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Getting Help with your SDF 2024 Proposal

Need some support pulling together your proposal? Proposals for SDF 2024: WHAT IF? are due May 29 at 5pm! Review the Call! Have you read through all 14 pages of our call for proposals? WE KNOW… it’s a lot, but that’s because we wanted to get ahead of as many of your questions as possible!…

This year’s theme is more than a prompt — it’s a catalyst for reimagining, reinventing, and rejoicing in infinite possibilities. While we’re not entirely reinventing the Festival, the Planning Team is excited to introduce some new elements, to help us explore the impact SDF can have on our community. Sustainability Commitment With the support of…

Remote Access to SDF 2024 Over the past four years SDF has seen the impact of virtual programming, which has helped us to better meet our community (both in Seattle, and around the world) where they are. As such, the Planning team will continue to embed virtual access into our annual celebration. Virtual Partners Are…

Submissions + Guidelines Proposals due May 29th We are now accepting event proposals for the 2024 Seattle Design Festival! Anyone is eligible to submit an idea for an event to engage and interact with attendees during the Festival. Wondering where to start? Review the Call for Proposals, which outlines each Festival element and guides your…

SDF 2024 Theme: WHAT IF? Earlier this year, we invited our community to pick the 2024 Festival theme. A huge thanks to everyone who provided feedback to launch our planning! Participants challenged us to design a Festival that evokes inspiration, hope, and an expanded sense of community. We are so excited to continue to hear…

Drum roll, please… The theme of the 2024 Seattle Design Festival will be WHAT IF? A huge thanks goes to everyone who joined us on February 13 for the public vote! We are so excited to continue to hear more about the questions driving design in our community. Over the next few weeks the SDF…

A huge thanks to everyone who was able to make the time and space for last night’s virtual gathering! It was amazing to see so many members of our community gather so early to start building excitement for this year’s Seattle Design Festival. Over 60 people gathered to learn more about who we are, what…

Would you or someone you know make a great Seattle Design Festival Board Member? Learn more about what this leadership opportunity, and complete the nomination form by February 7 to help us unleash the design thinker in everyone!

Save the date – February 13 – for the SDF 2024 Kick Off Event! Be the first to hear what’s new and vote on this year’s theme!

Do you want to play a crucial role in shaping the Seattle Design Festival (SDF) and connecting with the local design community? If so, we invite you to join us as a planning volunteer for the 2024 Seattle Design Festival.   Planning Team Volunteer Commitment As a planning volunteer, you will commit to a bi-weekly…

At PopRox, anyone can come as they are and have fun dancing. PopRox offers a wide variety of dance classes across different age groups.

Thank you to everyone who attended, partnered, volunteered, and otherwise joined us in making SDF 2023 a resounding success!

Curiosity is at the core of what Stroop Design does and how they think. As a global design studio with team members in Seattle, New York, London, and Buenos Aires, they explore the impact and influence of design in different settings and retain an inquisitive nature that keeps their eyes open to the world. Working…

The Olson Kundig team is ready to make a splash at the Block Party! Hear about what inspires their work in design.

Caitlyn has worked in the Architecture field as a designer for over 6 years. Her work has spanned from multi-family housing to high rise.

Joining us at the Block Party this year are the many interns of MG2! We sat down and asked them what inspires them and their work in design.

Designer Jonnie Nelson shares with us how he was introduced to architecture through music and how CURIOSITY inspires his work today!

Mahlum Designer Alexandra Holakiewicz shares with us how community and curiosity has shaped and inspired her work in design.

In anticipation of their installation, we asked a few members of the Bassetti SDF team what their favorite thing about Seattle is:.

The 2023 Seattle Design Festival lineup is ‘live’!  We’ve updated the website with 60+ installations, pop-up experiences, virtual discussions, and mixers happening during the Seattle Design Festival, August 19–24. All our partners are exploring this year’s theme of CURSIOISTY and are inviting you to consider the role you play in designing the world around us. This Year’s…

A desire to create connections across communities allows Seattle-based poet, Shin Yu Pai, to push her artistic boundaries.

Lauren Ko does not particularly enjoy sweets. The Seattle-based artist, baker, Instagram influencer and cookbook author finds fulfillment from her baking practices. 

