Arian Hassani, representing UNESCO, presented the Certificate of Appointment to Berlin’s Mayor and Senator for Economics, Labour and Women’s Issues, Harald Wolf, today in a ceremony at the Berlin Town Hall.

Berlin is the first city in Europe to have been awarded this title and joins Buenos Aires as a member of the UNESCO global “Creative Cities Network,” in the category of design. This network aims at uniting creative potential in the cities and launching cooperative projects that help to enhance the economic development of these creative metropolisses.

Harald Wolf, Berlin’s Mayor and Senator for Economics, Labour and Women’s Issues, had this to say: “The awarding of the title of “City of Design” comes at just the right time.  It encourages the creative mood of new beginnings prevailing among many companies and sector representatives and tells us that we are on the right path.  The design scene here is characterized by diversity, inventiveness, and a willingness to experiment. Berlin now has Germany’s most productive design sector.

Creative industries find superb conditions in Berlin: affordable rents and cost of living, growing company networks, and political support create a strong foundation for a center of design with international appeal.  Up till now, we have focused on consolidating the energy in Berlin.  In the future, however, we plan to increase our support for international cooperation and for marketing design ‘made in Berlin’ worldwide.”

As a “City of Design,” Berlin is following in the traditions of the Golden Twenties.  The city benefits from the mix of design, architecture, art, and culture and from the excitement generated by constant change.  An extraordinarily interesting design landscape of ateliers, agencies, showrooms, trade fairs, and sales platforms has emerged since the fall of the Wall.

Design from Berlin is characterized by an interdisciplinary approach, versatility, individuality, and inventiveness.  It is also an economic factor to be taken seriously – something that is underscored by an annual sales volume of €1.4 billion and more than 10,400 regular employees.  With over 6,300 companies working in this sector, Berlin has one of Europe’s strongest design clusters. Creative sector companies from widely varying disciplines find the surroundings they need here, as well as a highly qualified young workforce from among the more than 5000 students enrolled in the city’s four state universities and many private institutions.

Berlin also offers an ideal setting for fashion and design trade fairs with international appeal, such as Bread & Butter, Premium, and B-in-Berlin.  In addition, sales platforms, showrooms, and sales agencies are playing an ever greater role.  Conferences like Typo Berlin and the DesignMai festival cultivate exchange between designers on the national and international level.  New and successful platforms – “Roundtable Berlin” and “CREATE BERLIN” – have emerged in the last 12 months, illustrating the quality of cooperation.

International marketing of design from Berlin, however, still needs improvement. Tapping new markets is vital to the survival of many companies, which is why the Senate Department for Economics, Labour and Women’s Issues supports joint trade fair stands and presentations – for instance, in Milan, Paris, and Berlin – and B2B events where designers meet potential partners from industry.  Encouraging agencies, showrooms, and distributors to locate here is another increasing focus.