Observatório de Design

Designobs.pt is a national project that looks at design as a factor of innovation as well as cultural and socioeconomic development. The project collects and interprets data from the Portuguese Design ecosystem to promote its knowledge and to influence public policies.

Context

Design is an essential vector in cultural, economic and social transformation. Since the disappearance of the Portuguese Design Centre (in 2013), there is no public policy instrument to provide an interface between the national design ecosystem and the Portuguese economic, social and institutional fabrics. As a consequence, there is no longer an entity that enables the recognition and visibility of design-driven manifestations of excellence, progressively making design more operative as a factor of innovation and growth. In Portugal, the data referring to design training, industry, and the culture, which would enable us to understand where we are and, above all, what we aim at, are either non-existent or inaccessible.

Mission

This project is intended to become the Design Observatory in Portugal. It aims to collect and interpret data from the Portuguese Design ecosystem, to promote its knowledge and influence public policy

Main Goals

To define a model for the Portuguese Design ecosystem;

To build and calibrate the instruments for an effective observation of this model and its evolution over time;

To collect data for analysis, interpretation and representation;

To develop a digital participatory platform suitable for the above purposes;

To research and test new representation mechanisms;

To promote, disseminate and discuss built knowledge, both nationally and internationally, through publications, exhibitions and other events;

To define the strategies and the organisational structure that will enable a sustainable Observatory of Portuguese Design;

To suggest public policy guidelines for the promotion of Portuguese design.