The Seattle Design Festival (SDF), formerly known as Design in Public, was founded in 2011 to celebrate all the ways that design makes life better for Seattle, and to nurture relationships among multidisciplinary designers, civic leaders, business innovators, community organizers, educators, artists, and activists.
Through a broad range of events developed by our community partners, we are able to engage a diverse cross-section of the people that live, work, and play in our city. SDF believes that design is for everyone, and its benefits should be accessible, intersectional, and informed by a diverse public.
To learn more about past Festivals, visit our Festival Archive page.
2025 marks the 15th anniversary of the Seattle Design Festival. 15 years of promoting the belief that design is for everyone, and its benefits should be accessible, intersectional, and informed by a diverse public.
This year’s annual theme is FEEDBACK. FEEDBACK is all about collaboration, courage, and adaptability. It challenges us to listen deeply, iterate boldly, and embrace constructive dialogue as a tool for innovation and stronger communities.
As we gear up for SDF 2025, we invite you to explore how FEEDBACK can shape design, influence change, and amplify diverse voices.
April 2— Call for Proposals launch
April + May— SDF Mixers hosted by Planning Team to support potential partners
May 28— Proposals due
June 6— Accepted Partners Notified
Early July— Festival Lineup goes live
August 16-21: 2025 Seattle Design Festival!
Be part of our vibrant community of designers, thinkers, and innovators as we explore the possibilities of design with the prompt: FEEDBACK. We look forward to seeing you there and sharing in this inspiring journey!
The Call for Proposals launches April 2! This open call invites diverse designers, artists, and community organizations to create participatory experiences that challenge assumptions, reflect on past decisions, and shape future design practices.
Our 2025 Call for Proposals will outlines each Festival element and guide your submission process. The call goes live on April 2 and submissions will be due May 28, 5pm.
The Festival is entirely a product of our community. It is planned by a core group of dedicated volunteers, many of them emerging designers, who develop our Call for Proposals each year. All of the proposals brought forward by our community will be reviewed by the Festival Planning Team. This team will be looking for proposals that directly relate to the theme and demonstrate the relevance of design thinking, empower communities to leverage design, and promote a culture of collaboration.
We evaluate the quality and feasibility of each proposal: is it thorough or vague? How will you communicate your design process? Is it design-focused and accessible to all? Is the proposed format engaging and participatory? The Festival Planning Team provides feedback to all Festival Partners when sending out acceptance letters.
On average, we have over 100 program partners a year, including not only designers and their firms, but also community groups, nonprofit organizations, government partners, and students. The most successful proposals come out of partnerships between designers and community groups, creating lasting relationships that live on past the Festival and spark change in our city moving forward.
Accepted Festival Partners will be notified on June 6.
We are excited to connect Festival teams to our partners at the UW Fabrication Lab. After the Block Party you are able to donate the following materials:
- Clean wood: Must be free of fasteners and adhesives, with a minimum length of 18 inches.
- Plywood: CDX or higher grade, minimum 24 inches x 12 inches.
- Plastic Panels: Acrylic, polygal, etc.
- Metal: Preference for steel and aluminum, must be free of glue or adhesives.
Join us for our Spring Design Mixers, review the resources linked out in this document, and visit the SDF YouTube channel to get a better sense of what the Festival is like!
April 10, 5:30-7:30pm / citizenM Seattle SLU
Register here
April 24, 5:30-7:30pm / citizenM Pioneer Square
Register here
May 8, 5:30-7:30pm / citizenM Pioneer Square
Register here
May 15, 5:30-7:30pm / Adobe Seattle
Register here
*Registration is required, as space is limited.
No. Product marketing is prohibited, and you are not allowed to sell items. Participation in the Festival is driven by the goals that align with our mission: 1) highlight the value of your creative process; 2) provide an opportunity for community members to participate in design processes and for the public to influence design outcomes; 3) address or support work around urgent community problems; 4) inspire action and engage others; 5) showcase and celebrate design and our greater design community.
Seattle Design Festival envisions a culture of design that fosters equitable, resilient, and thriving communities. To achieve this vision, it is critical that we cultivate and sustain an inclusive environment rooted in trust, mutual respect, and accountability.
To support this, SDF and AIA Seattle worked together to develop a Community Standard, to support our growth as members of this shared community.
It is the expectation that all Seattle Design Festival contributors agree to uphold and integrate these standards in all Seattle Design Festival-related activities and shared spaces (committees, site visits, programs, discussions, community events, etc.). We are grateful to everyone for helping further our mission, values, and goals!
Volunteer your time to bring the Festival together! We will be soliciting applications for our Festival Planning Team in the next few months if you’re looking for a long-term commitment. If not, consider joining us next summer as a day-of volunteer!
Sponsor the Festival to demonstrate your commitment to the Seattle design community, and help us unleash the design thinker in everyone to illuminate Seattle’s challenges and ignite action.
Donate to make a gift to support the design thinker in everyone and keep the Festival FREE!
We prioritize accessibility as we plan all of our Festival events, and require all Festival Partners to prioritize safety, inclusivity, equity, and accessibility when designing their experiences. However, we are constantly aiming to increase support to our community. Read more about how we encourage accessibility in design.
If you have any specific concerns that aren’t addressed on event pages, please reach out to us at info@seadesignfest.org.
When you attend Seattle Design Festival events, you are entering an area where group photography, audio, and video recording may occur. By entering the event premises, you consent to such recording media and its release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction thereafter.
When 4 or less adults are being photographed in an image – or any number of children – our photographers will inform the subjects verbally of their representing the festival and asking for consent/parental consent. They will also have individuals fill out photo release forms.
These media materials may be utilized in SDF publications, news releases, online platforms, and other communications aligned with SDF’s mission only.
Contact info@seadesignfest.org with any additional questions.