Barcelona Design Week 25: creativity and resilience
Barcelona reaffirms its global leadership in the creative economy with a new edition of its Design Week. Talks, installations, strategic design, AI, sustainability and experiences for all audiences will transform the city from 8 to 17 October.
Once again, Barcelona is dressed in creativity, vision and design with a new edition of Barcelona Design Week (BDW), the unmissable event that turns the Catalan capital into the international epicentre of design, innovation and the creative economy.
Organised by the Barcelona Creativity & Design Foundation, CC/magazine is once again the official media partner of this event which, since 2006, has been driving a transformative narrative: design as a tool for social change, economic development and a catalyst for a more human future.
In 2025, BDW celebrates a particularly meaningful edition under the theme “Creative Resilience”: a collective manifesto that embraces design as an essential strategy in the face of post-pandemic challenges, the climate crisis, technological acceleration and social fragmentation. More than a festival, BDW is a living ecosystem that invites us to think, create and act.
A city designing its future: Barcelona as global capital of creativity
Barcelona Design Week is organised by the Barcelona Creativity & Design Foundation, an organisation that for more than a decade has led the effort to position the city as a world benchmark in the creative economy. Its work connects a cluster of more than 140 members: companies, agencies, innovation and training centres working together to promote design culture as a driver of progress.
Barcelona is not only the host city of BDW, but also the world capital of the World Design Weeks, a global network that brings together 45 design festivals and weeks across five continents. From here, it promotes an inclusive, sustainable and transformative vision of design with an international outlook.
Creative resilience: creativity as a regenerative force
This year’s theme, Creative Resilience, is not just a curatorial concept: it is an urgent call to redesign our systems, products and services with empathy, inclusivity and human ingenuity.
Curated by Alessandro Manetti —sociologist, futurist and international leader in design and innovation strategies— BDW 2025 presents design as a tool to confront the disruptions of our time: from the climate emergency to the rise of generative artificial intelligence.
“The future will demand more adaptability and ingenuity than ever before. Design can become a powerful force for human and planetary regeneration”, says Manetti.
Professional programme: BDW Talks, IDD and Beyond The Map
The Disseny Hub Barcelona (DHub) will once again be the central venue of BDW. Its auditorium will host BDW Talks, a series of conferences aimed at a professional audience, exploring topics such as:
– The role of design in the regenerative economy.
– Inclusion in innovation processes.
– The impact of generative AI on human creativity.
– Success stories in human-centred strategic design.
In addition, Industrial Design Day (IDD), held on 8 October, will be a key meeting point for professionals, students and lovers of industrial design — a space to connect talent, ideas and trends.
Meanwhile, Beyond The Map (9–10 October) will offer a window into the forefront of strategic design through keynotes, workshops and case studies from organisations redefining innovation through humanism.
Underground BDW: pure creativity below ground
Following the success of its first edition, Underground BDW returns on 15, 16 and 17 October at the iconic Parking Gallery of LCI Barcelona. This alternative exhibition space will bring together eclectic and experimental proposals from companies, studios and creative schools from Spain and abroad.
The aim: to showcase projects that generate real positive impact. Speculative design, emerging technologies, radical sustainability and applied art will come together in an event that breathes authenticity, avant-garde spirit and risk-taking.
Design on Diagonal: a citywide celebration of creativity
For one day, Avinguda Diagonal will transform into a major design and inspiration route under the name Design on Diagonal. Showrooms, concept stores, galleries and unique spaces will open their doors to offer:
– Interactive workshops.
– Creative showcookings.
– Cutting-edge exhibitions.
– Playful and sensory activities.
An urban experience to enjoy design as part of lifestyle culture, open to all audiences and with free access.
OFF BDW: creativity takes over the city
OFF BDW is the open programme of Barcelona Design Week. Dozens of creative agents —from independent studios to major brands— will organise their own activities across Barcelona and its metropolitan area.
This year, more than 100 OFF activities are expected, including:
– Exhibitions.
– Art installations.
– Product presentations.
– Openings and open studios.
– Urban routes.
– Talks, debates and round tables.
– Creative parties.
OFF BDW is a vibrant showcase of the diversity and strength of Barcelona’s creative ecosystem.
Associated venues: design multiplied across the city
In addition to DHub and LCI, BDW’s Associated Venues will extend across the city: cultural centres, coworking spaces, universities, galleries and cultural foundations will join the festival with their own proposals.
These venues decentralise BDW and bring design culture closer to every neighbourhood of Barcelona. Each space offers activities aimed at different audiences, from professionals to families.
Ethical, sustainable and inclusive design
Barcelona Design Week 2025 reaffirms its commitment to design with purpose. Beyond objects, style or trends, design is positioned as a tool to improve quality of life, reduce inequality and preserve the environment.
In the words of the organisers: “We promote a more human and humanistic future through design. We advocate for a creative culture that respects cultural diversity, promotes social equity and generates a positive impact on a global scale”.
One week, one global movement
Recognised as one of the “Best International Architecture, Design and Technology Events” between 2018 and 2024, BDW is much more than a festival. It is a platform for critical thinking, a showcase for emerging talent, a network for international collaboration and a celebration of what it means to design from and for society.
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