In 2026, Gdynia Design Days will be held for the nineteenth time. Intensive work is currently underway on the programme, which, as every year, will combine lectures, exhibitions, meetings and workshops, creating a platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences for designers, researchers, urban activists and residents. The festival’s slogan is “closer”.
In a world of excessive communication, catastrophic narratives and a constant pursuit of perfection, it is easy to lose sight of what is real, close and effective. Closer is an invitation to change our perspective: from distant to close, from abstract to everyday. Instead of multiplying visions of the future, we focus our attention on what already exists – on small gestures, local actions and solutions that we can implement immediately. Instead of perfection , we choose mindfulness and consistency. One step better.
This year’s edition will focus on stories that empower. In a reality overloaded with information, we are looking for a language that simplifies, connects and encourages action. We treat design as a tool for organising complexity. Instead of paralysis – cooperation. Instead of fear – agency. We return to the joy of design: experimenting, learning from each other and deriving satisfaction from the process.
Closer also means community. Relationships and bonds often mean more than spectacular gestures. We focus on the idea of a third place – a space between home and work where a daily sense of belonging is built. A city is not only infrastructure, but above all people and their co-presence.
The slogan also refers to designing for health. How we move around the city, where we rest, what we breathe and how we spend our time directly affects our well-being. In the face of the climate crisis, it is easier to act when the change translates into air quality, temperature or comfort of life. The bioregional perspective allows us to see the local context – the landscape, water, wind, greenery and rhythm of the place – and to design in dialogue with nature, as part of it, not in isolation from it.
Closer is also a reflection on the relationship between humans and technology. Paradoxically , the development of artificial intelligence highlights the value of what is human: empathy, intuition, imperfection and relationships. We are not asking how technology can replace us, but how it can support us – in our design work, in the city and in our everyday choices.
We are not proposing a vision of an ideal city. Instead of utopia, we choose protopia – a future built gradually, through testing, learning and minor adjustments. In the perspective of a century of Gdynia, it is these small steps that shape a city maturing together with its residents: more attentive, resilient and friendly.
The future is not a distant goal. It is created here and now – in the relationships, decisions and projects we undertake every day. Closer.
In 2026, the festival will take place at the Pomeranian Science and Technology Park and in partner locations around the city from 20 to 28 June, during which Gdynia will once again become a space for discussions about design, the city and relationships. News and programme details will be published on the website www.gdyniadesigndays.eu and on the festival’s social media profile.
Organisers of Gdynia Design Days: Gdynia, Pomeranian Science and Technology Park Gdynia, Gdynia Design Centre.
The visual identity of GDD 2026 was created by Ada Zielińska and Patryk Hardziej.
source: press materials
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