Should a city host a design week?

Chapter 1

Barcelona Design Week

Set to celebrate its 12th edition this year, Barcelona’s is one of Europe’s most established design weeks. Benefiting from government support, it capitalises on the city’s long tradition of production and craft, industrial production and, of course, design.

Chapter 2

Beirut Design Week

Compared even to secondary design capitals such as Toronto or Vienna, Beirut’s design scene is small and lacks a sense of community. For this reason Beirut Design Week takes on a particularly urban character, taking over neighbourhoods in ways that the city rarely sees.

Chapter 3

Reykjavik Design March

With its design scene concentrated almost entirely in the centre of Reykjavik, Design March is doing its best to raise the city’s profile. But, as Iceland gets back on its feet, it also wants to force its designers to raise the bar.

Chapter 4

Design Week Addis Ababa

Launched in 2015, Design Week Addis Ababa was founded by creative director Metasebia Yoseph, who hoped to bring design thinking to the rapidly expanding and developing capital.