What Design Society does

Design Society (设计互联) is a not-for-profit cultural platform and the first comprehensive design-focused cultural institution in China. It operates within the Sea World Culture and Arts Center in Shekou, Nanshan, Shenzhen — a building designed in 2011 by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Maki and opened to the public in December 2017. Its core offering is a curated mix of physical exhibition spaces (the V&A Gallery, Main Gallery, and Park View Gallery), event venues (the 328-seat Mountain View Theater and 800 sqm Horizon Hall), a museum retail store, a learning and public programs division (Design Society Edu), a free WeChat-based multimedia guide, and guided tour services at multiple price tiers. The institution is structured around a foundational partnership with London's Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) as founding partner of the Design Society Foundation, and operates under the umbrella of state-owned China Merchants Shekou Holdings (CMSK), which initiated and funds the Sea World venue.

The platform's business model blends consumer-facing ticket and tour revenue, retail sales, educational programming (including discounted ¥750 school group tours and premium ¥5,000-¥8,000 curator and director tours), and membership benefits (e.g., free parking). During 2020, it expanded into digital programming via Go!DS (Go online! Design Society), enabling remote participation in symposiums and digital exhibitions. It serves three primary segments: general public and design enthusiasts (locals and tourists), school groups and educators, and design professionals attending industry events and conferences. The organization employs approximately 22 staff and is led by Deputy Director Zhao Rong following the December 2020 retirement of founding Director Ole Bouman.

Design Society functions primarily as a brand, content, and venue operator rather than a software or AI company; its defensibility derives from the V&A partnership, the architecturally significant Fumihiko Maki-designed venue, and the institutional backing of CMSK, rather than from proprietary technology. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the organization does not operate under venture, public, or conventional ownership structures.

Name

Design Society

Legal name

Design Society (设计互联)

Website

https://designsociety.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Design Society (设计互联) is a not-for-profit cultural platform at the Sea World Culture and Arts Center in Shenzhen, operating galleries, theaters, and educational programs on design in partnership with the V&A and under state-owned CMSK. It serves general public visitors, school groups, and design professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Design Museum / Cultural Institution

NAICS

Museums (712110), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

akta.pro primary industry

Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Event Theming, Mood Boards & Concept Design (HSACAOAH), Design Colleges (Graphic, Industrial, UX/UI, Interior) (EDAHAJAB)

Keywords

• Design museum
• Cultural institution
• Exhibition venue
• Design education
• Public programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Shenzhen

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Design Society operates a not-for-profit cultural platform housed in the Sea World Culture and Arts Center in Shenzhen, delivering design-focused exhibitions across multiple galleries, performance and event venues, a curated retail store, guided tours, and educational programs. It curates and hosts international design exhibitions in partnership with the Victoria and Albert Museum and runs public programs, workshops, publications, and curatorial development initiatives such as the Curating Design Plan.

Product overview

Design Society is a unified cultural platform comprising multiple integrated offerings: physical exhibition galleries (Main Gallery, V&A Gallery, Park View Gallery) for displaying design exhibitions; performance and event venues (Mountain View Theater with 328 seats, Horizon Hall spanning 800 square meters); retail space (Design Society Store); educational programs under Design Society Edu including workshops, guided tours, and educator resources; and publications including catalogues and year books. The institution operates as a comprehensive design cultural center rather than a modular software platform, with all offerings centered on activating design as a social catalyst through exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• V&A Gallery: Gallery space in partnership with Victoria and Albert Museum, showcasing Values of Design exhibition series.
• Sea World Culture and Arts Center
• Design Society Store
• Design Society Edu
• Go!DS