We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve extended funding awards to 23 outstanding community partners who are eager to unleash the design thinker in everyone. These awards were given to a diverse range of non-profit organizations, community groups, and emerging designers who totally nailed it in their proposals. Here are the things that made them stand…

Curious about the Seattle Design Festival Planning Team?   The Seattle Design Festival is organized and produced by a committed group of volunteers – the Festival Planning Team. For over 12 years, SDF has relied on volunteers to manage the Festival as a whole, and produce specific components within the Festival. Together, they develop our…

SDF 2023: CURIOSITY Submissions + Guidelines We are now accepting event proposals for the 2023 Seattle Design Festival. Anyone is eligible to submit an idea for an event to engage and interact with attendees during the Festival! Wondering where to start? Review the Call for Proposals, which outlines each Festival element and guides your submission…

The Planning Team has pulled together some of their favorite experiences from last year to help inspire you and your team as you develop your proposal for the 2023 Seattle Design Festival. Built Installations Browse this quick reference to see some successful installations at Lake Union Park   Pop Up Experiences See how community partners…

SDF 2023: CURIOSITY Earlier this year we invited our community to let us know what they want to see from this year’s Festival. A huge thank you to everyone who provided feedback to launch our planning! During the kickoff event, we were reminded that the Seattle Design Festival is, and must continue to be, an…

Wondering how to engage with the 2023 Seattle Design Festival? We are still months away from officially gathering as a community, but we understand the excitement you may be feeling. We cannot wait for this year’s celebration of design and the opportunity to showcase some of the amazing designers working to change our world, helping…

If you found yourself in South Lake Union at the Seattle Design Festival Block Party this past August, you may have heard the band (solely composed of AEC professionals) strike up some tunes or the happy screams of kids enjoying the late summer day at the splash pad. Anchored between the two was Bassetti Architects‘…

Seattle Design Festival seeks volunteers to sustain and expand our storytelling initiative Design in Community.

The Seattle Design Festival is a volunteer-powered organization, and we appreciate your help in making the festival a success! Together, the Festival advances the design discussion in Seattle, empowering everyone to make a change in their communities through design. There are several different ways to get engaged as a volunteer. To find the right fit for you,…

Radical Botany: speculative landscapes for uncertain times can be seen at the UW College of Built Environments Gould Gallery now until December 16 during regular business hours.   This past summer, students in the summer studio led by Elizabeth Umbanhowar presented their installation for the Seattle Design Festival titled “Future Food Forest: Radical Landscapes for…

Matthew McWilliams, long time SDF volunteer and creator of Design in Community, shares how he found comfort and community in cycling!

Seattle Design Festival is pleased to announce our incoming slate of accomplished design leaders who were elected to fill seats on our Board of Directors beginning September 1, 2022. Please join us in welcoming our new board members!

As design enthusiast, who would rather sketch or diagram with you than just talk, Rob Deane has shepherded his clients, colleagues and community to envision their best ideas for the built environment. Always thoughtful, he steers conversations, distilling those ideas to further connect and bring together a cohesive design – whether it be a carefully…

Hear about some installations from the 2022 Seattle Design Festival Block Party and the process for the teams behind them!

Thank you to Everyone who Joined us for the 2022 Seattle Design Festival! Every year, SDF brings together designers, community members, experts, city officials, and business leaders to celebrate and explore how design improves the quality of our lives and our community. 2022 was the year of CONNECTION. Our community gathered at the Block Party, all over…

The 2022 Seattle Design Festival will be all about CONNECTION. When thinking about design, there is something very tangible and physical in how things ‘connect’ – but there is also something very emotional that ‘CONNECTION’ taps into as well. CONNECTION is a core human need. Our brains are wired to connect. We look and long…

Sallyann Corn and her partner Joe Kent, co-owners of the industrial design firm Fruitsuper, share their story of resilience in the face of the pandemic.

Author Susanna Ryan documents novel findings and shares some of Seattle’s nearly forgotten remnants of its past.

We are beyond excited to announce that we are working with Coyote Central, again this year! This strategic partner supports the Festival’s goal to empower communities to leverage design and engage youth in design thinking. This year Coyote Central will join us at the SDF Block Party on August 20 & 21 from 10a-7p with Bridging the Gap, a…

Nathan Hadley has always been a climber. Now he shares his passion through his work as lead route setter at the Seattle Bouldering Project.

