In complex and closely interrelated worlds such as those we live in today, Design represents a resource that can guide societies and production systems towards new development models; it is also a resource that is nowadays crucial for standing up to global competition in terms of identity and diversity.

Design is a driving force behind growth that can guide individual and collective choices through cultural trends, guiding tastes, behaviours, lifestyles, and consumption styles. It has numerous and highly varied applications: from research and applications connected with the introduction of new technologies, to designing new products and services, from the study of communication interfaces to managing ergonomic and environmental qualities, from defining urban spaces and one’s own body, to governing processes connected with environmental and social sustainability policies.