DHS Conferences

The annual Design History Society Conference is a prestigious, international event, which offers a platform for an interdisciplinary approach to research and critical debate in design history. Each year the conference is hosted by a different convening institution that works closely with the Society to organise the conference on a theme chosen by the convenor. The annual conference aims to bring together and offer a forum for emerging and established scholars, museum professionals and design practitioners who engage with debates on cultures of design from both contemporary and historical perspectives. It is the particular aim of the conference to further global dialogues on design and its histories.

Past conferences have been hosted at Delft (2006), Falmouth (2008), Hertfordshire (2009), Barcelona (2011), Brighton (2012), Ahmedabad (2013), Oxford (2014), San Francisco (2015), Middlesex (2016), Oslo (2017), New York City (2018), Northumbria (2019), Basel (2021) and Izmir (2022). The 2023 conference will be held in Matosinhos, Portugal. Please see below.

In addition to bringing your institution to the attention of the design history community, this exciting event can also offer an opportunity for delegates to visit local collections and sites significant for the study of design history.