DESIGN REAL. The opening belongs to Berlin.
The Berlin Design Day kicks off Berlin Design Week 2026 – with talks, a panel and genuine exchange about design and creative practice. An open event for everyone who thinks, makes and experiences design. Co-organised by Berlin Design e.V. and Berlin Design Week. Supported by Berlin Partner.
Programme
2:30–3:00 PM · Get Together
3:00–6:00 PM · Talks & Panel (incl. coffee break)
6:00–7:00 PM · Networking
Alexandra Klatt (state of DESIGN GmbH, Berlin Design Week) and Nick Stübe (Berlin Design e.V.) open the afternoon with a joint introduction.
Six Design Day Short Bits follow – ten-minute talks that map a cross-section of Berlin’s design landscape: How do designers work today, what distinguishes their approaches, and how does the tension between strategy and creation shift the focus across disciplines?
Nick Stübe (Berlin Design e.V.) opens with a conceptual look at design fields and their different logics – setting the frame for everything that follows. Max Marwede (Fraunhofer IZM / Research), Prof. Daniela Hensel (HTW Berlin & why does robin · Digital & Service Design), Volker Schumann (WERKSDESIGN · Product & Industrial Design), Daniela Vogel (Stan Hema · Communication, Graphics & Brand) and Harshini Karunaratne (Computational & Creative Technology) then each speak from their own practice.
After a coffee break, the Design Day Panel “State of Design — Politics, Research, Industry” takes the stage (approx. 30 min + Q&A). Where the short talks show how design is practised in Berlin, the panel looks ahead: What are the prospects? How is design positioning itself within business, research and policy? Moderated by Alexandra Klatt, with: Julia Krüger (Senior Innovation Manager Creative & Media Industries, Berlin Partner), Dara Sepheri (Deutscher Designtag), Regina Hanke (BEDA) and Ake Rudolph (IDZ).
The event will be held in German. AI-powered live translation into English is available for international guests – no download, no login required.
Afterwards: Berlin Design Nights
From 7:00 PM, the Berlin Design Nights begin – 30+ studios, showrooms and manufactories across the city open their doors. From Die Macherei, Tour 2 (Nord) and Tour 3 (Süd) through Kreuzberg are right on the doorstep, and Tour 12 – Furniture & Living heads westward along Potsdamer Straße and on into City West.
