Design
Dubai Holding plays a leading role in design and innovation throughout the emirate. Dubai Design District (d3), a global creative ecosystem and one of TECOM Group PJSC’s 10 vibrant business districts in Dubai, provides a dedicated platform for companies and talent in the creative sectors from around the world.
d3, which opened its doors in 2015 to champion the development of the region’s design sector by providing a purpose-built, first-of-its-kind destination for emerging and established creative artists, designers, architects and professionals across the creative sectors.
With sector-specific infrastructure designed to meet the needs of the industry and a business-friendly framework, d3 offers creative talent the tools to drive innovation that permeates through various areas of Dubai’s economy, further reinforcing Dubai’s status as a UNESCO Creative City of Design.
Uniting more than 20,000 talented creative professionals, designers and artists alongside 1,100 customers, d3 is home to some of world’s leading fashion, architecture, art, furniture and interior design companies including Burberry, Dior, Zaha Hadid Architects and Foster + Partners.
Growing the design sector
The global digital creative economy is expected to note compounding growth of 11% each year to reach a valuation of AED 27 trillion by 2030, according to the Digital Creative Economy white paper by d3 and Dubai Media City. To cater to this growth, d3 has curated a community that nurtures synergies and collaboration between global design, fashion and luxury retail leaders.
d3 is today home to three academic institutions and hosts more than 100 events a year, including globally impactful platforms such as Dubai Fashion Week and Dubai Design Week. The Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI), the region’s only university exclusively dedicated to design and innovation is based at d3 and offers the first-of-its-kind Bachelor of Design that allows students to map their own educational journey by exploring two concentrations from four: Product Design, Multimedia Design, Fashion Design and Strategic Design Management.
Home to in5 Design, the sector-focused vertical of TECOM Group’s in5 incubator, the district has supported more than 120 start-ups in the design sector since its inception. d3 also regularly stages a busy roster of industry talks, workshops and educational programming, accessible to people of all ages.