Please note that on Friday 18 October the museum will close earlier at 17:00

Our international work

Design. Humanity’s best friend.

Design is borderless, nourished by collaboration, exchange, working beyond frontiers and increasingly addressing global challenges that humanity is facing. The Design Museum is committed to continuing to engage internationally to support creativity beyond borders, showcase the most important design from across the world, and broaden our horizons.

How do we work internationally?

Winner of the 2018 European Museum of the Year Award, the Design Museum has worked for over 30 years to develop its international relationships and impact. We engage with countries across the globe and with the design community through a wide range of activities including our touring exhibitions programme, our design residency programmes, and our annual awards.

Moreover, the museum’s expertise in curating and creating engaging design-focused learning experiences and content is increasingly referenced by colleagues and partners across the world as they imagine new museums, new programmes or collaborations bridging the gap between business, practitioners, and the larger public.

Touring Exhibitions

The Design Museum’s exhibitions have been presented in over 30 countries. 2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the touring exhibition programme, one of the oldest established worldwide. Click to find out more about the exhibitions available to tour and where to see a Design Museum exhibition worldwide.

Consultancy Services

The Design Museum offers a variety of consultancy services leveraging its unique expertise in building a new type of museum and transforming what a museum experience could be by using it as a platform to unpack the role of creativity as a catalyst for social and economic change.

International Partnerships

At the heart of the Design Museum’s international engagement lies the principle of collaboration as a two-way exchange process that broadens the field of possibilities and enriches all parties involved. Find out more about past and current partners and their experience of working with us.

Exhibitions

The Design Museum offers opportunities to explore the present and future of design through a programme of temporary exhibitions and displays. Reflecting the international dimension of design, the exhibitions programme often involves lenders and institutions from around the globe and regularly showcases designers whose work relates to an international context.

Learning Programmes

Committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, the Design Museum has been conceived as a place of learning, knowledge and exchange keeping on pushing the frontier of learning programme innovation. We offer a range of inspiring courses, lectures and workshops relevant to engaging all age groups. Find out more about our pioneering approach to learning programmes, corporate training offers and higher-education courses.

Design Residency Programmes

Tapping into the international exchange of ideas and creativity, the long-standing design residency programme welcomes both UK and international designers to conduct design research and promotes new and emerging design talent. With the launch of the Future Observatory, a new national programme of research, debate and training, the programme formerly known as Designers in Residence was relaunched as Design Researchers in Residence.