Every piece of furniture in your house, every icon on your screen, and every garden that looks beautiful —someone designed it.
Every year since 1995, April 27th has been celebrated as World Design Day as a tribute to those who think, imagine, dream, make art, and admire art, not to mention those who imagine and create better ways of living.
What is World Design Day?
World Design Day is celebrated to celebrate design and everything about it. It is celebrated because design is the very rhythm of life. It was established by the International Council of Design (ICoD) to honour its founding on April 27, 1963. But it doesn’t exist as just an anniversary, it is for us to think about the impact of design on society, culture, and environment.
Every year, ICoD introduces a new theme in line with the most urgent world issue and calls for designers to address it. The topics range from innovation to positivity. The theme is not just for what looks best visually, it is about how the theme works around the issue and does it leave everyone with a positive feeling about the addressed issue through the design.
2025 Theme: Outlandish Optimism
This year’s theme, Outlandish Optimism, encourages designers to embrace bold, unconventional ideas in the face of global challenges, it is a call to imagine and create solutions that are practical, hopeful and transformative.
A few of the past themes:
- 2024: Is it Kind?
A call for designers to incorporate empathy in design and see whether their design is made with kindness and is able to inspire kindness.
- 2023: Peace. Love. Design!
As a celebration of ICoD’s 60th anniversary, it called for a revisit to the 60’s, focusing on environmentalism, social equity and collective movements.
- 2021: Design for Each and All
Emphasizes inclusivity around the diverse needs of people and promotes accessibility in design solutions.
Why does this matter?
Because design comes naturally to you. Everytime you think of a better way to do something, think of a new idea, think of a solution to any problem, you are engaging your mind in design thinking. Design is not exclusive to professionals. Design can be UX and it can be grand city planning. Design is just how anything can be done better.
Design is fulfillment and it makes the world a little more livable.
So, what can I do?
Don’t just admire design, start taking action too.
Start with whatever is at your disposal— make a little doodle, rearrange your room, question whatever you see and ask yourself “Can this be better?”
No matter who you are, you have an imagination, think about how the world can benefit from it.
