Subject: {The Spaces In Between} Your Guide to International Design Day
From: Kristin Bennani <[email-masked]>
To: Friend <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 2026 21:50:23 +0000
List-Id: 3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04mc list <3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04.74417.list-id.mcsv.net>

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** The Spaces In Between:
International Design Day 2026
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Every year on April 27, the global design community pauses to ask a simple question:

What is design actually for?

International Design Day (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=c84bfbb0b0&e=27815f62b0) is that moment—a chance to reflect on how design shapes the ways people move through the world, find one another, and belong.

This year, SEGD is honored to serve as the global host of International Design Day 2026 alongside the International Council of Design (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=a2f3c611cd&e=27815f62b0) .

The theme—The Spaces In Between—invites designers to look beyond the objects we create and toward the moments where design quietly does its most important work.

The thresholds.
The transitions.
The places where strangers become communities and ideas become experiences.

Because design isn’t just what we make.

It’s what happens between us.
Celebrate International Design Day (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=80bae39078&e=27815f62b0)
https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=3879b8648d&e=27815f62b0

** Ways to Participate
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**
Join the Conversations
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Tune in for 13 conversations (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=cf0ff8763a&e=27815f62b0) hosted by SEGD CEO Cybelle Jones, featuring designers and cultural leaders exploring connection, belonging, and the role of design in shaping human experience.

** Attend a Local Event
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SEGD Chapters (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=95d884993a&e=27815f62b0) around the world are hosting meetups, talks, tours, and gatherings exploring the theme The Spaces In Between.

** Host Your Own Event
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From workshops to studio conversations, designers everywhere are invited to create events exploring how design connects people and communities.

** Join the Global Conversation
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Share your reflections using
#IDD2026 and #TheSpacesInBetween
Download the IDD2026 Toolkit (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=d44657a66c&e=27815f62b0)

** Featured Conversations
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Across 24 hours of globally streamed conversations, Cybelle Jones speaks with leading voices across design, architecture, culture, and education. Subscribe to SEGD’s YouTube (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=fdb2ed23b1&e=27815f62b0) channel and join the global broadcast.

Featured speakers include:
https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=b40a6694c5&e=27815f62b0

https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=26b8037942&e=27815f62b0

https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=f245245cb0&e=27815f62b0

** The Global Context: Why International Design Day Matters
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Three leaders from the International Council of Design—Jacques Lange, Melike Taşcıoğlu Vaughan, and Jonas Liugaila—reflect on the origins and global impact of International Design Day—and what it means to build a shared voice for design across cultures and contexts.

https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=97a2e5a6be&e=27815f62b0

** The Theme Made Visible
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Founder of Holmes Studio and designer of the International Design Day 2026 visual identity, Lucy Holmes explores how the theme The Spaces In Between became a visual language—translating ideas about human connection into design.

https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=66b923688b&e=27815f62b0

** Legacy, Curiosity, and What Endures
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Chief Curator of the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity, Llisa Demetrios reflects on legacy, curiosity, and the enduring connections between objects, ideas, and people.

https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=2b55fc5bb2&e=27815f62b0

** Design at Historic Scale
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Chief Creative Officer at RAA Global Studios, Aki Carpenter explores how exhibition design can hold complex histories while creating space for reflection, healing, and connection.

https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=6898738b1f&e=27815f62b0

** Equity, Community, and the Stakes of Design
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Founder of Room for Magic and co-founder of Deem Journal, Nu Goteh explores how design can create conditions for affirming lives—and what it means when spaces are not designed with everyone in mind.

https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=5ccccf0fb6&e=27815f62b0

** The Spaces We Inhabit
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CEO of the International Interior Design Association, Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA reflects on the cultural meaning of the spaces we inhabit—and the values embedded in every environment designers create.

https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=ef56909359&e=27815f62b0

** The Philosophy of Experience
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Co-founder and Creative Director of HUSH, David Schwarz explores the relationship between time, emotion, and meaning in experience design—and how spaces gain value over time.

https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=b65509e6c7&e=27815f62b0

** Belonging, Learning, and Radical Empathy
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Co-Executive Director of Learning and Programs at AIGA, Lee-Sean Huang explores how empathy and intentional design shape thriving communities.

