Romanian Design Week, a project by The Institute, presented by UniCredit Bank, highlights this year innovation, sustainability, and collaboration between professionals, the public, and communities. The festival will take place from May 16 to 25, 2025, under the theme "Design Tomorrow Today," a concept that reflects The Institute's vision of supporting the development of local creative industries and connecting Romanian design with the international stage.
This year, the festival addresses changes in its structure to integrate design into the everyday life of the city and support the sustainable growth of creative communities.
RDW Exhibitions: Design and Architecture Exhibitions
One of the flagship formats of Romanian Design Week, RDW Exhibitions, returns in 2025 with an entirely new approach. This year, the festival will move away from the open call for projects and will collaborate directly with organizations and professionals from the creative industries to create design and architecture exhibitions that reflect international trends and the local specifics of Romanian design.
This change reflects The Institute's commitment to supporting the sustainable growth of local initiatives, responding to the diversification of industry needs, and contributing actively to its evolution. This collaborative process will allow for a more coherent and strategic selection of projects. The format will include various exhibitions, with a focus on fields such as architecture, interior design, graphics, illustration, and product design.
RDW Design GO!: A Platform for Idea Exchange
RDW Design GO! represents the satellite event circuit within the Romanian Design Week program, through which, every year, projects and activities proposed by entrepreneurs and cultural entities transform the city into a design stage. The public can choose their own routes through the city, (re)discovering neighborhoods, places, and ideas.
With a diverse program, RDW Design GO! becomes a platform for dialogue and multidisciplinary exchange, both for the general public, who are design consumers, and for professionals, emphasizing the concentrated energy of the city and its creative richness. The events will take place in various locations throughout the city, offering opportunities to experience design in an accessible context for all.
RDW & the City: Urban Design Meets the Public
Romanian Design Week 2025 introduces a new format, RDW & the City, which brings design installations placed in public spaces in downtown Bucharest. The goal of this format is to bring design closer to the daily life of the city's inhabitants and transform familiar places into accessible urban galleries. Through RDW & the City, the public will have the opportunity to interact directly with urban design, exploring artistic interventions and innovative installations placed in key locations throughout the city. This format reflects The Institute's vision of integrating design into everyday life, stimulating active dialogue between citizens and urban creativity.
This new approach to the festival aims to create a stronger connection between design and the city, transforming Bucharest into a place for exploring the latest ideas in urban design, bringing design closer to people, and enriching the urban experience.
RDW Design Flags: International Design
In the RDW Design Flags format, the festival aims to showcase the most valuable international design projects to the public. This format will create an essential platform for promoting the latest innovations in the industry, strengthening the link between local and global design. RDW Design Flags will emphasize collaboration between creatives from various corners of the world and bring together unique perspectives and innovative solutions.
By integrating international design projects, RDW Design Flags will contribute to creating a continuous dialogue between global trends and local creativity. It will be a place of inspiration for all design enthusiasts, a space that will stimulate the exchange of best practices.
RDW Young Design: Design for Tomorrow
RDW Young Design aims to promote new talent in the design field. This format offers a platform for young creative visions, allowing them to showcase their work and be noticed by industry professionals. The Institute continues to support young designers, offering them a valuable opportunity to interact with peers and make their innovative ideas known. RDW Young Design is closely connected to the DIPLOMA Show, a project by The Institute dedicated to graduates in design, architecture, and applied arts. It plays a crucial role in developing young talent and strengthening a sustainable creative ecosystem in Romania.
RDW Concept Store: Design as a Shopping Experience
In the RDW Concept Store—the space dedicated to the consumption of design—the festival will maintain a mix of local and international brands, promoting design initiatives and brand activations. Pop-up fairs will be organized, and within them, interactive activities will take place. Visitors will be able to discover new brands or products they can purchase, get inspired by new arrivals, or meet designers.
Architecture's Night In: Architecture Studios Open Their Doors
Another appreciated format of the festival is Architecture's Night In, which will offer visitors the unique opportunity to enter the architecture studios in Bucharest. Here, architects will open their doors to reveal the creative process behind the most interesting projects that are transforming the urban landscape of the capital. This event will encourage transparency among professionals and give the public a direct glimpse into the backstage of architecture.
Each format of Romanian Design Week 2025 aims to create a complete and accessible experience for visitors, showcasing the best design projects from Romania and around the world. The festival will start on May 16, 2025, offering visitors a unique and innovative experience with new formats and activities held throughout Bucharest.
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