First staged in 2003, the London Design Festival is one of the world’s most important annual design events. The nine-day Festival programme is made up of over 200 events and exhibitions staged by around 160 partner organisations across the design spectrum and from around the world.

The diversity of world-class design talent in – and attracted to – London is one of the key strengths of the city over other global design centers; the London Design Festival brings this talent to the fore every year to connect with others, explore issues, do business, exchange ideas, and have fun.

Now in its eighth year, The London Design Festival is firmly established as a major cultural and commercial event. Last year London hosted a rich mix of over 200 commissioned installations and exhibitions plus over 150 launches, private views and parties, cementing its reputation as the design capital of the world. The next edition of the Festival promises an even greater diversity of activity taking place across the capital – from the Festival hub at the V&A to spaces across the city filled with design from partners across the UK and around the world.

Events and Venues include:

Trafalgar Square, Victoria and Albert Museum, Size + Matter, London Design Medal, Brompton Design District, The Royal College of Art, Serpentine Gallery, Covent Garden and West End, the Design Council, 100% Design London, Design Museum, Tent London, Origin – the London Craft Fair, Decorex, HEL YES!, Showhow, and many more.

www.londondesignfestival.com

Tendence is one of the most important and international design events in Germany and Europe where exhibitors, trade visitors, designers, media, and trend scouts go looking for next year´s trends and ideas.

After five days, from 27 to 31 August, the 2010 edition of Frankfurt Autumn Fair Tendence can report more visitors than last year. “Following a small increase in exhibitor numbers and now almost 57,000 visitors, up eight percent, Tendence is well on the way to making a full recovery.

On over 71,000 square metres of exhibition space in ten halls, 2,130 exhibitors from 57 countries presented the latest products for the home, furnishing and giving in the coming autumn, winter and, in particular, busy Christmas season to an audience of 57,000 visitors from 90 countries. The top 5 nations were Switzerland, Italy, The Netherlands, Austria and France. Moreover, the number of visitors from the USA doubled and, altogether, a quarter of all visitors came from outside Germany.

Trends for the autumn / winter season

In the case of home trends, the coming season is set to introduce colourful retro aspects into the living room. Knitted fabrics are more in demand than ever before. Trendy knitted products are not only popular for home textiles, they are even used for flower vases or teapots. A casual, used-look underscores the lively character of furniture and complies with the consumer desire for authenticity. When it comes to colours, the spectrum is dominated by natural shades. The top candidate for the trend colour of the season is dark green. However, this Christmas will be colourful: Father Christmases will do their rounds in lilac and pink while Christmas baubles are no less bold in orange, turquoise, pink and yellow.

Natural materials and colours are also highly rated for gift ideas and there are trendy cases made of felt and leather for the complete range of mobile-communication devices. Amusing printed mottos ensure a humorous note.

www.tendence.messefrankfurt.com

Design:Made:Trade is a diverse and inspiring trade exhibition space of over sixty 3×3 metre VISY cardboard booths, including some of Australia’s leading furniture, fashion and industrial design brands.

Design:Made:Trade returns for its third year and will be accompanied by a huge number of programs including workshops, talks, exhibitions and displays. This historic site comes alive with activity during the first week of the Festival, register to visit if you are part of the design industry or enjoy the event during the days opened to the public.

www.stateofdesign.com.au

DMY Berlin is an international design network for contemporary product design. At the yearly DMY International Design Festival Berlin both renowned and young, experimental designers launch new products, prototypes and foresighted projects. The exhibition is accompanied by a wide program of symposia, designer-talks and workshops, able to reflect current topics of contemporary design and to reveal necessary future trends of design and its related disciplines.

In collaboration with the Bauhaus Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung, DMY yearly assigns the DMY Awards for excellent projects. With international exhibitions and activities in Europe, Asia and South America, DMY gives visibility to unconventional and innovative projects and products that go beyond the mainstream.

www.dmy-berlin.com