When thinking about design, there is something very tangible and physical in how things ‘connect’ – but there is also something very emotional that ‘CONNECTION’ taps into as well. CONNECTION is a core human need. Our brains are wired to connect. We look and long for social CONNECTIONs. We strive to understand how parts connect…

As we look to the summer, we are excited to share the result of the 2022 SDF Pavilion Design Competition with you!
Cue the drumroll and prep the confetti…
Our winner is Johnston Architects!

The year is whistling by in a blink of an eye and May 4 is almost upon us. Unfortunately, society’s challenges won’t be solved nearly as quickly but, through the continued collaborative efforts of our creative community of designers, makers, and activists, we’re making design inclusive and accessible, we’re innovating, and we are taking a step to addressing…

Earlier this year SDF invited designers and multidisciplinary artists to submit designs for the SDF, pavilion, the visual anchor of our Festival which welcomes supporters, partners, and Festival-goers. Design teams were encouraged to consider our Festival goals and capture the spirit of our annual Festival elements. This week our jurors met to deliberate the submissions,…

Join us May 4th for Ignite! An SDF Fundraiser Now in its sixth year, the annual Seattle Design Festival (SDF) fundraiser brings together and acknowledges the community of designers, makers, activists, and enthusiasts who support SDF’s ongoing work to highlight all the ways that design has a powerful impact in our lives. We have important…

You know it! We know it! It’s time to batten down your email inbox hatches against the storm of another city-wide fundraising campaign. GiveBIG is here again. As we edge ever closer to our Ignite! fundraiser, we are delighted to share with you news of an exciting matching gift from our own Board of Directors. Between…

Every one of us is engaged with design every day, even if we don’t realize it. Design impacts whether we feel safe in our neighborhood, how we choose to get to work, how hard or easy it is for us to access stores, services, and schools. Well-designed buildings and places and products and experiences uplift…

Not sure what to propose for SDF 2022: Connection? Learn more about each of our Festival elements and see some examples that the Festival Planning team had in mind when developing this year’s call for proposals! Remember, the Seattle Design Festival is meant to unleash the design thinker in everyone. How will your proposal empower…

In 2016, P2S (formerly Notkin) engaged 54 architecture firms from the Pacific Northwest in a collaborative reimagining of a playing card deck. Aiming to rekindle dormant relationships and create new ones, P2S embarked on this extensive effort to engage the Pacific Northwest architecture community in a way that would leave a distinct impression of innovation, quality,…

Preparations are fully underway for our 2022 SDF fundraiser – Ignite! – and we cannot wait to see you. In the lead up to May 4, we will be keeping you apprised of the great work of our event speakers and sponsors, highlight some of the wins of recent festivals, while also shining a spotlight…

We invite designers and multidisciplinary artists to submit designs for the temporary central pavilion of the 2022 Seattle Design Festival.   The pavilion will greet Festival attendees and serve as an ideal hub for pop-up programming at the SDF Block Party. The pavilion should be designed in such a way as to allow all or…

Who are we looking for? Volunteers looking to gain valuable leadership experience planning and producing the festival. The SDF core team requires members who are: Reliable, able to attend all core team meetings and deliver on commitments Collaborative, willing to step up and assist when needed Good communicators, willing to assist community partners in bringing…

Dear SDF Supporters and Community, It is with great appreciation and optimism that I am reaching out to you today to share a reflection from 2021 and our plans for 2022. We joyfully engaged the public and partners in person in August 2021 with 33 Installations and Pop-up Experiences, and 6400+ attendees for the Block…

#GivingTuesday is Tomorrow! Why does your Gift Matter?   The Seattle Design Festival (SDF) is the region’s largest public design event celebrating and exploring all the ways design improves the quality of our lives. One of the key tenets of our work is to engage with under-invested communities empowering them to leverage design and our…

Congratulations to SDF partners Wittman Estes and The Clean Hands Collective! Their projects, which were featured as part of  SDF 2020: About Time, have been awarded Honorable Mentions at AIA Seattle’s 71st annual Honor Awards for Washington Architecture. From 103 submittals, the jury chose 16 award winners from three categories – Built, Conceptual, and Research…

