- Design policy conference to explore how design can help governments shape better policy, services and sustainable growth across Europe
- Ireland ranks among the most design-aware nations in Europe across national policymaking
17 November 2025: Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) Irish Design Week 2025 kicks off this morning with a Design Policy Conference exploring how design can help governments and communities make better decisions, deliver better services, and create better outcomes for the public and the planet.
A major European study has found that Ireland ranks among the most design-aware nations in Europe, with one of the most comprehensive integrations of design across national policy, spanning the circular economy, digital transformation, industrial development and public service reform. The report highlights how this cross-government approach is supported by organisations such as DCCI, Creative Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.
The Design Policy Mapping Report in Europe, published by the Bureau of European Design Associations (BEDA), shows how design is increasingly being used as a practical tool for tackling complex societal challenges. However, the report highlights that only two European countries, Latvia and Iceland, now have national design policies – despite the fact that design has never been more visible or influential across government policymaking.
Those findings set the stage for today’s Design Policy Conference, which officially opens the Design & Craft Council Ireland’s (DCCI) Irish Design Week 2025. The event brings together European and Irish leaders to explore how design can help governments and communities make better decisions, deliver better services, and build a more sustainable future.
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke TD commented:
“This report shows how deeply design is embedded across government policymaking in Europe.
The challenge now is to connect those efforts, ensuring design continues to inform how we make decisions and deliver for our people. Design & Crafts Council Ireland’s Irish Design Week is an important vehicle to help achieve this, bringing together Irish and global leaders to share ideas on how design can shape a more sustainable, inclusive and competitive future.”
Christina Melander, Chief Design Officer at the Danish Design Center, is one of the key speakers at today’s conference. Ms. Melander said:
“Across European policy, design is increasingly being embedded in innovation, sustainability, industrial, and cultural policies, hiding in plain sight. The mapping in this report reveals just how far it reaches and how much potential there is in joining up those efforts. The next step is to embed design more deeply into all relevant policies and to design how political and governmental processes are designed.”
Mary Blanchfield, CEO, Design & Crafts Council Ireland, said:
“It is very fitting that Design & Crafts Council Ireland’s Irish Design Week begins with a conversation about the role of design in policymaking. Ireland’s design community has long demonstrated how creativity and collaboration can deliver tangible value to industry, government and society.
“Throughout the next five days, DCCI Irish Design Week will celebrate that spirit through a range of events spanning from our keynotes in Dublin to community-led workshops and exhibitions across the country. This week is about showing how design can meet the challenges of today while shaping a sustainable, inclusive future.”
This year’s Irish Design Week is the biggest yet, with 70 events taking place across 15 counties from 17–21 November. DCCI is partnering with some of Ireland’s leading design organisations to deliver five headline evening events at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin 2:
- Monday: The Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF) will present a conversation between leading designers, architects and thinkers, Jayden Ali (JA Projects) and Akil Scafe-Smith and Seth Scafe-Smith (RESOLVE).
- Tuesday: In partnership with the National College of Art & Design (NCAD), internationally acclaimed Irish designer Sinéad O’Dwyer joins London-based writer and cultural commentator Anastasiia Fedorova in a searching dialogue about body politics, inclusive design, and the role of fashion as social change.
- Wednesday: The Institute of Creative Advertising & Design (ICAD) produces a first-of-its-kind, multi-sensory experience to explore the reciprocal relationship between sound and visual communication. The event will feature Japanese artist, designer and musician Yuri Suzuki, the first Pentagram partner to specialise in sound design.
- Thursday: Distinctive Repetition presents ‘To Be a Part of Something’ which explores the processes and relationships that enable us to communicate visually about sound and music and will feature performances by a range of Irish music artists. Thursday’s event also features a design diplomacy conversation between Irish designer Anna Sutcliffe, and award-winning Australian designer and TV presenter Banjo Beale.
- Friday: The week concludes on Friday with the 100 Archive’s ‘Designing Together: Prototyping Better Futures’, a special event exploring how design can shape collaborative and hopeful futures.
DCCI Irish Design Week 2025 will also shine a spotlight on local talent and creativity, with over 50 DCCI-funded events, workshops, and exhibitions taking place across Ireland throughout the week. The regional programme gives emerging designers, students, and small studios the chance to showcase their work and connect with audiences in their local community, while also being part of a national design movement.
ENDS
Issued by Murray on behalf of Design & Crafts Council Ireland
For further information, contact:
Martin Phelan | 087 246 7106 | [email protected]
Notes to editors
About Irish Design Week
Design & Craft Council Ireland (DCCI) Irish Design Week (IDW) is a multidisciplinary event series that celebrates the best of Irish design and shines a light on the latest trends and innovations in design both nationally and abroad. Launched in 2022, the annual programme of events runs each November, and features a diverse mix keynote events, workshops, exhibitions and discussions. Each year, a new theme is announced that shapes the week’s conversations and provides a unifying focus across all events.
The 2025 edition takes place from 17–21 November, with flagship events hosted by DCCI at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin 2, and many more supported by DCCI are run by organisations and individuals all over Ireland.
For more information and event booking, go to IrishDesignWeek.ie and follow @IrishDesignWeek on Instagram and LinkedIn.
About Design & Crafts Council Ireland
Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) is the national agency for craft and design in Ireland, we support designers and makers to develop their businesses in a sustainable way, and advocate for the societal benefits of craft and design. DCCI’s activities are funded by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment via Enterprise Ireland. DCCI currently has 68 member organisations and over 3,500 registered clients.
www.dcci.ie @dccireland
