February 25 - 27, 2026

Sapienza University of Rome
Rome, Italy

Description

Welcome to the micro-site for the Twentieth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices.  

Founded in 2007, the Design Principles & Practices Research Network offers an interdisciplinary forum to explore the meaning and purpose of design. In professional and disciplinary terms, the network traverses a broad sweep to construct a trans-disciplinary dialogue, which encompasses a wide array of design paradigms and practices. We move between theoretical reflection on the nature of design and case studies of design practice, and from research-based perspectives to the experience-based perspectives of design insiders. Our aim is to build an epistemic community where we can make linkages across disciplinary, geographic, and cultural boundaries. As a Research Network, we are defined by our scope and concerns and motivated to build strategies for action framed by our shared themes and tensions.

The Twentieth International Conference on Design Principles and Practices calls for research addressing the following annual themes and special focus:

• 2026 Special Focus—Design Across Time
• Theme 1: Design Education
• Theme 2: Design in Society
• Theme 3: Designed Objects
• Theme 4: Visual Design
• Theme 5: Design Management and Professional Practice
• Theme 6: Architectonic, Spatial, and Environmental Design

We are interested in the following lines of investigation: 

• On learning to become a designer.
• On the social sources of design and the social effects of design.
• On the nature and form of the objects of design.
• On representation using mediums of visual communication.
• On the organization of design, design work, and design as a professional practice.
• On constructing spaces, environments, and sustainable design practices.

Design Principles & Practices Research Network also supports a book imprint and a collection of journals.