Design is everywhere - from the chic clothes we wear to the sleek new cars we drive; from the modern homes we may live in to the supple textures of the toys our child plays with; from our space age iMac to the transfixing images of our favorite movies - everywhere we look, it is design that gives shape to our world, and thus, definition. Perhaps, even meaning.

Each one of us is, in many respects, a designer, a consumer and a critic. EXPO invites viewers to explore the world of design its affect, structure and meaning.

Based in part on the concept of the 1939 New York World's Fair, which was renowned for its prolific design and visions of the future, EXPO is an international exposition of design, providing the world's designers, artists, photographers and architects with an electronic digital venue. EXPO will give viewers an in-depth look at the people behind design, their accomplishments, the creative process and their design visions for the future.

In the media, design has become a subject of general interest-no longer confined to trade journals or its professionals. Like art, literature, film, theater and music, design has become a regular theme in magazine sections of The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Times of London newspapers and in the culture sections of Time, Newsweek, New Yorker and Los Angeles magazines. On television, design is limited to television shows that are mainly fashion oriented and cover design on a limited basis. On the Internet, design is widely covered in the form of thousands of Web sites dedicated to a particular area of design but without any real structure, organization or rationale.

Design is also a cultural event. There are museums completely dedicated to design, such as The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York and the Design Museum in London. Great design exhibitions like great art exhibitions consistently draw thousands of visitors each year. Internationally, museums like the Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou, The Victoria and Albert and The Guggenheim regularly organize design exhibitions as design is recognized as a field of cultural history. Similar to the museum experience, EXPO will educate, entertain and inspire its viewers through its unique programming.

In industry, design is no longer the exclusive concern of engineers but a significant marketing factor that is the ultimate difference in competitiveness. Design not only shapes a company's product but its corporate identity. Design has become a universal language that corporations use to communicate their "design conscious" image and visions to the consumer. From Absolute Vodka and their artists' series to Porsche, Mercedes Benz, Chrysler and their annual sponsorship of the Industrial Design Excellence Awards. From TAG Heuer, to Vitra Chairs, from Knoll Office furniture to Nokia and supermodel Nikki Taylor selling the latest cellular phone. The art of design sells.

Despite the plethora of magazines, newspapers, television programs and numerous websites, design has remained available to the public on a fragmented basis. No venue before EXPO has combined the world of design in one destination on television or the Internet. In fact, no single channel to date is associated in the public's mind with design that dominates the viewer's perception of the genre, such as ESPN with sports, MTV with music or CNN with news. The key to cable programming in a multi-channel environment is brand identity and no channel has yet become definitively identified with design. EXPO will be the channel viewers will turn to when they want to find out what is happening in design. EXPO will integrate the world of design into one channel on television and will be the gateway of design for the Internet.

On EXPO, viewers will meet the designers, artists, and architects, photographers that shape our world through its programming of award-winning documentaries, original series, and specials from around the world.

EXPO will be one of the first enhanced television networks. Consumers will have the opportunity to interact with program hosts and other viewers via e-mail or chat rooms, purchase design oriented merchandise featured on the channel via e-commerce and find out more in-depth information about a particular designer - all without taking their eyes off their television screens.