We are excited to highlight the recent work of one of our long-time festival partner, Diversity Roundtable (DRT)! Together, with Sawhorse Revolution, DRT completed their 2nd build project— Danny Woo Garden Shed. Project Team AIA Seattle Diversity Roundtable committee attracts, retains, and empowers individuals of underrepresented backgrounds in the profession of architecture through scholarship, community…

The Seattle Design Festival explores ways that design serves the community it impacts, and how design can allow future generations and ecosystems to thrive. As part of SDF’s commitment to sustainability, each year we encourage all of our partners to plan for their installation’s afterlife. We ask them to partner with a local organization for…

The 2021 Seattle Design Festival (SDF) has come to a close, but the energy generated from gathering as a community is still palpable. It was so much fun seeing you all there, in person, after so many months of planning remotely.  We saw over 6,400 people visit the Block Party! Thank you for being part of our community, and for letting us…

Melissa K. Neher comes to AIA Seattle + Seattle Design Festival most recently from her role as Executive Director of Architects Without Borders Seattle, an organization formed by a dedicated group of volunteers who came together under the umbrella of AIA to provide access to design to underserved communities. Melissa is from upstate NY, and…

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2021 Seattle Design Festival Block Party! Every year, the Seattle Design Festival brings together designers, community members, experts, city officials, and business leaders to celebrate and explore how design improves the quality of our lives and our community. 2021 was the year of EMERGE. Our community…

Adrian Bell leads Applied’s operations in the Pacific Northwest. He has over three decades of transportation planning experience within the public and private sectors and oversees the planning and business case development of complex wayfinding projects for cities and their transit systems and facilities. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Adrian has produced planning, management and…

Born in an old city in China, Jing Qiao, graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Southern California. She spent the past few years immersing herself in various cultures from China, Scotland, Germany, Japan and the USA. Technology allowed Jing to make friendships and connections with people all around the world.  As a…

2021 is a year of aspiration. Emerging from COVID lockdown, we are ready to take a deep breath and consider our future. Aspiration means ambition and the act of breathing in. Seattle Architecture Foundation’s 24th Annual Architectural Model Exhibit theme Breathe is meant to inspire submissions that reflect on this dual meaning: faced with the passing…

The Seattle Design Festival (SDF) was founded in 2011 to celebrate all the ways that design makes life better for Seattle, and to nurture relationships among designers, citizens, city leaders, and future-thinking business innovators. SDF is the largest design-related event in the Pacific Northwest, gathering 120+ partners and over 30,000 attendees to 80+ citywide events…

We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to support various aspects of the Festival in August! If you are passionate about design—whether you have formal experience in a design discipline or not—we would love to have your support at EMERGE. Volunteer roles range from assisting with built installation setup to welcoming Festival guests, to screen-printing! If…

The 2021 Seattle Design Festival is Emerging!   As the summer of 2021 is coming into focus we are excited to move into this Festival season with optimism and hope. With this year’s Seattle Design Festival theme EMERGE, we invite participants to explore the opportunities of adaptation and change as we move forward with what…

Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and donors, the Seattle Design Festival was able to fund non-profit/student/individual Festival partners who engage youth in the design process, leverage co-design and improve the community engagement process, and inspire action with lasting impact. We are beyond excited to announce the 2021 Seattle Design Festival funding award…

As the summer of 2021 begins to come into focus we are excited to move into this Festival season with optimism and hope. With this year’s festival theme, EMERGE, we invite participants to explore the opportunities of adaptation and change as we move forward with what we’ve learned from 2020. We hope to finally come together…

The Seattle Design Festival is a community-driven program made possible by small individual donations from our community.     The Seattle Design Festival provides such a meaningful opportunity to leverage design. I am donating to help individuals and organizations to test ideas, challenge assumptions and raise awareness for our community. – Rob Deane AIA, NCARB Senior Associate…

This year’s festival theme, EMERGE, seeks to inspire action, addressing the consequences of the pandemic to nurture new possibilities. Emerging is a process of adaptation, of transforming the way we interact, collaborate, and create. How can community-driven design strategies carry us forward? How will we emerge better?   This year’s festival will happen exclusively outside through…

