Seoul unveils branding for 2027 World Design Congress
The official webpage of the World Design Congress 2027 Seoul / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
The Seoul Design Foundation unveiled a brand identity and launched an official website Tuesday for the World Design Congress 2027 Seoul, an international design event the city will co-host with the World Design Organization (WDO) from Sept. 22-25, 2027, at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP).
The congress, which brings together designers, cities, companies and citizens to discuss design's role in addressing challenges such as the climate crisis and rapid technological change, will mark the 70th anniversary of WDO's founding. The Geneva-based organization, a global professional body for industrial design, has previously held its congresses in cities including Gwangju in 2017.
The event slogan "Think. Make. Change." is meant to signal a shift from talking about design problems to producing concrete solutions with measurable impact, organizers said.
The brand identity was designed by the Seoul-based graphic design studio Everyday Practice, whose symbol combines four distinct shapes into a single visual language. Its color palette draws on Seoul's cityscape, including its green spaces, the Han River, sunrises and sunsets, autumn foliage, neon-lit nights and stone and concrete architecture.
The new website will host information on the congress' program, speakers and registration as details are released. It currently features congratulatory messages from Korean and international cultural figures, including soprano Jo Su-mi, chef Edward Lee, fashion designer Zio Song and broadcaster Oh Sang-jin.
Ahead of the 2027 event, the foundation will hold a preview called the Seoul Design Conference 2026 on Oct. 14 at DDP, featuring talks on artificial intelligence, sustainability and creativity.
"The World Design Congress 2027 Seoul is a place where different perspectives and fields will meet to generate new ideas and turn them into action and change," Cha Kang-hee, CEO of the Seoul Design Foundation, said in a statement.
"Starting with the release of the brand identity and website, we will work with the global design community to create new possibilities and practices in Seoul."
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.