help solve the world's modern problems. Alongside the brilliant minds of other professions, we can redesign a more sustainable and resilient society.

With the success of its previous Design Week celebrations, Design Center of the Philippines continues the momentum as it holds on its 11th year of Design Week Philippines from 14 to 22 October at UP BGC, Taguig, the First United Building in Escolta, Binondo, and online.

Every year, Design Week celebrates its decade-long pursuit of democratizing and catalyzing Filipino design and the creative community through networks and relationships between designers and various stakeholders to advance and globalize the Philippine design sector. This year, the festival goes back to its roots with "Design For All," bringing design to the people by rethinking and reexploring what "for all" means.

The nine-day festival will hold a series of programs and events including design workshops, design tours, design experiences, as well as design talks by industry experts tackling various topics such as "The State of Philippine Design," "Design for the People: The Design Center Brief," and "Design in the World: Designing Livability in Cities."

The celebration will showcase design as a creative tool for positive impact, a robust vehicle for inclusive, sustainable growth, and a rich, diverse expression of Filipino culture and identity.

Meanwhile, the annual International Design Conference, which was first launched in 2017, happened yesterday under the Design Week calendar.

Themed "Future for All," this year's conference aims to spark and lead the conversation on the power of design and designers in addressing the major challenges of our time, shaping the society of now, and building a future where everyone can live and thrive.

"This year's themes share a common denominator and that is to give power and freedom back to the people in the spectrum of design. Through these festivals, we hope to be able to show that when designers and design skills are used, they can contribute significantly to the wealth of the nation, greater productivity and more innovation.," shared Rhea Matute, executive director of Design Center of the Philippines.

Design Week Philippines 2022 is presented by the Department of Trade and Industry — Design Center of the Philippines and co-presented by Tourism Promotions Board, First United Building and HUB: Make Lab.

This annual festival is part of Proclamation 277, declaring the third week of April and October of every year as Design Week Philippines. Since 2017, Design Center institutionalized Design Week Philippines as a national celebration that fosters local and global awareness of the creativity and design capabilities of the Filipino people and highlight the role of design in addressing the social problems.

To register and learn more about Design Week Philippines, visit the Design Center of the Philippines Facebook page: www.facebook.com/DTI.DesignCenterPH/.