The Seattle Design Festival (SDF) is entirely a product of the people that are involved in it. It is planned by a core group of dedicated volunteers, who work to shape the Festival each year. Together, they develop our annual call for proposals to connect communities and unleash the design thinker in everyone to illuminate…

Awaken your creative spirit and get ready for the 2021 Seattle Design Festival! Join the Seattle Design Festival planning committee and Surya Vanka, Founder & Chief Designer at AUTHENTIC DESIGN and longtime friend of the Festival, for the Design Jam, a Thinkercyze Live event, THIS SATURDAY April 10 at 10am PT. Explore your creative process…

The Seattle Design Festival (SDF) is excited to announce that we have been awarded a Grant for Arts Project from the National Endowment of the Arts. Grants for Arts Projects is the National Endowment for the Arts’ principal grants program for organizations based in the United States, which supports arts projects that use the arts…

We are excited to be partnering with NW Film Forum once again for the ByDesign [Online] Film Festival 2021! The 21st Annual Festival is a cross-cultural exploration of people, structures, and ideas at the intersection of design and the moving image. ByDesign’s film program, composed of nine feature films and one short film package, collectively…

A challenging year is behind us, and while there is much work that still must be done, we are moving into this new year with optimism and hope. With this year’s festival theme, EMERGE, we invite participants to explore the opportunities of adaptation and change as we move forward with what we’ve learned from 2020….

Seattle’s historic structures, among them many unreinforced masonry buildings, are at risk not only from the numerous seismic faults in the Pacific Northwest, but also from economic factors. Many at-risk buildings continue to have vibrant life in Seattle communities, but have found it challenging to retrofit for earthquake safety. It will take technology, expertise, policy,…

Mark your calendars for #GivingTuesday!   We are thrilled to be participating again in #GivingTuesday – a global day of generosity on Tuesday, December 1. Your gift is an investment in encouraging a greater understanding and appreciation for the ways that design can improve our lives. Design is for everyone and inclusive co-design practices are essential to shaping…

We are looking forward to safely gathering with you all in August and want to ensure that we deliver the 2021 Seattle Design Festival that our community needs.   The Seattle Design Festival is centered around YOU — your voice, your perspective, and your experiences with the Seattle design community.   Join the SDF Core…

The Seattle Architecture Foundation 23rd Annual Model exhibit, Iterations, celebrates the germination of a design idea and how it’s nurtured over time through the exploration of writing, drawing, modeling and material studies. These studies serve a myriad of functions, whether they depict the architectural elements employed, represent the building in its site, or serve to test…

We hope you enjoyed the festival!  Even as it took on a very different form this year, we hope you found ways to plug in, celebrate design, and think critically about the roles designers can play in shaping our communities. It is About Time for real meaningful change – and we hope some discussion, event…

Every year, the Seattle Design Festival brings together designers, community members, experts, city officials, and business leaders to celebrate and explore how design improves the quality of our lives and our community. 2020 challenged us to reimagine this celebration during a time of physical distancing. From August 15 – 23, the Seattle Design Festival brought…

Not able to catch all of the festival partner events during the August 15-23 dates? You are in luck – these partner programs will have a life beyond the dates of the festival – make sure to check them out! And stay tuned for recorded video of the Live Partner Events that we will have…

Sunmin Whang is a designer with LMN Architects. She has worked in New York, Boston, Chicago, and the Netherlands, and has found a home in Seattle, focusing on educational and institutional projects. She loves getting involved in the design community as part of the LMN pavilion team for the Seattle Design Festival, build days with…

Felix Chang is an Associate Strategy Director at Artefact – a sponsor of this year’s Seattle Design Festival. As a researcher, Felix describes his job as “a little bit like the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter” because he strives to understand people and systems to find the deeper themes and insights. Felix uses his research abilities…

Alex Lopez is Senior Design Manager with the AI + Research & Search Studio at Microsoft – this year’s Platinum Sponsor of Seattle Design Festival. Make sure to join Microsoft for their panel discussion in this year’s festival: What Day is It? on August 2o, 9-10am. Alex’s bio in his words: I’m currently Design Manager at Microsoft leading…

Stephanie Di Biase is a creative director at Teague, Seattle’s leading design and innovation company. Stephanie draws on her 20-year design career, starting as a graphic designer and moving into interaction design around 2007. She has led global multidisciplinary design teams from strategy through implementation on enterprise level digital products. Her clients have included Target,…

