More than 15 years ago a group of design professionals issued a Declaration entitled Iberoamérica Diseña, a milestone that underwrote the presence and potential of Ibero-American design. This Declaration laid the conceptual foundations for the Ibero-American Design Biennial, of which we were the driving force. In this initiative were some of the most notable personalities of our design, whose work and ideas are still with us in this new declaration.

Witnesses of the consolidation and growth of this Ibero-American vision, we take a step forward by creating an Association under the same name: Iberoamérica Diseña, as proof of that promise that today is a hymn. Our goal is to continue putting forward, developing and organizing Ibero-American design in its diversity in order to promote more global dialogues.

The Iberoamerica Diseña (ID) Association is the first Iberoamerican association, open to professionals in any area of design, whether in practice or in education, as well as to those involved in theoretical and experimental research, communications and other cross-cutting disciplines. The ID Association’s mission is to continue showing and spreading Ibero-American design through exhibitions and other activities, both in Ibero-America and in the rest of the world, keeping in mind the diversity and multidisciplinary nature of our design.

A network of professionals, universities, design centers, companies, research groups and public and private institutions, all interested and involved in Ibero-American design and convinced of the power of design as a tool for economic development and improvement in the quality of life and culture for our societies, has been woven around the people who made up ID, and those we now invite to participate.

The ID Association will be a liaison and the bridge for a global network, highlighting the role of designers as key players of the activity in society and industry. We focus on connecting sectors, companies and countries, listening to ideas and developing initiatives that strengthen Ibero-American design, its structures and undertakings, promoting the quality and scope of projects, its feasibility and economic success; and of course, its dissemination within and outside Ibero-America.

After almost a quarter of the 21st century, it is no longer adequate to consider design only as just a factor of economic success and business profit. Now it is necessary to point out that design can and must also work as an element for the development and improvement of the living conditions in societies, particularly in the most disadvantaged groups. This implies a special responsibility for Ibero-American design and its professionals.

Design has always been a cultural stimulus and a generator of ideas for progress and the daily improvement of life. In a context of continuous crisis, social inequality and climate change, design must show its capability for commitment and utility, developing new approaches and solutions that balance personal growth with the most urgent needs of our societies.

In recent decades, Ibero-America has become a place where design has flourished. Today, Ibero-America has the potential to become an area that is particularly well suited for reflection on what is essential. We must approach design in terms of people rather than objects, by promoting an activity oriented towards human wellbeing, innovation and sustainability.

The ID Association, Iberoamérica Diseña, aims to be a global catalyst throughout Ibero-America, by establishing relationships, promoting cultural elements and seeking both private and public partners. To jointly convey the human energy and the opportunity of Ibero-American design to become one of the distinctive features of the Ibero-America of the 21st century. A design that today must be inclusive, socially and environmentally responsible and must contribute to the well-being and prosperity of our communities.

In doing so, our Association, Iberoamérica Diseña, will be an uplifting model for the global design community, proving that design can be a driving and transforming force for social change in the personal and creative spheres and for the well-being and improvement of the lives of all.

Iberoamerica Diseña intends to bring together Iberoamerican languages, traditions, heritages and geographies, led by design towards peace and reason.