SEGD (the Society for Experiential Graphic Design), a multidisciplinary global community of professionals, hosts this year's International Design Day, the annual celebration established by the International Council of Design (ICoD) to reflect on the role design plays in shaping society.
On 27 April, the event will bring together conversations and local activations across time zones under this year’s theme: The Spaces In Between.
Design can forge connections between people and places, transform ideas into immersive experiences, and enable communities to recognise themselves within their environments.
This year’s theme encourages attendees to focus beyond the final products and explore the subtle spaces where design makes its most impactful contributions: the transitions between object and emotion, institution and community, and the current state of the profession versus its future aspirations.
A day of conversations
To explore these ideas, SEGD has curated 11 free conversations, showing every 90 minutes starting at 06:00 ET on SEGD’s YouTube and LinkedIn channels.
Over 24 hours of programming, designers, curators, educators, and leaders will discuss how design influences connection, belonging, and the human experience.
06:00 ET — The Global Context: Why International Design Day Matters
Melike Taşcıoğlu Vaughan, Jonas Liugaila & Jacques Lange, International Council of Design
Three generations of ICoD leadership reflect on the origins and purpose of International Design Day, examining how design advocacy has evolved globally and why a unified voice for design matters more than ever.
07:30 ET — The Theme Made Visible
Lucy Holmes, founder & creative director, Holmes Studio
The designer behind the International Design Day 2026 visual identity reflects on translating an abstract theme into a visual language that conveys connection, transition, and human experience.
09:00 ET — Imagination, Hope and the Possibility of Design
Ashley Lukasik, founder & CEO, Murmur Ring & Sue Walsh, principal, SYPartners
A conversation on design’s expanding role in shaping cultural dialogue, exploring how imagination and immersive experience can create new possibilities for the future.
10:30 ET — Architecture, Community, and What We Build Together
Carole Wedge, FAIA, EVP & CEO, American Institute of Architects
A reflection on architecture’s civic responsibility and on how the built environment can strengthen communities through inclusive, people-centred design.
12:00 ET — Design at Historic Scale
Aki Carpenter, VP & chief creative officer, Ralph Applebaum Associates, SEGD Board President
From presidential centres to national museums, Carpenter shares insights from designing exhibitions that hold complex histories while creating space for dialogue and healing.
13:30 ET — The Philosophy of Experience
David Schwarz, co-founder & creative director, HUSH
A philosophical exploration of experiential design, examining how time, emotion, and storytelling shape how people encounter and remember places.
15:00 ET — Equity, Community, and the Stakes of Design
Nu Goteh, founder, Room for Magic, co-founder, Deem Journal
Goteh discusses design’s power to create spaces of belonging and how equity-centred practice can reshape the environments people navigate every day.
16:30 ET — Belonging, Learning and Radical Empathy
Lee-Sean Huang, co-executive director of learning & programs, AIGA
A discussion on designing for genuine belonging, exploring how empathy and collaboration can transform communities and institutions.
18:00 ET — The Spaces We Inhabit
Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA, EVP & CEO, International Interior Design Association
Durst reflects on the values embedded in the spaces we inhabit and on how design shapes who feels welcome, recognised, and represented.
19:30 ET — Legacy, Curiosity, and What Endures
Llisa Demetrios, chief curator, Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity
A conversation about curiosity, legacy, and the enduring lessons of Charles and Ray Eames as the Eames Institute develops a new museum campus.
21:00 ET — The Space Between a Brand and a Human Being
Joanne Chan, CEO, Turner Duckworth, SEGD Board Member
An exploration of the emotional connection between brand and audience, and of how design creates meaning beyond visual identity.
To participate in the livestreams throughout the day, subscribe to SEGD’s YouTube channel or join SEGD’s LinkedIn Event, where each session will premiere every 90 minutes starting at 06:00 ET.
All sessions are free and open to the worldwide design community.
Global events
International Design Day goes beyond just conversations. Across the globe, SEGD chapters engage their local communities with workshops, tours, talks, and design labs, examining how design links people, places, and experiences.
International events include an International Design Day workshop at Design Studio H2E in Riga, Latvia, exploring how design fosters connection and shared meaning while strengthening Latvia’s design community, and an evening of talks and discussion in Vancouver, Canada, examining how design bridges digital and physical experiences.
In the US, a virtual event called EGD – Careers that Bridge the Spaces Between Us serves as an introduction to experiential graphic design and the interdisciplinary careers shaping environments and narratives. In Denver, Colorado, Make West will host a studio tour exploring the process of transforming ideas into physical experiences.
A collaborative design charrette reimagining the future role of the Garden Center at Sugar House Park will take place in Salt Lake City, Utah, while those in San Francisco, California, can enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at how 3D printing and additive manufacturing are transforming signage fabrication.
In Seattle, Washington, participants are invited on an urban adventure exploring transit design and wayfinding aboard Seattle’s new light rail line.
Events will also happen beyond 27 April. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, there will be a mosaic workshop on 28 April, inviting participants to create custom tile pieces while supporting a local community initiative, and an evening event is set for Chicago, Illinois, to celebrate the state's design community and creative culture.
On 30 April, a tour of the Dr. Ossian Sweet Memorial Park, an award-winning project where storytelling, history, and public space intersect, is taking place in Detroit, Michigan, while New York City, New York, will host a discussion on how sound shapes spatial experience and emotional connection.
A guided tour exploring the evolution of the historic Tredegar site and the Allianz Amphitheatre in Richmond, Virginia, will be available on 30 April, as will an interactive workshop in Cincinnati, Ohio, encouraging collaborative exploration of ideas that connect people and place.
Finally, on 7 May, there will be a hands-on workshop using reclaimed materials to explore community and creative expression in Charlotte, North Carolina.
A shared moment for the global community
"Design has the power to change how people feel in the spaces they inhabit — how welcomed they feel, how seen they feel, and how connected they feel to something larger than themselves," says SEGD.
"International Design Day creates a moment each year for the profession to pause and recognise that shared responsibility. Across time zones and cultures, designers gather around a common question: What does design make possible between us?
"On 27 April, the answer unfolds across conversations, workshops, and communities around the world. And wherever you are, there will be a moment in the day made for you."
For more information on all of the International Design Day events, please click here.
Last year, SEGD hosted the annual SEGD Conference Experience in San Francisco, with the theme Designing Possible Futures.
Charlotte Coates is blooloop's editor. She is from Brighton, UK and previously worked as a librarian. She has a strong interest in arts, culture and information and graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in English Literature. Charlotte can usually be found either with her head in a book or planning her next travel adventure.