Nate Holland is the Design Innovation Director at NBBJ – one of the Festival’s Gold Level Sponsors. Make sure to join NBBJ to participate in their festival-long virtual program, Urban Harmony Seattle  and create, listen and “view” the sounds of our neighborhoods. Nate leads the integration of advanced digital workflows and human performance analysis into…

John S. Couch is the author of “The Art of Creative Rebellion: How to champion creativity, change culture, and save your soul” and Vice President, Product Design for Hulu. Make sure to join TEALEAVES for their moderated conversation in this year’s festival: Creative Rituals: Designing for the New Normal on August 16, 10-11:30am.   A creative…

Rob Frye is Design Director for Product Design at Microsoft – this year’s Platinum Sponsor of Seattle Design Festival. Make sure to join Microsoft for their panel discussion in this year’s festival: What Day is It? on August 2o, 9-10am. Rob’s Bio in his words: I started my career as a graphic designer, because back…

The 10th Seattle Design Festival (SDF) is just over 20 days away! This celebration will look different than originally planned, as we find ourselves swapping gatherings and canapes for screens and distance. Even with these challenges, we recognize that a celebration of SDF would be incomplete without celebrating the amazing people who make it a…

We are celebrating the tenth year of the Seattle Design Festival, and for ten years the Festival Planning Committee, a group of volunteers, has worked to build a platform intended to both celebrate design and empower design professionals to work towards creating more equitable, resilient, and thriving communities. 2020 in particular seems to ache for…

Sharpen your skills and expand your thinking by engaging in our weekly virtual design challenge   THINKERCYZE is a weekly virtual design challenge from some of our favorite designers that anyone can do – brought to you weekly this summer by the Seattle Design Festival Committee with support by Microsoft. Every challenge has been crafted…

Indeed it will look different this year, but the festival does go on… virtually! 60+ submissions are in and we are working on getting the festival line up ‘live’ on the website in the next few weeks. Along with the weekly virtual design challenge, THINKERCYZE, there will be discussions, interactive workshops, collective virtual art creation…

We want to thank you for your patience and continued support as the team worked to re-imagine this year’s Festival, in light of the current circumstances. The Seattle Design Festival is still taking place August 15-23, 2020.  While the traditional physical experiences – including the Block Party and Neighborhood Spotlights – have been canceled, the festival will…

Design in Public will be closed on Friday, June 12, 2020 in solidarity with Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County’s call for a general strike and Statewide Silent March.  Design in Public joins the many community voices raised to condemn the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the many other Black lives cut short by the systems of racism…

Thank you for your participation in our annual Benefit Breakfast! We are amazed at the generosity of our community and are honored to receive your support. We’ve raised $24,998 so far – your generous gift is a huge vote of confidence in our mission. While coming together via computer pixels is not what we had…

Not sure what to propose for the 2020 Seattle Design Festival? 2020 marks the first time that the Seattle Design Festival has gone virtual. As such, we are looking to the work of other institutions, organizations, and individuals who can offer examples of how to leverage the digital landscape to engage SDF festival goers, properly…

Join us for our first-ever online benefit breakfast, May 27, 8-9:30am as we bring the Design Community to you right into your own home! Table Captains will facilitate design discussions with all participants about the real challenges Seattle is facing right now, after which our Keynote Speaker, co-founder and CEO of Minka, Ana Pinto Da Silva will…

This year’s theme, About Time, sought to ponder past, present and future at a unique moment of transition for the city, the region and the world. Instead, it presently confronts the reality of a global public health crisis and its profound impact on our daily lives. We are aware the impact this crisis has had on…

2020 now marks a turning point that we had not imagined. As the Seattle Design Festival prepares for its tenth year, the landscape has changed. This year’s theme, About Time, sought to ponder past, present, and future at a unique moment of transition for the city, the region and the world. Instead, it presently confronts the…

Not sure what to propose for the 2020 Seattle Design Festival?  Here are some examples of effective program formats we’ve featured in previous years. This is by no means an exhaustive list of things that have worked — it’s merely a sampling. Block Party The best installations continue to engage and make an impact beyond…

