A new look at design

Take a look around you. The chair you are sitting on, the city you live in and even the app you are reading this on were all designed by someone. More importantly, every design began with a question. By constantly asking how things can be better or smarter or more beautiful, we shape the world. Nothing is set in stone. This means we can redesign everything from our museum and our city to our very future.

Seeking answers through design
Design is the most powerful tool we have to tackle the big questions of our time. How can we live more sustainably? How do we make technology more human? How do we build cities where everyone feels at home?

At Design Museum Gent we are not looking for one single answer. Instead, we celebrate the power of experimentation. We are a playground for the future where we show you how design helps solve both small and large problems. We do not just show the finished product. We reveal the doubts and the experiments and the breakthroughs needed to pass on a better world to future generations.

Back to the beginning
Our driving force is nothing new. When we were founded in 1903 as a museum of design models, we collected fine examples to inspire creators. Design has changed since then and it is now about much more than the shape of a chair or a cupboard. It is about how we live together. We are returning to our original roots and using them as our foundation. We are a museum that does not just explain what design is but focuses on what design can do.

More than a museum
We are taking an active role in society and turning the museum into a meeting place for inspiration and new ideas. We are breaking down barriers because we are convinced that the best ideas emerge when different worlds collide.

That is why we invite you to join the conversation and get involved. Design only becomes truly fascinating when it relates to your daily life. Here the designer meets the public and the student challenges history. Even a chance passerby can be inspired to look at the world with fresh eyes. If we keep asking why things are the way they are, we create space to imagine how they could be different.

A fresh perspective
Our museum is much more than a collection of beautiful objects. It is a place brimming with knowledge and hidden stories from the past and the present. We see our exhibitions as a starting point for conversations that go far beyond form and history. We challenge you to step outside and take a fresh look at the world around you.

A new perspective on design naturally calls for a new look. Take a fresh look at our new visual identity here.