About Design Ventura

Design Ventura challenges students in years 9, 10 and 11 to design a new product for the Design Museum shop.

Design Ventura, the Design Museum’s flagship learning project, is an opportunity for students to develop design thinking, creative and business capabilities and employability skills. The project was launched in 2010 in partnership with Deutsche Bank, as part of the bank’s global youth engagement programme and has seen over 160,00 students participate.

Teachers are offered training and resources to develop their own professional practice and to run the project in school with the support of design and business industry experts.

Students, working in teams, are asked to consider the whole process of design, from initial ideas to manufacturing and budgets to marketing and branding.

The top ten state school teams are invited to a pitching event at Deutsche Bank London head office. The winning team is announced at a Celebration Event at the Design Museum and go on to work with a professional design team to develop their idea and see it on sale the Design Museum Shop.

International and Independent schools are welcome to participate but compete for a different, separate prize.

For 2024-25 there will be a themed online mini challenge for students in years 7-11.

Support and benefits for registered schools:

Supports the delivery of the Design and Technology curriculum, including the D&T GCSE specification (KS3 and GCSE mapping can be found here – you will need to be logged in)
Free teacher CPD sessions, including live online sessions, with pathways to Goldsmiths College MA in Design Education
Free workshops at the Design Museum, supported by design and industry professionals
Online resources, including workshop plans, films and step through process
Flexible project structure that can be run as an extra-curricular activity, a STEM/STEAM project or towards CREST awards or Arts Mark
Support from the Design Museum team
All participating students receive certificates
The top ten ideas are displayed in a public exhibition at the Design Museum
Winners will work with professional designers to see their idea manufactured and sold in the Design Museum shop

Who can take part?

Students in years 9, 10 and 11
UK state schools
4-6 students per team
D&T, A&D, Business & Enterprise Students and related creative subjects
International and Independent schools are welcome to participate in the project but we are unable to offer free workshops and they will compete for a separate prize. For more details please contact the Design Ventura team.

Key Dates

Design Ventura Staff

Elysia Thorpe
Programme Manager Design Ventura
Aithne Tılsım Palfreyman
Assistant Programme Manager Design Ventura
Sally Jones
Freelance Educator and Artist
Lea Jagendorf
Freelance Educator & Designer

the
DESIGN
MUSEUM

The world’s leading museum devoted to contemporary design in every form from architecture and fashion to graphics, product and industrial design. The Design Museum opened in its spectacular new location in the former Commonwealth Institute building on High Street Kensington on 24 November, 2016. The Museum is an international showcase for the many design skills at which Britain excels and a creative centre, promoting innovation and nurturing the next generation of design talent. Learning is at the heart of the museum with provision from early years through formal learning to adult courses and the varied public programmes of events.

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The Shop

The Design Museum shop aims to sell the most beautiful, innovative, intelligently designed products and publications from around the world. It operates through two retail spaces at the new site in Kensington and through the online shop.

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The Collection

The Design Museum’s collection is an important record of the key designs that have shaped the modern world. It tells the history of mass production, from the manufacturing innovations of the nineteenth century up to the digital and making revolution of the last few years.

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