ByDesign Festival is a cross-cultural exploration of people, structures, and ideas at the intersection of design and the moving image happening March 18 – 22 at Northwest Film Forum. In its 20th year, ByDesign recontextualizes the global to the local and examines pressing issues such as sustainability, affordability, indigeneity, and infrastructure, as they relate to…

As speculative development and fast-paced growth transform urban space, architects must not be complacent in service to the market economy. How can we practice architecture as caretakers for our communities and reclaim an active role in the production of space? Proactive Practice examines how architects self-initiate projects to nurture vibrant and adaptive communities. Through the…

Our anniversary comes at a pivotal moment in time, for our city and our world. This year’s festival theme, About Time, ponders our past, present, and future, and seeks opportunities to act – and to celebrate – at this unique moment in time.   In the 10 years since the festival began, our city and…

FESTIVAL GOALS Demonstrate the relevance of design thinking Propose design solutions to urgent community problems Create a vision for our urban future, elicited from everyone Inspire action Empower communities to leverage design Engage youth in design thinking Involve underrepresented communities in the design process Improve co-design and community engagement processes Model design as a career…

Design in Public has openings for volunteers looking to gain valuable leadership experience planning and producing the festival.  Every Seattle Design Festival program is organized and produced by committed volunteers.  The Festival Core Team manages the festival as a whole and produces specific components within the Festival.   You do not need to be a…

How does technology influence our urban experience? Whether we like it or not, technology is deeply rooted in our everyday lives. As emerging technologies continue to evolve, and our cities morph and adapt, the relationship between technology and our urban environments grows more complex. Balancing Act explores the notion of balance by posing a series of…

The Design in Public Board Nominating Committee is pleased to announce our incoming slate of accomplished design leaders who were elected to fill seats on our Board of Directors beginning September 1, 2019. The nominating committee solicited board nominations from a diverse pool of designers committed to our mission. Please join us in welcoming our…

The Seattle Architecture Foundation’s Annual Architectural Model Exhibit brings the work of local architects and designers to the public, forging a deeper understanding of the design process and the built environment of Seattle. The 22nd Annual Architectural Model Exhibit: Symbiosis encourages local architects to explore the positive products and constructive outcomes of interdependence, and to…

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2019 Seattle Design Festival exploring BALANCE! Every year, the Seattle Design Festival brings together designers, community members, experts, city officials, and business leaders to celebrate and explore how design improves the quality of our lives and our community. 2019 was the year of BALANCE. From August 16…

JW Architects, founded in 2009, specializes in urban infill housing and custom homes. Their award winning work space, located in Seattle’s International District, is Zero Energy Certified by the International Living Future Institute.  It is the second commercial building in Seattle to be certified at this level. Led by Julian and Jaidee Weber, they are…

Design Goggles is a podcast centering on the evolution of the world around us through the lens of design. Architecture, interior design, graphic design, fashion, art, tech, UX and more — no corner of the design world is off-limits as they invite guests to share how design informs their work, life, and the spaces they…

Scott Crawford is a designer at LMN Architects in Seattle and a founding member of LMNts, the integrated and interdisciplinary research and development group within LMN.  Scott continues to pursue research he started as a student at the University of Washington related to parametric modeling and digital fabrication with a focus on integrating these design…

Thank you to the Seattle design community and everyone who submitted a proposal for SDF 2019! We are thrilled at the breadth and diversity of proposals engaging with this year’s theme: BALANCE. Stay tuned for: 50 Block Party Installations – August 24 & 25 at Lake Union Park 56 Partner Events – including 32 that…

A collaboration between Duffy DeArmas and Stefan Hofmann, Electric Coffin is supported by a team of talented designers, project managers, and fabricators to really make this super deluxe art machine purr. Exploring the intersection of art and commerce, they are fueled by a number of sources. Both material and ephemeral, these sources encompass knowledge, culture,…

Interested in films that entertain, engage and evoke public debate, Bart has been in the documentary industry since 1996. Films he has produced include The Corporation (winner at over 25 festivals including Sundance, Toronto, and IDFA, and broadcast worldwide) and Moebius Redux (co-production with Avanti Pictures, Germany; ZDF-ARTE, Bravo! and others). Other collaborations include Bananas!*…

Born in Riga, Žanete Skarule is currently based in Amsterdam. She holds a Master’s in Film/Video from California Institute of the Arts where she studied analogue and digital film, as well as theatre direction. In 2012 she started working in the New York-based studio of Jonas Mekas, the godfather of avant-garde cinema. In 2017 she…

Design in Public interviews Nicolás Rodríguez Fuchs and Pablo Pivetta, the Argentine Co-Directors of the documentary film, Endless Letterpress (Los Últimos).

