What makes an object useful, engaging and beautiful? What is it about a distinct design that conveys calm, wonder and excitement in the user and helps us recall a moment in time? Artisphere and Apartment Zero present the Washington, DC International Design Festival from Thursday, February 21 through Sunday, May 19, 2013. The Festival is curated and produced by Apartment Zero co-owner Douglas Burton.

The Washington, DC International Design Festival also features a series of free public programs including lectures, film, video and photo competition. The complementary programming will explore important issues through the lens of design, including the role of women in design, the fall and rise of American design, an interactive photo contest and a special appearance by Roberto Palomba of Palomba Serafini Associati, Milan. The design symposiums will feature more than 20 panelists of critics, curators, product designers and writers who will share their unique voices on the subject of design and offer new ways of interpreting what we see and use on a daily basis. In partnership with the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital, the Festival will include a screening of Design is One: Lella and Massimo Vignelli. In Artisphere's Bijou Theatre, videos of designers in the process of making their wares, from conception to completion, will be shown. A small retail shop will also accompany the festival, where certain items from The Next Wave can be purchased.