Design in transition: The trend radar for the German Design Award 2026
- avb763
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
What developments are currently shaping international design practice, and how can they be strategically categorized? Our recently published trend radar for the German Design Award 2026, commissioned by the German Design Council, examines precisely this question. The starting point is the award-winning projects, which were evaluated by an international jury of experts. This resulted in an analytical look ahead: at the attitudes, system structures, and narrative qualities that characterize design today.
It becomes clear: Today's concept of design is shifting from pure form-giving to an action-oriented tool that controls resources, makes complexity accessible, and at the same time enables atmospheric and social experiences.
Based on the outstanding works, we have identified five overarching movements that exemplify this transformation:
Circular systems and regenerative strategies
Design thinks in cycles, reuses existing stock and combines ecological responsibility with architectural and product-related quality.
Interconnected process ecologies
Digital platforms, sensors and learning systems extend design into a controlling infrastructure that organizes and further develops usage in real time.
Inclusive and easy-to-understand design
Accessibility, intuitive interaction and social participation are becoming fundamental design parameters of complex systems and spaces.
Immersive cultural experience spaces
Architecture, exhibition and staging merge into narrative environments that emotionally anchor knowledge and create identity.
Materiality and craftsmanship as bearers of meaning
Precise workmanship, visible construction and authentic materials gain new relevance in combination with digital technologies.
For us, the trend radar represents far more than a curatorial compilation of award-winning projects. It is part of our substantive work at the intersection of design, architecture, and communication. By systematically analyzing design developments, we translate them into strategic narratives that provide orientation and make the social value of design comprehensible.
Click here to go to the German Design Awards page. There you can download the full report.