Top 10 Design Events You Must Attend This Summer
“There is no pleasure to me without communication: there is not so much as a sprightly thought comes into my mind that it does not grieve me to have produced alone, and that I have no one to tell it to.”
– Michel de Montaigne
Staying at home to work and do tutorials is all well and good, but there’s only so many vector illustrations you can do before it stops being fun. Besides, you probably want to stay in touch with trends, and see what other designers and artists are doing.
Since it is summer, there is also a fair chance that you want to go on a vacation. But that does not mean you can’t mix business with pleasure.
Design conventions, fairs, exhibitions, and all sorts of other such events are organized all around the world, and this means that while you take some time off work, you can call it research, and not feel like you are slacking off.
Today, we will be showing you a list of some of the best design events that are taking place this summer, so you will not have to loose precious time looking for a place to spend your vacation.
1. Designs of the Year
Designs of the Year is a long event with a fairly rich history. This year marks the exhibition’s seventh year, and it lasts the whole summer, starting on March the 25th and ending in August on the same date.
It covers all areas of design, including architecture, digital, fashion, transport, and furniture, so whatever your design passion is, Designs of the Year has got you covered.
The event takes place at the Design Museum in London, and for 28 pounds, you get a ticket giving you unlimited access to the exhibition.
2. London Festival of Architecture
The London Festival of Architecture is a month long event, who’s central theme this year is Capital; a theme which is explored in various manifestations, “from London’s place as the UK’s seat of government and finance, its flows of social and intellectual capital, the politics of regeneration and its impact on the city and its position as a world capital of architecture, through its practices and its built environment.”
During the festival, you can see debates, film screenings, and exhibitions, as well as visiting open studios and family events, and go on organized walks and cycle rides to see London’s marvelous architecture, both old and new.
The event takes place throughout June at four locations: New London Architecture, British Council, Riba, and the Design Museum. Ticket prices vary, depending on location and event.
3. Melbourne Indesign
Taking place in Melbourne this year, Indesign is one of the most important design events in Pacific Asia. The first ever edition was held in Sydney, back in 2003, and was called Saturday in Design, and has since taken place in Brisbane, Melbourne, Singapore and Hong Kong.
You can see the full list of exhibitors here, and tickets are TBC.
4. D & AD New Blood
New Blood is a cool series of events, once again in good old London, England. Taking place between the 1st of July and the 18th, the events are as follows:
The New Blood Exhibition, which takes place between the 1st and 3rd of July, gives new talent the chance to shine by exhibiting their works in East London at Spitalfields Market.
The New Blood Festival, which takes place in the same time as the exhibition, allows young designers that are new to the business to take a sneak peak behind the scenes of some of the biggest agencies, and learn a few extra things about the world of design.
The New Blood Academy takes place between July the 7th and 18th, and it is an eleven day bootcamp, featuring workshops, talks, briefs, and live challenges, aimed to catapult young creatives into the industry.
5. Domaine de Boisbuchet
Taking place in Boisbuchet, France, Domaine de Boisbuchet is a series of workshops and exhibitions, whose core values are: confidence in cultural diversity, creative freedom, and consideration for the relationship between culture, agriculture, and nature.
Art, architecture, and design are all rolled up into one marvelous event, taking place in what we think is probably one of the prettiest places in the whole of France, which lasts from June all the way to September.
6. OFFF Cincinnati
Held at the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati brings together an eclectic mix of guest-speakers, to talk about their work and inspiration, and showcase said work. This year, you will be able to take a trip into the minds of such fantastic creatives like James White, GMUNK, Yuko Shimizu, and more.
Tickets are 50 dollars for professionals, and 30 dollars for students, and the event takes place on July the 24th.
7. OFFF Saint Petersburg
If you can’t wait for the Cincinnati OFFF, then you can book a flight for Saint Petersburg in Russia. The OFFF over there starts on July the 5th, a whole 19 days before the one in the US, and it also lasts two days instead of one.
Among the people you will get to hear are Anton Repponen, Irene Pereyra, and a special guest from Adobe. Tickets cost 4,000 rubles, which is around 115 dollars.
8. TypeCon
Washington DC is the place you want to be if you are passionate about typography.
Starting on the 30th of July, and ending on August the 3rd, TypeCon is one of the biggest typography conventions there is, and you will get to see Dana Tanamachi and Tobias Frere-Jones making keynote presentations, as well as take part in some really awesome workshops.
Tickets go for 310 dollars, if you buy them early.
9. An Event Apart
You get two chances to catch this event during the summer: one in July from the 21st to the 23rd in Washington DC, and another in Chicago, between the 25th and 27th of August.
10. HybridConf
The final entry on our list is a web design conference in beautiful Stockholm, Sweden. Guest speakers include Tobias Ahlin of GitHub, and Sara Chipps of Flatiron School, and the tickets cost 436 pounds regular, or 248 if you are a student.
That wraps up our list of design events you must attend this summer. We hope you enjoyed the list, and found the right event for you.
Please leave us your thoughts in the comment section below, and if you have been to any of these events’ previous editions, go ahead and tell us how it was.
Leave a Reply