A successful Designmonat Graz 2017 turned Graz into an internationally renowned hotspot of design. In May 91,100 people visited 126 single events, that were staged with 101 programme partners and 431 designers or labels. About 200 reports of Designmonat Graz in print, TV and radio media, as well as numerous national and international postings, articles and blog posts on online portals and social media channels are a proof of the powerful international radiance of the festival.
This year, Designmonat Graz focused on the inner city of Graz. The opening at Joanneumsviertel with 900 visitors, among them international guests from Saint-Étienne, Dundee, Bilbao, Turin and Berlin, fascinated everybody, so did the exhibition SELECTED. Creative Industries Styria are satisfied with the exhibition of international interior and product design, which was presented among the exhibits of the Natural History Museum’s permanent collection; the audience did respond well to the new location. At designforum Steiermark the exhibition The Orange Age focused on media design of the 1970s.
The format Design in the City is becoming more and more popular and has improved the visibility of 34 shops. For the first time, Designmonat Graz focused on a creative region, the so-called Raabtal, where many design-oriented people visited interesting events and companies. Klanglicht, in the course of Designmonat Graz, attracted 50,000 people at five locations within two days.
The main focus of the 9th Designmonat Graz event was ‘Smart Design – Smart Production’. Among others, the Smartness Conference dealt with this topic but it also appeared in the course of a cooperation with Holzcluster Steiermark: within the project ‘Smart Urban Privacy’ five designers created five innovative wooden urban installations which were placed in the inner city of Graz.
