LA Design Festival Returns June 8 to June 11, 2017

LOS ANGELES - May 1, 2017 - PRLog -- The LA Design Festival (www.ladesignfestival.org) is proud to announce the 2017 program and the recipie­nts of the ICON and EDGE Awards. Now in its seventh year, the Festival honors LA's rich creative culture and its status as a global city of design.

In a departure from years past, the LA Design Festival is being abbreviated from a fortnight of festivities to four days of intense programming anchored around two new creative districts—City Market South and ROW DTLA—in downtown LA.  The 7th Annual Opening Night Party and de LaB's Making LA Together will be hosted at City Market South. Described as Project Runway Meets Shark Tank, Making LA Together will feature our city's brightest design minds pitching their ideas to a live audience; the ultimate design charrette.

Other design conversations and pop-up experiences will be hosted at ROW DTLA, including New California Craft, an exhibition curated by Happy Mundane's Jonathan Lo; the hyper-curated modern design show INTRO/LA; LAX >< DET, a conversation exploring design connection between Los Angeles and Detroit and a discussion about how both cities express creativity; FOOD >< DESIGN, a conversation that explores how design impacts food; A+R's Grand Opening; and Adobe Creative Jam.  The LA Design Festival space at ROW DTLA will also feature workshops by Unique LA and Moved LA, and pop-up shops curated by Clever and the collective Atmosphere. Additional events will be held throughout downtown Los Angeles, as well as Hollywood and Culver City. Check out the full schedule of events here. (https://www.ladesignfestival.org/schedule/)

The LA Design Festival has also expanded its annual award program. Louise Sandhaus is the recipient of the 2017 ICON, a singular award honoring an outstanding woman for her contributions to her industry, community, and society.  Sandhaus is a graphic designer, educator, and author. "I'm honored to receive this recognition," she says. "The creative community in Los Angeles is more diverse and has more vitality than ever before. This sense of possibility captured me when I first moved here—and it's why designers continue to flock to LA today."

The LA Design Festival recognizes emerging talent for their disruptive innovation with the EDGE.  This year, EDGE recipients include independent Instagram-beloved illustrator and designer Tuesday Bassen, artist Lauren Halsey who describes her practices as "recording and archiving city blocks," and inflatable installation artist Jihan Zencirli whose iconic balloon sculptures have made her famous.  ICON and EDGE award recipients will be honored at the Opening Night Party, June 9 at City Market South.

"The LA Design Festival is a reflection of our city's creative diversity and talent," said LA Design Festival Co-Founder Haily Zaki.  "While we don't establish official themes, this year our programs proudly celebrate women in design, and look towards the future of our global design city."