DAFES: Design, Art, Fashion, Education & Startups

DAFES is a digital community for those who live and breathe creativity. We unite students, professionals, and emerging voices across design, art, fashion, education, and creative entrepreneurship. Why follow us? — Be the first to know about creative competitions, events, and open calls — Discover inspiring work from students and industry leaders — Explore practical tips, resources, and the latest in creative culture Join the movement — let’s shape the future together! #DAFES #CreativeCommunity #ArtAndDesign #FashionInnovation #CreativeEducation #Startups #Inspiration #CreativeCulture #EmergingVoices #CreativeEntrepreneurship #StudentDesigners #FashionDesign #DesignThinking #OpenCalls

Presenting DAFES Awards 🏆 DAFES Awards celebrates the best in design, art, fashion, education, and creative business. It’s an annual competition that aims for recognizing talents, fostering innovation, and setting new creative standards. Check open nominations via link in bio! 🔗 #dafes #dafesawards #opencall #designcompetitions #creativeawards

Presenting DAFES Choice ⭐️ Discover the most innovative and inspiring projects in design, art, fashion, and creative entrepreneurship, handpicked by the DAFES experts. Every month creative council chooses the exceptional works, which redefine creativity and set new standards for the industry. Join the movement via link in bio 🔗 #dafes #dafeschoice #creativeawards #designawards #opencalls

Average day in the creative industry 😀 #dafescommunity #dafes #creativeprocess #digitalcreator #designmemes

MARKET FONT ✍️🏷️ A typeface inspired by the visual language of flea markets — specifically the handwritten price tags, labels, and product cards that vendors create with thick markers. The project explores typography based on everyday cursive handwriting made with a flat-tip tool. The letterforms are constructed through the logic of writing with a flat marker: a fixed tool angle shapes broken rounded forms and sharp stroke connections. Each character is built through a continuous connected movement, imitating fast handwritten writing, where a dynamic rhythm becomes the defining feature of the typeface. Created by Alisa Silanteva 🏆 DAFES Choice Prizewinner #DAFESChoice #dafescommunity #typedesign #typography #graphicdesign

5 Sustainable design materials you’ve probably never heard Of 👀 🦪 Oystercrete Building material made from recycled oyster shells and concrete, used for tiles, walls, and urban spaces. 🥚 Eggshell Surface material created from recycled eggshell waste, used in furniture, decor, and interior panels. 🍄‍🟫 Mycelium Biodegradable material grown from mushroom roots, used for packaging, furniture, and acoustic panels. ☕️ Matek Circular material made from coffee shells, wood waste, and recycled plastic, used for furniture and interior objects. 🌽 CornWall Material produced from recycled corn cobs and plant fibers, used for sustainable interior design. #dafescommunity #sustainabledesign #futurematerials #ecodesign #designinspiration

The first part of design games got so much love that we had to make part 2 ⚡️ Try these 5 design games and sharpen your visual skills while procrastinating productively. 🔥 cantunsee.space Train your eye for spacing, hierarchy, and alignment by spotting subtle UI mistakes. Much harder than it looks. 🔥 itscenteredthat.com A simple game that tests your sense of alignment. Decide whether the element is truly centered — your eyes will probably betray you. 🔥 pixact.ly Guess the exact width and height of objects in pixels. Great for improving your sense of scale and proportions in UI design. 🔥 tothepoint.co.uk A typography game where you identify serif and sans-serif fonts under pressure. Fun way to sharpen your font recognition skills. 🔥 boolean.method.ac Practice boolean operations through interactive shape challenges and improve your vector thinking skills. Follow for more tools to level up your design eye. #design #graphicdesign #designinspiration #designtools #dafescommunity

WATER TOWER BOUTIQUE HOTEL 🧱🏢 It is an environment design project based on the idea of reimagining abandoned water towers — once essential elements of urban infrastructure — as unique boutique hotel spaces. Originally built to regulate water pressure, store reserves, and support growing cities, these structures have largely lost their function. Some have disappeared, while others remain — empty, yet structurally intact. The concept focuses on giving these forgotten towers a second life, highlighting overlooked typologies that continue to decay over time. The visual and spatial approach transforms industrial heritage into a contemporary living experience, where guests are invited to inhabit the core of the tower — the reservoir itself. Created by Kseniya Kanurina, Russia 🏆 DAFES Choice Prizewinner (December 2025) #DAFESChoice #dafescommunity #environmentdesign #architecturedesign #adaptiveReuse

Part 1 was so popular — here’s Part 2 🔥 These color combinations keep the contrast — but add more mood, depth, and personality. Steal these palettes to make your designs stand out 📍 Follow for more design ideas and visual inspiration 🎨 #dafescommunity #colorcombinations #colorinspo #designinspiration #typographydesign

A curated selection of major exhibitions, fairs, and design weeks happening across the world this May ▫️ Venice Biennale Arte 2026 📅 9 May – 22 November 2026 📍 Giardini & Arsenale, Venice An international contemporary art exhibition built around national pavilions and a central curated show. Large-scale installations, video works, and site-specific projects created especially for this edition. ▫️ Frieze New York 2026 📅 6–10 May 2026 📍 The Shed, New York A contemporary art fair bringing together leading international galleries. Features painting, sculpture, and new media, including works presented to the public for the first time. ▫️ Art Dubai 2026 📅 14–17 May 2026 📍 Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai An international fair with galleries from the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and beyond. Includes sections dedicated to digital art and projects at the intersection of technology and culture. ▫️ PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai 2026 📅 7–10 May 2026 📍 Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai A fair focused on contemporary photography as both an artistic and market medium. Brings together galleries from Asia and Europe, presenting works across photography, digital art, and image-based practices. ▫️ NYCxDESIGN 2026 📅 14–21 May 202 📍 New York City (citywide, with ICFF as the main hub) A citywide design week bringing together brands, studios, and galleries. At its core is ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair), presenting new collections of furniture, lighting, and material design. ▫️ Melbourne Design Week 2026 📅 15–25 May 2026 📍 NGV International & citywide venues, Melbourne A major Asia-Pacific design event exploring sustainability, new materials, and experimental practices. Focuses on emerging directions in design beyond the traditional Europe–US axis. 🔥 Save this calendar to plan your art month! Follow @dafes_platform for monthly global art updates #ArtCalendar #Exhibitions2026 #ArtGuide #CreativeIndustry #DAFES

NUDE MOOD 🍉 ⛱️ It is a packaging design project based on the idea of freedom and naturalness, inspired by the image of a nude beach — a space where the body exists outside social norms and expectations. The concept focuses on acceptance and openness to different forms of beauty and naturalness. The visual language reflects this through simplicity and openness, where the horizon line becomes a central element and a metaphor for inner freedom. The project represents a space without boundaries or limitations, where a person can feel aligned with their own body. Created by Aleksandra Kashentseva (Russia) 🏆 Winner of DAFES Choice (October 2025) 🎯 Finalist of DAFES Awards 2025 — Packaging Design #DAFESChoice #dafescommunity #packagingdesign #graphicdesign #designawards

Winning posters from the DAFES Typography open call 🎉 When the festival launched, it wasn’t just about visuals — it was about redefining how typography works. And these works prove it: typography can be the main character of a poster. Save this as a reference of what strong visual thinking looks like 💪 #dafesaward #typographydesign #posterdesign #motiondesign