Manila — Design Week Philippines 2023, a week-long national festival, concluded its events, emphasizing the transformative power of design in fields such as sustainability, social justice, and economic development.
According to a new release by the Philippines News Agency, the event was held under the theme #OnTheEdge and featured over 116 main and partner events nationwide. These events attracted more than 7,000 participants, including designers, architects, entrepreneurs, and students. The festival served as a dynamic platform for networking, collaboration, and education, generating a thriving environment of innovation and creativity.
This year's festival focused on the role of design in tackling contemporary challenges. In a roundtable discussion at The Astbury Makati, Rhea Matute, the Executive Director of the Design Center, highlighted that leading figures in the country's design and creative industries consider design as embodying "malasakit," or compassion, a force motivating actionable change. Matute stressed the center's goal to foster a design-thinking mindset, enabling people to understand the root causes of problems and create sustainable, effective solutions.
Haraya Del Rosario-Gust, CEO of StraightArrow Creative Process Outsourcing, also emphasized the potential of design to address problems. She noted that designers have a unique capacity to visualize solutions before they are implemented, thereby aiding in understanding and resolving the real issues at hand.
The event was enriched by a range of workshops and talks featuring 45 speakers from across the country. Topics covered included folio reviews, pottery, co-designing with the community, and the intersection of design with artificial intelligence. The festival was not limited to Manila; events and activities extended to cities and provinces nationwide, including Tuba, Benguet; Oton, Iloilo; Cebu City, Cebu; Sorsogon City, Sorsogon; Siargao, Surigao Del Norte; Sagay, Negros Occidental; and Taytay and Antipolo, Rizal.
Design Week Philippines 2023 left participants inspired, showcasing the rich talent and innovative spirit of the Filipino design community through a series of engaging talks, workshops, and exhibits.