Northern Design Festival

Who is ready for the third edition of NDF?! Join us in Kanteena, Lancaster for 3 days of talks, workshops and networking fun! FREE

Welcome to the third edition of NDF! This year’s theme is Heritage and will be held in Lancaster on the 13th, 14th, 15th May. Grab your ticket and head on up to Kanteena for three full days of talks, workshops and networking events (and lots of good vibes). Everyone with a curiosity for creativity is welcome!

Our amazing lineup includes the likes of Red Setter, Wolff Olins, SEA, Studio Sana, Dan Mather, Kellogg’s and many many more!

See more @northerndesignfestival on Instagram and LinkedIn!

More on this year’s theme:

Heritage is about where we come from and how that shapes what we create. It encompasses the skills, stories, and traditions passed down through generations, as well as the cultures and experiences that make each of us unique. Our backgrounds and journeys influence how we think, make, and share ideas, shaping who we are as creatives today. By keeping these connections alive, learning from the past while creating for the future, we celebrate what makes creativity truly our own.

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DAY 1: Wednesday

01:00 PM – 02:00 PM

Registration

Northern Design Festival

Let the excitement begin… join us from 1pm to grab your wristband and merch, and get ready for three jam-packed days of creativity, energy, and unforgettable fun!

02:15 PM – 03:00 PM

My Life In Design Live

Claire Blyth, Red Setter, Emma Barratt, Wolff Olins

Kicking off the festival, we have a live podcast ran by Red Setter’s Claire Blyth, who will be chatting with the amazing Emma Barratt of Wolff Olins.

03:00 PM – 03:45 PM

Letters of origin

Shaqa Bovand, F37, Ryan Williamson, F37

Type designers Shaqa and Ryan explore how our heritage and background influence the choices we make as type designer; from letterforms to stylistic details—and how identity can be read in the shapes we create.

04:15 PM – 05:15 PM

Foiling Masterclass with the font LANCER (separate tickets)

Foilco, F37

06:00 PM – 06:30 PM

Legacy in Motion: Designing the Future of Heritage Brands

Lisa Llewellyn, Mars

As custodians of iconic brands, we inherit more than logos and colour palettes — we inherit values, rituals, memories, and cultural meaning. This talk explores how legacy brands like Kellogg’s and Pringles remain culturally relevant by staying in motion: evolving with families, food culture, and visual language. It highlights the tension between preserving what people love and designing for changing worlds — from health expectations to digital behaviours — and shows how heritage becomes a living asset, not a historical artefact.

06:30 PM – 07:15 PM

“One thing led to another”: 30 years designed by SEA

Bryan Edmonson, SEA

What happens when you dig deeper? Seeking to be curious about the past. Heritage is not necessarily history – it is inspiration. Learning from the past means every designer needs a copy of Pioneers in Modern Typography or Thoughts on Design (Paul Rand) before you can go out and seek your own path in our diverse industry. Bryan will be discussing this year’s theme of Heritage and how the past has informed the work of SEA as they celebrate 30 years with a few stories.

07:45 PM – 10:00 PM

NDF 2026 Opening Night (with Letterpress workshop)

Northern Design Festival, University of Cumbria

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DAY 2: Thursday

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Creative Breakfast

Northern Design Festival

Kicking off day 2 is a relaxed networking breakfast- head over to Kanteena for coffee and pastries, and a chance to speak to the NDF team and fellow creatives!

12:00 PM – 01:30 PM

Process & Place (separate tickets)

Dan Mather

Join designer and printmaker Dan Mather to experience an exciting hands-on process of screenprinting your own A3 poster! Each participant will leave with their own unique print. This energetic workshop explores our creative processes and the places we come from. Participants will experiment with bold graphics, layered inks and simple typographic forms to create their own screenprinted posters. Along the way, the session celebrates the connection between heritage, making and design. No experience required — just come ready to get inky and make something.

02:00 PM – 02:45 PM

Passing Down (and Breaking) the Rules of Running a Studio

Mel Yates (host), Khadija Kapacee, Tom Crompton, Matt Harper, Kate Bermingham, Dave O’hearns

Creativity as a business is rarely discussed. You’re expected to get the degree go into an agency and maybe start your own thing. But no-one talks about the ways you can make money as a creative person. This panel discussion looks to explore why this might be the case, as offer solutions for those who are in the business of creativity. Breaking the hush hush heritage of running your own studio and being real, raw and honest with what goes into it.

02:45 PM – 03:30 PM

To be announced 🙂

04:00 PM – 04:45 PM

People, Power and Print — Adventures in Giant Letterpress

Oli Bentley

An attempt to make a ‘northern typeface’ that got out of hand. From the creation of the giant People Powered Press, an accidental World Record and setting up a community non-profit — to working with thousands of community members to make giant letterpress street murals, integrating printmaking and community practice into a contemporary design studio, and picking up a couple of D&AD pencils along the way. Oli Bentley of design studio Split and the non-profit People Powered Press tells the unlikely story of integrating letterpress print at a massive scale into his practice, whilst grappling with the commercial, social, philosophical and down-right-farcical repercussions of it all.

04:45 PM – 05:30 PM

Reclaiming Stories, Redefining Heritage

Sana Iqbal, Jane Bowyer, Heidi & Halah El-Kholy, Eliza Williams

Heritage is the preservation of craft, tradition and history, but how do we select what’s worth celebrating and what’s assigned to the history books? In this panel we’ll explore the untold stories of communities and how design can bring them to light. We’ll question Euro-centric design heritage in a global society, and how we can use creativity to unearth hidden stories. We’ll discuss how heritage is being weaponised by the far-right, and how community-driven campaigns can create common values.

06:00 PM – 06:45 PM

To be announced 🙂

06:45 PM – 07:30 PM

The Design Laundry

Matt Baxter, Baxter & Bailey

The Design Laundry is a place where creative mistakes, mishaps and downright disasters are aired and shared. We’ve collected 100s of stories from creative practitioners all over the world. And we’ll be unloading them in the Design Laundry, to see how past mistakes can influence future success.

07:30 PM – 10:00 PM

BOOM BOX

Katy Cowan, Creative Boom

Join us for a night of karaoke and chat to end the brilliant day 2! The amazing Katy Cowan of Creative Boom will be hosting BOOM BOX karaoke- be there or be square!

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DAY 3: Friday

12:00 PM – 04:00 PM

Stay tuned for more 😉

Friday is a day full of hands on creativity and community. Stay tuned for more!

07:00 PM

Closing night!