Gather Seattle is a community, a network, and a welcoming friend group with a mission to support one another in creative pursuits that enhance the vibrancy of the city and the greater PNW. Through their monthly event programming, Gather Seattle invites people from the food, design, and creative communities to share their stories and speak…

Join Africatown Central District Preservation and Development Association and Design in Public for an inspiring non-traditional keynote presentation with the distinguished artist, designer, and educator Walter Hood. Make your voice heard on the open mic about the future of the Central District. Walter is the Creative Director and Founder of Hood Design Studio in Oakland,…

Society is witnessing a time of record migration and displacement. Cities are on the front lines of this global crisis. 60-70% of displaced people now live in cities. As the number of urban displaced persons grows, so does our moral imperative to welcome and embrace them. While immigrants and refugees face many challenges in their…

Gabriel Ramos is a second year graduate student of Urban Planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) and Design Fellow with Africatown Seattle through the GSD Community Service Fellowship. Academically, Gabriel is interested in regional geography and planning, biourbanism, and design for social innovation. Prior to graduate school, Gabriel studied at Vassar College, where…

“We continue to imagine what this community can, and will, be”—K. Wyking Garrett Thank you friends and donors for passionately believing in our work and giving generously. Together we raised $27,000 to elevate Design in Public’s mission to celebrate all the ways that design makes life better for Seattle. Special thanks to Wyking Garrett of…

Garrett Nelli Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C, is a designer at NAC Architecture in the process of completing licensure. His professional work includes medical facilities, K-12 educational facilities, residential and student housing. Garrett’s work focuses on articulating spaces that promote sustainability while encouraging rich community interaction. He believes architects have the potential and responsibility to…

Christian Petersen is a graphic designer, photographer, artist, journalist and curator. His multidisciplinary company I Want You Studio is best known for its innovative and unique approach to design and branding. Petersen recently became the Creative Director of the Seattle fashion store Baby & Co. Other clients include Mamnoon, Shabazz Palaces, Electric Lady Bicycles, The…

Makoto Hamamoto Eyre is an associate at SkB Architects, a Seattle-based architecture firm dedicated to enhancing the human experience of urban spaces through redefining prevalent typologies. He is also one of the founding members of UnityHaus, a small activist group/think-tank of young architects aimed at the issue of homelessness in Seattle, and a graduate of…

Aletheia Wittman cofounded and coordinates The Incluseum, a project that advances new ways of being a museum through community building and collaborative practice related to social justice in museums. Wittman is also Exhibit and Public Programs Manager at the Seattle Architecture Foundation (SAF) and collaborates with SAF volunteers and community partners to develop programs that…

David Conrad is a founding partner and Design Director at Design Commission, a user experience design studio in Seattle WA. His responsibility is to ensure strategic design thinking is applied throughout the business and facilitate successful projects. He’s passionate about connecting business, design and technology with a natural ability to identify potential and solve problems….

Khatsini is a Seattleite passionate about youth empowerment, healthy foods and futures, economic mobility, financial literacy, biking, dancing, photography and making things. She’s studied the arts, 3-D modeling, and hand drafting in college, and is currently pursuing a business degree at the University of Washington. Khatsini is most excited about the intersections of imagination, innovation, and resourcefulness. These were ever-present…

AV Goodsell is a designer and project manager with Reformd, a web design and development studio in Seattle. She specializes in project management and designing sustainable organizational practices & systems. Prior to Reformd, AV served as AIA Seattle’s Program Manager, helping envision and implement its educational programs. She has extensive experience working in the nonprofit…

Trevor is a licensed architect and certified Seattle Design Nerd. In addition to his extensive design build experience and many competition awards, he was once a steel fabricator in Montana, a design app developer, and has recently been instrumental in designing, organizing and constructing the Seattle Design Festival’s outdoor installations & programming from 2011 to…