Design Playground

This interactive exhibition teaches concepts and methods of design in a playful way. Step by step, children learn how a designer thinks and comes up with ideas. 

The exhibition takes visitors from the first idea to the final product. A simple guide leads them through five phases: empathy, definition, shaping ideas, prototypes, and testing. The participants discover new, creative approaches to their own work and everyday life as they go through numerous creative adventures. 

Exploring concepts of design teaches visitors how to generate ideas and evaluate them, finding creative solutions to problems. It develops communication and presentation skills, supports teamwork and inclusion, and is playful, fun and educational. 

What will you experience at The Design Playground? How does it work? 

• An interactive exhibition suitable for visitors aged 6 and over. Children should be accompanied by an adult and we count on the active participation of all parties!
• The exhibition is made up of 5 stations. You will learn about one aspect of design at each station.
• Please go through the stations in order.
• You will find a worksheet at each station that will let you experience how a designer thinks and designs.
• At the end, you will have your very own personally-designed diary/notebook/scrapbook, or maybe something else entirely
• We recommend that you spend 1.5 – 2 hours at the exhibition.
• The exhibition is accessible to English-speaking visitors.  Most of the texts in the exhibition are in Czech and English. The worksheets are bilingual.

We offer programs for school groups which take students through the entire creative process. They learn how to gather, sort, analyze, and evaluate information and see how it can be applied to new contexts and situations. In five steps, they get from first idea to its final implementation. 

The exhibition fosters many important skills: teamwork, communication, public speaking, visual presentation of ideas, discussion and debate. 

The process of exploring design concepts brings visitors together, breaking barriers in a group and contributing to individuals’ sense of fulfillment.  

Our educational programs are designed for a range of age groups, from elementary to high school students. 

The creators of the exhibition are from the PROTEBE cultural association in Karlovy Vary. They are design activists, artists, and passionate locals who have been promoting culture and civil society in the town of Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) since 2005. DIZAJNPARK is the name of their creative center, which was previously called the Supermarket WC Gallery. They are now located in an industrial building that once housed the Tuhnice heat exchanger, and the space has a strong influence on their work.