Recap: European Design Festival 2025
Spending the weekend in Ljubljana for the European Design Festival was nothing short of inspiring. From the great talks and exhibitions to the great conversations between the sessions or at lunch, the city became a playground for creative minds from across Europe. The air was filled curiosity and a shared love for design.
After the first talks during the day, things kicked off in style on Friday night with the official ED-Festival opening and the simultaneous opening of the exhibition Eccentricity—Design from the Off-Centre, setting the tone for a weekend that would celebrate the unconventional and embrace the unexpected. The exhibition was a bold mix of works that invited us to question what “good design” really means. It was a reminder that creativity often flourishes when we step away from the centre and lean into the strange, the playful, and the daring. And it was also a reminder of the bold ideas and daring experiments only we humans are capable of amidst all the fear of being replaced by AI.
The talks and lectures over the weekend were equally enriching—a diverse lineup of speakers covering everything from type design, graphic design and future-facing design ethics to cultural storytelling.
One of the highlights, of course, was the European Design Awards reception Saturday night. It’s always a blast to sit in a room full of design enthusiasts and people who are similarly eager to learn new things and gain new perspectives. There’s a special kind of energy in those moments—when you're surrounded by others who not only understand your passion but push it further with their own.
The awards ceremony itself was both elegant and celebratory, with truly amazing projects recognized. Seeing the diversity of work—from powerful branding and editorial pieces to clever packaging, interactive design, and smart as well as socially relevant type design reminded everyone in the room just how much design shapes the world around us.
Beyond the awards and talks, workshops offered plenty of moments to reflect, debate, and get creatively recharged. And Ljubljana! The city proved to be the perfect host. Compact yet full of charm, its mix of historical beauty and modern flair echoed the spirit of the festival perfectly.
We’re already looking ahead with excitement, as next year’s European Design Festival heads to Bulgaria! A new city, a new setting, and no doubt a whole new wave of inspiration. Until then, here’s to keeping that creative spark alive.
