Now in its fifth year, this day long conference of ideas and inspiration features internationally celebrated and influential speakers showing an insight into their creative work spanning brand, architecture, film, typography and service design.

Ellen Van Loon (OMA)
Sean Perkins (North)
Naresh Ramchandani (Pentagram)
Alex McDowell
Emily Forgot 
Patrick Burgoyne (Creative Review)

Local Heroes
Tash Wilcocks (Hyper Island)
Lawrence Kitson (Co-op Digital)
Jane Murison (BBC UX)

The day serves to educate and inspire and is kindly subsidised by our sponsors to make ticketing more affordable.

This year we have partnered with the Principal Hotel & Refuge to host a full afternoon and evening of creativity, with our supporters G . F Smith hosting a showcase of print and others joining them in the foyer to be announced.

In the evening we host an official afterparty at the Refuge for attendees to network, socialise and soak up some Mancunian spirit.

Accessibility: The venue is fully accessible for wheelchair users, We are offering a speech to text service for hard of hearing.

Design Manchester was created to provide the voice of design in and connected with Manchester. We are a not-for-profit organisation running events and programmes throughout the year and our Design City Conference

DM17’s headline sponsor is the Co-op. The festival is supported by Manchester City Council and the Manchester School of Art, part of Manchester Metropolitan University.