Ideas for Businessby DesignWanted
Welcome to Ideas for Business, your gateway to turning creativity into opportunity. With the support of DesignWanted’s global reach, and our partners, we aim to connect designers with the market through exclusive Calls for Ideas.
Benefits and Prizes
Participation is free, and the rewards are worth it. Whether launched by us or in collaboration with design brands, each call offers you the chance to showcase your talent and compete for exciting prizes. Calls may include one or more of the following benefits, which will be detailed in each Call’s brief.
PROMOTION
Winning a Call means exposure on DesignWanted’s official channels, the platform leading the initiative, amplifying your work to a global design audience.
NETWORK
By joining Ideas for Business, you expand your reach and boost your chances of connecting with key decision-makers and top design professionals.
NEW BUSINESS
Our main mission is to turn great ideas into tangible outcomes. The prizes offered may vary by company, but partner Brands will have the opportunity to bring the winning concept closer to realization.
PARTNER REWARDS
Ideas for Business will also be supported by technical partners who may provide winners with free software licenses, exclusive discounts, and other valuable perks.
Open Calls
Here, you’ll find both current and past Calls. Reviewing them will help you understand their structure and what we – or partner companies – usually look for. It’s a great way to get ready for the next Call you want to join!
Call #2
Frequently Asked Questions
Anyone who feels they fit the Call’s requirements can participate, whether you’re a student, freelance designer, or design / architecture studio. We impose no restrictions because we believe that talent, especially in the early creative stages, can produce concepts that appeal to the companies (and jury) behind the Call.
Participation is free. Ideas for Business aims to support designers at all levels by serving as a bridge to the business world, which we know can be challenging for designers. The only investment required is the time spent developing your concept for the Call.
There are no hidden fees, either at submission or if you win.
The selection process unfolds in three steps:
- Collecting all submitted projects until the Call closes.
- A preliminary review and selection is made by DesignWanted, which narrows down the entries to 10 shortlisted projects for the Jury.
- The Jury then selects 3 finalists, who will gain access to the prizes offered.
Brief, rewards and timeline for each are provided in the specific details of the Call.
All submitted projects will be evaluated by DesignWanted and the Jury, which includes expert designers. When a Call is launched in collaboration with a partner Brand, a company representative will also be involved in the review process.
Only the 3 Finalists will be announced via the official channels of Ideas for Business/DesignWanted, with the goal of celebrating and showcasing the top ideas.
The rights to any concept are owned and retained by the creators, meaning the participants who submit it to the Call. Participating in any Ideas for Business Call in no way transfers these rights to DesignWanted or the partner company, or any other entity.
The policy covering these matters can be found at this link (make sure to read it carefully!), and designers will be asked to approve it upon each submission.
As mentioned, prizes may vary depending on the Call. Some will be launched directly by DesignWanted to foster creative talent, while others will be developed in collaboration with partner companies looking for fresh ideas in product development.
When collaborating with partner companies, our aim is to support them in identifying valuable ideas for product development. All contractual agreements, however, are handled directly between the company and the winning participants. At this stage of the process, DesignWanted will have no role or rights over the winning design.
For added legal protection, we recommend consulting our partner DGRS, a law firm specializing in intellectual property and related contracts.
Since Ideas for Business focuses on submitting concepts created for a specific Call, the required materials are:
- High-quality renders that clearly and thoroughly present the project. Further details are provided in each individual Call page.
- Key information describing the project’s main elements (such as innovation, creative process, etc.), explaining to the DesignWanted team and Jury why the project is the best fit for the Call brief.
That’s a good question, especially in today’s context, and we’ll try provide a clear answer.
Yes, AI can be used, but only if it doesn’t replace the designer’s critical thinking and creative skills during product development. AI can be a tool to enhance creative insights, but it must not substitute the human capacity to thoroughly analyze a brief and create a well-thought-out concept in response.
In short, AI-assisted materials are allowed, but the project ideas must stem from the designer’s own reasoning and work. We believe that a designer’s sensitivity and empathy are essential to a project’s success.
It’s possible we may have missed something, so don’t hesitate to contact us for any information you need.
Feel free to use this email address: projects@designwanted.com.