Products and services

• Design Society Cultural Platform A comprehensive cultural platform housed in the Sea World Culture and Arts Center that generates diverse public programs combining exhibitions, galleries, educational initiatives, and community engagement, focused on activating design as a social catalyst for the general public.
• V&A Gallery A gallery space operated in partnership with London's Victoria and Albert Museum that features international design exhibitions, including the Values of Design series, for general visitors and design enthusiasts in China.
• Mountain View Theater A 328-seat auditorium at the crown of the Sea World Culture and Arts Center with views of Nanshan mountain, a third-floor terrace, and a fourth-floor foyer overlooking the roof garden, used to host lectures, performances, and other public events.
• Horizon Hall An 800-square-meter event space with views over Shenzhen Bay and Hong Kong, equipped with screens, hanging points and lighting tracks, featuring a blue resin floor and wave-like ceiling structures for flexible events and presentations.
• Design Society Store A curated museum shop offering direct contact with elements from exhibitions and public programs, designer brands and products, and Design Society and V&A merchandising, for visitors and design enthusiasts.
• Design Society Edu Learning and public programs division providing workshops, talks, conferences, educator programs, volunteer programs, and guided tours as a leading resource for design education in China, targeting learners, educators, and the general public.
• Group Guided Tours Professional guided tours of the galleries available in Mandarin and English for the general public (¥1,500), school groups (¥750), and free for Design Society Members, requiring advance booking for groups of four or more.
• Director's Guided Tour An exclusive guided tour hosted by Deputy Director Zhao Rong, exploring the full scope of Design Society including its public spaces, rooftop, Horizon Hall, Mountain View Theatre, galleries, shops, restaurants, and back-of-house facilities, available in English for groups of up to 20 at ¥8,000 per group and requiring booking two weeks in advance.
• Curator's Guided Tour An expert-led tour providing face-to-face conversation with curators about the curatorial concepts behind exhibitions, offered in English or Chinese depending on the curator at ¥5,000 per group of up to 20 people.
• Publications Annual reviews, exhibition catalogues, guidebooks, and educator resources documenting Design Society's exhibitions and programs, including the 2020 Year Book, 2018-2019 Review, and curriculum-aligned educator materials for design education audiences.
• Curating Design Plan An annual curatorial program that selects and supports emerging curatorial talent to develop design exhibitions, awarding the Design Society Curator Award and Research Fellow positions to advance design research in China.
• Values of Design Exhibition Series A signature exhibition series in the V&A Gallery exploring how changing values shape what is designed, produced, and consumed in China, including the Values of Design: China in the Making iteration, for general visitors and design professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Curating Design Plan initiative selecting curators and supporting design research

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 December 2017V&A is the founding partner of the not-for-profit Design Society Foundation. This pioneering collaboration with China Merchants Shekou (CMSK) is the first of its kind between a UK museum and a Chinese partner. V&A Gallery is housed within the Sea World Culture and Arts Center, showcasing international design exhibitions.
• China Merchants Shekou Holdings (CMSK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMSK is the initiator and operator of the Sea World Culture and Arts Center. As the parent organization, CMSK provides the infrastructure and funding for Design Society's operations as part of their cultural development initiative in Shekou, Shenzhen.
• Maki and AssociatescoreOthersLed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Maki, Maki and Associates designed the Sea World Culture and Arts Center. This was their first completed building in China, featuring three cantilevered volumes opening to the city, sea, and mountains.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• UCCA Center for Contemporary Art: Beijing-based leading contemporary art institution. Comparable in scale and programming ambition to Design Society, though focused on contemporary art rather than design.
• Long Museum: Major private art museum in Shanghai with a large-scale exhibition programming model. Comparable venue economics, though primarily an art rather than design museum.
• Power Station of Art: China's first state-run contemporary art museum, located in Shanghai. Comparable as a Chinese cultural institution of similar scale, but oriented to contemporary art rather than design.

Broad incumbents

• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): World-leading modern art museum with a prominent design and architecture collection. Comparable in curatorial authority and audience profile, though as a much broader institution with global reach.
• Centre Pompidou: Global landmark museum with a substantial design and industrial collection. Comparable in curatorial depth and public-programming scale, but as a far broader multi-disciplinary institution.

Direct peers

• Design Museum (London): UK's leading museum devoted exclusively to contemporary design across product, industrial, graphic, fashion, and architecture — a direct conceptual analogue to Design Society's design-only mandate.
• Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum: Smithsonian's U.S. design museum focused on design history and contemporary practice. Comparable in mission, scale, and exhibition-plus-education programming to Design Society.
• M+ (Hong Kong): Hong Kong's flagship visual-culture museum covering 20th–21st century design, architecture, and moving image. Closest regional peer in scope, scale, and cross-cultural design focus.
• Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A): World's leading museum of art and design and Design Society's founding partner. Operates a similar exhibition, education, and public-programming model across decorative arts and design collections.
• He Art Museum (HEM): Guangdong-based private museum with a strong design and contemporary art focus. Same regional geography and design-forward positioning as Design Society.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/design-society-%E8%AE%BE%E8%AE%A1%E4%BA%92%E8%81%94

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Design Society