Yayoi Kusama's 'Pumpkin' artwork on Naoshima Island, Japan, in August 2018

'Design for Each and All'

Happy International Design Day! It's been said the best designs are the ones you never notice, but this giant yellow polka-dotted pumpkin on Japan's Naoshima island is kind of hard to miss. The sculpture is the work of Yayoi Kusama, an avant-garde artist active since the 1950s and known for crafting outlandish, repeating patterns in bright colours. Polka dots and pumpkins are her most famous motifs, showing up not only in her sculptures but in her paintings, performance pieces, and films.

But when we talk about design, we're not just talking about visuals — design is all around us, from the streets we walk to the app icons we tap. A designer's goal is to make things simpler for people, and since people come from all different walks of life, creating designs that work for everyone is a tough job. That's why 2021's theme for Design Day is 'Design for Each and All.' Whether or not you're a designer, it's a time to reflect on how creative problem-solving can make the world more accessible, fair, and user-friendly for all people.