Design Core commits to serving as steward of Detroit’s UNESCO City of Design designation and strategy by championing Detroit’s diverse design community
Design Core Detroit
Design Core Detroit champions design-driven businesses and their role in strengthening Detroit’s economy.
It offers services to strengthen, grow and attract design businesses, increases market demand for design services, and tells Detroit’s design story locally and globally. Design Core is the steward of Detroit’s UNESCO City of Design designation and is a partnership of the College for Creative Studies and Business Leaders for Michigan.
Design Core Detroit
Projects
A collaborative partnership led by Design Core Detroit that will unite key Detroit educators, industry leaders, policymakers and community stakeholders to explore the topic of equitable mobility in Detroit as a project of the Detroit City of Design Initiative
Detroit Month of Design is a citywide celebration of creativity that gathers designers and the greater community to celebrate Detroit’s role as a national and global design capital. Every September, partners from all across Detroit, from emerging studios to established companies and educational institutions, come together to show off their latest works and ideas. These cross-disciplinary events take place in all corners of the city, highlighting the work makes Detroit a City of Design. To honor Detroit’s designation as a UNESCO City of Design, the Detroit Design Festival will transition from a week-long series of events to recognizing September as Detroit’s Month of Design.
The Detroit Design Network is a collaborative membership network of interdisciplinary designers and agencies founded to fulfill the creative needs of Michigan’s business community. Initiated by the Detroit Creative Corridor Center in 2015, the Detroit Design Network operates as a design trade association, providing members with exclusive business development opportunities, educational workshops, community events and more.
In an effort to further its mission of supporting Detroit-based creative businesses and practitioners, Design Core is offering Detroit City of Design ambassador stipends to support the cost of travel and materials for Detroit designers selected to participate in a fellow UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) partner event. Priority will be made for events hosted by UNESCO Cities of Design, but the stipend is available for any event hosted by a UCCN partner. Those selected to serve as an ambassador are eligible to receive up to a $2,000 stipend to support the cost of their travel costs and up to $2,000 to support the cost of participation including materials, labor, shipping and other expenses.
Road to Readiness is a multi-session educational series for design-based businesses, resulting in a individualized roadmap to capital readiness and acquisition. Topics covered will include: understanding your financial statements, commercial lending process, QuickBooks overview, understanding business taxes, record-keeping techniques and more. Registrants who complete all sessions will earn a 1-1 consultation with a small business finance expert.
Commerce Design: Detroit is an award that raises awareness of and access to professional design services for neighborhood small businesses. Produced by AIA Detroit and Design Core, t celebrates the impact of commercial design projects in the communities where these businesses reside. The competition will recognize projects, submitted jointly by the business owner and design team, within the City of Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck that have been completed in the last five years. Learn more here.
