Calling all Manchester designers, musicians and creatives! Design Manchester 2015 is almost here and is bringing with it a plethora of excellent reasons to venture out of the studio and get involved.
From the 14th to the 22nd of October we’ll be treated to a rich programme of inspiring talks, inventive workshops, exhibitions, film screenings and debates all based in the creative hub that is the centre of Manchester; what more could you want?
DesignMCR: A Brief History
DesignMCR first came into our lives a mere two years ago in 2013 and immediately became an annual creative event staple.
The organisers wanted to create a collaborative and inclusive celebration of Manchester’s creativity, so they set about organising sponsors and recruiting guest speakers to help make this a reality.
Focusing on the theme of ‘Longevity’, the debut 2013 festival laid on 9 immersive events ranging from workshops to brief-ins and featured guest speakers such as contemporary music graphic designer, Mark Farrow and the Dean of Manchester School of art, Professor David Crow.
Since then, the organisers of this marvellous festival have been treating Manchester’s graphic designers, artists, film makers and musicians to an annual feast of creative inspiration, making it bigger and better each year.
Why We Love It
We all know Manchester is a very special city with a rich heritage of creative talent worth celebrating and encouraging. Happily, events like Design Manchester do exactly that, making them incredibly beneficial to the growth and development of Manchester’s creative industry.
Design Manchester encourages the city’s creative agencies, businesses, suppliers and educators to collaborate and support each other, meaning everybody involved reaps the benefits of the exposure and learning opportunities on offer.
New friendships, projects and collaborations are borne out of each festival every year, and so Manchester’s design scene continues to flourish. This year promises to be even more fun-filled and enlightening, so let’s take a look at what’s in store in 2015.
The Speakers
This year’s festival will be graced by some of the world’s most talented and innovative creatives, primed to share their expert knowledge and ideas with you and I.
Here are just a few of the agencies and individuals set to speak over the course of the week:
IDEO – A global design and innovation consulting firm
Stephen Morris – Yes, the Stephen Morris from New Order and Joy Division
Malika Favre – A very talented French illustrator and art director based in East London
Ben Terrett – Director of Design at the Government Digital Service (GDS)
Clive Grinyer – Customer Experience Director at Barclays Bank
Territory Studios – Motion, digital and graphic design studio based in London & the USA
Hudson Powell – A collaborative, multi-disciplinary design and branding studio
Fred Deakin – Musician from Lemon Jelly, creative designer, artist, teacher and writer
Angus Montgomery – Editor of Design Week
What’s On
This year’s festival is based around the theme of Know How, with events falling under categories including Design Now, Film How, Music How, Art Now and so on.
The speakers, artists and contributing agencies will treat you to a week of workshops, talks and exhibitions which aim to teach and inspire.
To get you in the creative mood, here’s a selection of some of this year’s highlights to look out for:
Design How, Tuesday 20th October
6.00pm – 9.30pm (Royal Northern College of Music)
Here the festival welcomes IDEO,Territory Studio, Ben Terrett, Clive Grinyer and Angus Montgomery of Design week who will talk about HOW they tackle complex issues in design.
Manchester Print Festival, Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th October
11.00am – 4.30pm (People’s History Museum)
Sandwiched in the middle of the Design Manchester Festival is the Manchester Print Festival; a celebration of print & paper from G.F Smith & the Manchester Print Fair.
The Great Debate, Friday 16th October
6.00pm – 9.00pm (The Whitworth Gallery)
A panel including Sir Howard Bernstein, chief exec of Manchester City Council, Lou Cordwell, CEO of Magnetic North, Design Council chief John Mathers and Andrea Siodmok, head of the Policy Lab at the Cabinet Office discuss and explore how design contributes to the city, the economy and society.
You can see the entire programme of events over on the Design Manchester website. You can also follow all the goings-on and share your experiences on DesignMCR’s Facebook and Twitter.
So, if you find yourself at a loose end, in need of a little inspiration or if you’ve spotted something above that you like the look of, make sure you pay Design Manchester a visit this year; you never know what you might learn.
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