HA / News

The global design community comes to Reykjavík this autumn as AGI Open takes place on 1–2 October. More than 30 designers from around the world have been confirmed for the programme, with the first five speakers now announced. A major source of inspiration for Iceland’s creative community, the conference brings some of the most distinctive voices in international design to Reykjavík. Early bird ticket sales end on 16 August.

The Icelandic Design Awards has opened for suggestions. Everybody can send in their suggestions, your own work or others until midnight September 3rd. With an open call, the goal is to ensure that excellent work does not pass by the jury. Therefore, we encourage owners of good works to nominate their own projects and work.

Designer Dögg Guðmundsdóttir and the Icelandic ocean paint brand Dýpi have opened the exhibition A Space Between States at the Embassy of Iceland in Copenhagen as part of the 3daysofdesign festival. Inspired by the Icelandic landscape, the exhibition explores the relationship between design, time, memory, and sustainability.

Dögg Guðmundsdóttir & Dýpi present the exhibition A Space Between States at the Icelandic Embassy for 3daysofdesign. Here, design is not only about function, but about presence. A lamp becomes a source of wellbeing. A table holds generations. A chair carries architecture within its form. Through furniture, objects, and material experimentation, the exhibition explores transformation, time, and the emotional language of design. Time is embedded in the works through reused materials, symbolic numbers, natural cycles, and personal narratives. The objects evolve, adapt, and accompany us through different stages of life — from childhood to adulthood, from beginning to end.

All speakers for DesignTalks 2026 have now been announced, and this year’s conference is set to be exceptionally dynamic. DesignTalks is one of the key events of DesignMarch, and the programme reflects the breadth and diversity of contemporary design.

RANRA is a design studio founded by Arnar Már Jónsson and Luke Stevens. Nearly a decade in the making, the two have built a practice that has gained remarkable recognition.

It’s time to introduce the next speakers at this year’s DesignTalks. 1+1+1 is an experimental collaboration between designers from three Nordic countries: Hugdetta from Iceland, Petra Lilja from Sweden, and Aalto+Aalto from Finland. The design team shakes up the traditional design process, constantly surprising even themselves.

DesignMarch has been identified as the most attended cultural festival in Iceland, according to a recent survey conducted by Prósent examining attendance at cultural events over the past three years. The findings indicate that 10 percent of respondents have attended DesignMarch, compared to 8 percent for the Reykjavík Arts Festival, 6 percent for Iceland Airwaves, and 5 percent for the Reykjavík International Film Festival (RIFF).

Iceland Design and Architecture (Miðstöð hönnunar og arkitektúrs) invites proposals for the Icelandic Pavilion at the 20th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, which will take place from 8. May to 21. November 2027. This marks the second time Iceland participates through an open call.

The Nature Conservation Agency receives recognition for best investment in design at the Icelandic Design Awards 2025 for its exceptional approach to developing Visitor Centres with a strong focus on design and architecture.

Elja Mountain bike wins Product of the year, Elliðaárstöð wins Place of the year and Fischersund wins Project of the year. Albína Thordarson architect wins Honorary Award and Náttúruverndarstofnun was awarded for best investment in design.