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    • .design

    Generic top-level domainsIDNDNSSEC

    Overview

    .design is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) introduced through ICANN's new gTLD program and intended for designers and design-focused companies and organizations. It was delegated in early 2015 and became available to the general public on May 12, 2015.

    History

    • Delegation: delegated to the DNS root zone in 2015 (ICANN delegation reported on January 24, 2015).
    • Contention resolution: Top Level Design won a private auction in September 2014 to operate the .design string, prevailing over multiple applicants.
    • Launch timeline:
      • Sunrise period: February 24, 2015 – April 28, 2015
      • Early Access Program (EAP): May 5, 2015 – May 12, 2015
      • General availability: May 12, 2015
    • Registry and backend:
      • Original registry operator: Top Level Design
      • CentralNic provided backend services and shared global revenues under an exclusive distribution agreement
      • In April 2021 the .design registry was transferred to GoDaddy Registry (Registry Services LLC)

    Usage and Audience

    • Intended audience: designers, creative professionals, and design-focused businesses and organizations.
    • Target industries mentioned by the operator include graphic design, interior design, lighting design, web design, fashion design and other design verticals.
    • Positioning: marketed to professionals who prioritize design and to website designers who adopt new internet developments.

    Registration Rules

    • Restrictions: None (open registration).
    • Dispute policy: UDRP applies.
    • DNSSEC: Enabled.
    • Policy and registry information: registry policies and further details are published by the registry (for example: https://your.design/policies).
    • Launch phases: sunrise and early access periods preceded general availability in 2015 (see History for dates).

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • Brand positioning: marketed as a specialist, "horizontal-vertical" gTLD that signals design focus rather than a generic label; intended to help designers and design businesses define their online identity.
    • Market expectations: CentralNic and registry leadership commented on strong commercial potential and anticipated faster adoption among design professionals and web designers.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • Adoption milestone: reports indicate more than 5,200 .design domains were registered on the first day of general availability (May 12, 2015).
    • Operational change: acquisition/transfer of the TLD to GoDaddy Registry in April 2021 is a key milestone in the TLD's history.

    Operator

    Registry Services, LLC

    Whois

    % IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       DESIGN

organisation: Registry Services, LLC
address:      100 S. Mill Ave, Suite 1600
address:      Tempe AZ 85281
address:      United States of America (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         IANA Contact
organisation: GoDaddy Registry
address:      100 S. Mill Ave, Suite 1600
address:      Tempe AZ 85281
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 480-505-8800
fax-no:       +1 480-624-2546
e-mail:       iana@registry.godaddy

contact:      technical
name:         IANA Contact
organisation: GoDaddy Registry
address:      100 S. Mill Ave, Suite 1600
address:      Tempe AZ 85281
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 480-505-8800
fax-no:       +1 480-624-2546
e-mail:       iana@registry.godaddy

nserver:      A.NIC.DESIGN 2001:dcd:1:0:0:0:0:10 37.209.192.10
nserver:      B.NIC.DESIGN 2001:dcd:2:0:0:0:0:10 37.209.194.10
nserver:      C.NIC.DESIGN 2001:dcd:3:0:0:0:0:10 37.209.196.10
nserver:      X.NIC.DESIGN 156.154.172.82 2610:a1:1074:0:0:0:1:82
nserver:      Y.NIC.DESIGN 156.154.173.82 2610:a1:1075:0:0:0:1:82
nserver:      Z.NIC.DESIGN 156.154.174.82 2610:a1:1076:0:0:0:1:82
ds-rdata:     27199 8 2 eaec6e1b661b0264846ff8f70858cc63711f0627781386b9024360656679ecf5

whois:        whois.nic.design

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://nic.design/

created:      2014-12-18
changed:      2024-04-16
source:       IANA

    Registrars