https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=e56704c1df&e=27815f62b0

** The Space Between a Brand and a Human Being
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Chief Executive Officer of Turner Duckworth, Joanne Chan reflects on the space between a brand and the people it reaches—and the emotional connections design creates.

https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=39c406c592&e=27815f62b0

** Architecture, Community, and What We Build Together
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Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Institute of Architects, Carole Wedge explores architecture’s role in shaping the civic spaces where people gather, belong, and connect.

https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=6f52e9460d&e=27815f62b0

https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=04d9babc43&e=27815f62b0

** Imagination, Hope, and the Possibility of Design
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Ashley Lukasik, Founder and CEO of Murmur Ring, and Sue Walsh, Principal of Design at SYPartners, explore how design is shifting from producing objects to shaping possibilities through imagination and shared experience.
Learn More | Featured Conversations (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=b320603547&e=27815f62b0)
Subscribe | SEGD YouTube (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=dcbac5ecc0&e=27815f62b0)
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** Celebrate Locally
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**
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SEGD Chapters across North America and internationally are hosting International Design Day gatherings—bringing designers together for tours, workshops, conversations, and community events inspired by The Spaces In Between.

Highlights include:
* Raleigh (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=7bdea2ba37&e=27815f62b0) — A behind-the-scenes tour of Dollar Shave Club’s Durham headquarters exploring how experiential graphics shape workplace culture and brand storytelling.
* Riga (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=eb29541b9e&e=27815f62b0) — A collaborative workshop bringing designers together to explore how design fosters connection and shared meaning across Latvia’s design community.
* Boston (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=0ee8de32de&e=27815f62b0) — A virtual session introducing careers in experiential graphic design and how the discipline bridges architecture, storytelling, and place.
* Vancouver (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=4efd7ced30&e=27815f62b0) — Designers gather at Lost & Found Studio to discuss how design bridges digital and human experiences.
* Salt Lake City (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=ea99015084&e=27815f62b0) — A collaborative design charrette imagining the future of the Garden Center at Sugar House Park.
* San Francisco (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=b6f8182117&e=27815f62b0) — A hands-on exploration of 3D printing and the future of sign fabrication at Tinkering Monkey.
* Minneapolis (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=d085eb0bd3&e=27815f62b0) — A creative mosaic workshop combining design, networking, and community giving.
* Chicago (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=e6b980a002&e=27815f62b0) — An evening gathering celebrating Chicago’s design community and reflecting on how the city’s identity shapes creative practice.
* Detroit (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=75d2f87973&e=27815f62b0) — A guided tour of Dr. Ossian Sweet Memorial Park exploring storytelling and placemaking in public space.
* New York City (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=b14cb38ed6&e=27815f62b0) — A conversation at Antfood examining how sound design shapes the built environment.
* Cincinnati (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=5ea544ce18&e=27815f62b0) — An interactive design lab and shop tour at Harlan Graphics exploring creativity and collaboration in the spaces between people and ideas.
* Seattle (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=4c1c47c0f0&e=27815f62b0) — An urban design adventure aboard Sound Transit’s new 2 Line exploring wayfinding across a floating light rail bridge.
* Charlotte (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=acf5cbb71b&e=27815f62b0) — A hands-on poster workshop using reclaimed materials to explore connection and community through design.

From studio tours to creative workshops and city explorations, chapters around the world are celebrating how design shapes the spaces between people and place.
Explore SEGD Chapter Events (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=bbd9eda0e3&e=27815f62b0)
In the meantime, don't miss

**
SEGD Voices | What Does “Immersive” Actually Mean? (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=4f8b40b2e7&e=27815f62b0) | Tomorrow, April 16, 2026 | 12 PM EST
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Kathryn Yu and Nathan Lachenmyer unpack the most overused word in design—and how to turn it into meaningful experience design.

Register Now (https://segd.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ef63c7ae24ea5c0a9ac57a04&id=ed6d12f2c0&e=27815f62b0)

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SEGD is a multidisciplinary community collectively shaping the future of experience design. From architects and graphic designers to technologists and educators, our members work collaboratively to create inclusive, engaging, and meaningful environments. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, SEGD is dedicated to educating, connecting, inspiring, and advocating for the advancement of design practices that enrich the human experience.
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