Celebrating Creativity and Design Across Borders

Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla opens the celebration with remarks highlighting the impact of the Design Lab at UC San Diego. "The vision of the Design Lab was always not only to bring design to this spectacular institution called UC San Diego, but to really create design as a field of study," Khosla shared. He also reflected on his role in bringing Don Norman, the founding executive director of the Design Lab, to San Diego to integrate human-centered design and design thinking across campus.

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The San Diego Youth Symphony joined forces with the Sinfónica Juvenil de Tijuana, seen here with conductor Sameer Patel. Recently appointed music director of the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus, Patel also serves as artistic director of the San Diego Youth Symphony.

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The binational orchestra performed to a packed audience, showcasing Ilimitados ("Limitless") as one of several pieces in their repertoire. This newly commissioned composition by Tijuana-based composer Andrés Martin was a collaboration between the San Diego Youth Symphony and the Tijuana Youth Symphony, created to celebrate World Design Capital 2024.

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Attendees took in the ceremony from the stands of the Epstein Family Amphitheater. Among the audience were Mayor of San Diego Todd Gloria, President & CEO of the San Diego Youth Symphony Michael Remson, WDC 2024 Board Chair and UC San Diego Design Lab Director Mai Nguyen and President of the World Design Organization Thomas Garvey.

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Mayor Todd Gloria emphasized the success of the WDC designation in fostering collaboration between San Diego and Tijuana, showcasing the region as a global leader in design. "It has been an opportunity for us to tell our unique story as one of the world's most robust transborder regions—economically and culturally intertwined, independent but thoroughly dependent on one another," Gloria remarked.

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"We are wrapping up this designation year where it all started," said Mai Nguyen, WDC 2024 board chair and director of the UC San Diego Design Lab. She recognized the celebration as not only marking the Design Lab's 10th anniversary but also a transition into a "legacy phase,”, with ongoing events and projects to highlight the region as a hub for design, art, culture and innovation.

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Thomas Garvey, president of the World Design Organization, presented the WDC plaque to Carolina Romahn, representative of WDC 2026. The Frankfurt RheinMain region was officially designated as World Design Capital 2026.

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The Nortec Collective lit up the stage with their signature fusion of electronic and traditional Mexican sounds, energizing the crowd and setting the tone for a celebratory evening.

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Formed in Tijuana, Nortec Collective got the audience on their feet with their iconic blend of electronic and norteño beats, closing the night on a high note.

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