When asked to reflect on the impact of DesignPhiladelphia, Eileen Tognini began by posing a series of thought-provoking questions. She asked, "What if you imagined designing a celebration, crafting an opportunity for creatives to create, and to think about Design with a capital 'D' and a small 'd'? What if you dreamed that you could put Philadelphia in the center of a broader dialogue about design as a noun and design as a verb? What if you fostered our rich creative community to think about its city's maker heritage?"

For Tognini, these questions capture the essence of what DesignPhiladelphia set out to achieve. She recalled the early days of the festival, 20 years ago, when the enthusiasm of its founder and visionary, Hilary Jay, sparked excitement within the multi-disciplined design community. "Back then," Tognini noted, "planning your DesignPhiladelphia

Festival attendance became the hot topic among us." The festival's pop-up events, experiential opportunities, lectures, workshops, and exhibitions quickly became a vital part of the city's cultural calendar, fueling a growing recognition of Philadelphia as a creative hub.

Tognini emphasized that DesignPhiladelphia has continued to challenge new perspectives in a rapidly changing world. She praised the festival's ability to foster an evolving dialogue through meaningful programming, making everyone acutely aware of the impact of design in all its forms. In her view, DesignPhiladelphia has successfully positioned Philadelphia at the forefront of a broader conversation about creativity and innovation.