Call for Articles (2026) — PAD #31 (December 2026)
Guest Editors: Marinella Ferrara (Politecnico di Milano, Sabrina Lucibello (Sapienza University of Rome) and Paulo Eduardo Tonin (Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina)
Throughout history, every major transformation in design has been accompanied by transformations in materials. Scientific discoveries, technological innovations and material developments have continuously expanded what designers could imagine, produce and communicate – from industrial metals and synthetic polymers to smart materials, biofabrication and digital manufacturing (Manzini, 1986; Ashby & Johnson, 2002; Doordan, 2003). Materials have never been merely technical resources; they have also shaped design cultures, practices, and imaginaries.
Designers and researchers are increasingly moving beyond selecting existing materials to actively participate in their conception, development and experimentation. This emerging role can be observed across biofabrication, circular materials, advanced manufacturing, bio-digital material systems, material experimentation, craft, AI-assisted material development and many other fields (Lucibello & Rotondi, 2024).
The relationship between design and materials is undergoing a profound transformation (Ferrara, 2017; Squatrito & Ferrara, 2023). This transformation is not simply driven by the emergence of new materials. It also reflects the convergence of ecological, digital, biological and geopolitical transitions, fostering new hybrid material systems and interdisciplinary forms of innovation (Escobar, 2018; Fry, 2020).
This shift raises fundamental questions. The central question is therefore no longer which materials designers use, but how the relationship between design and materials is itself evolving.
For decades, Material Design has explored the technical, aesthetic, cultural, expressive and experiential qualities of materials. Increasingly, however, designers are participating not only in selecting materials, but also in framing research questions, conceiving new material visions, developing interdisciplinary collaborations and contributing directly to material innovation (Ferrara, 2017; Squatrito & Ferrara, 2023).
Consequently, material development is progressively becoming a design activity rather than solely an engineering outcome. At the same time, material research is contributing to the recognition of design research itself as a form of knowledge production (Schön, 1983; Cross, 2006). Materials are increasingly understood not as stable entities to be specified and applied, but as dynamic processes of exploration, experimentation and transformation (Ingold, 2013).
Understanding this shift requires moving beyond individual material innovations to examine how changing material conditions are reshaping design itself—its knowledge, methods, research practices, professional roles, educational models, cultural imaginaries, societal transformations, and the multisensory dimensions through which materials generate meaning and human engagement (Tonin et al., 2025).
This issue welcomes researchers, educators and practitioners from all design disciplines—including product, industrial, interior, fashion, communication, service, interaction and strategic design—to contribute theoretical, historical, empirical, methodological and practice-based research that explores the evolving relationship between design and materials.
We particularly welcome systematic reviews, historical investigations, case studies, experimental research, Research through Design, methodological contributions and interdisciplinary perspectives.
We ask to send:
- abstract proposals (from 2,000 to 3,000 characters, spaces included) in English by August 30, 2026;
- full papers will be required to be submitted by October 20, 2026, and then be subjected to double-blind peer review. The length of the contributions is 20,000/25,000 characters (abstract, notes and bibliography excluded). Authors’ affiliations and short bios (max 1000 characters, spaces included) must be attached in a separate Word file. The final text must comply with the indications provided in the document: https://www.padjournal.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/PADGUIDELINES-AUTHORS-ENG-2022-1.docx;
- illustrations (maximum 10 per article) must be collected in a .zip folder to be renamed by accompanying the author’s surname and a progressive numbering corresponding to the captions (e.g. 01_Cognome, 02_Cognome). These should be listed in a document written in the same font as the main text and saved as a Word .doc document as follows: “Figure 1: Author’s name and surname, the title of the work, date”. Minimum resolution of 300 dpi, .JPG file.
Abstract submission by mail to: editors@padjournal.net
Timing
- Launch of the Call: July 2026
- Deadline for abstracts: 30 August 2026
- Acceptance of Proposal: 7 September 2026
- Full Paper: 20 October 2026
- Camera-ready: December 2026
- Publication: by the end of December 2026
