BDF returns for 2023 with a twist as we launch the first in-person BDF Conference, a day of talks from design royalty at the impressive Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
Our theme for 2023 is ‘Imagine’ and we’ve invited 8 of the finest designers from around the world to share a journey through their creative mind and process on stage in front of 800 people – the biggest single event we’ve ever put on.
Leading into the day of talks we’ll be hosting a day of workshops at Birmingham City University featuring some of this year’s speakers and a few familiar faces, pop-in for one or make a full two days of it with our Conference Pass, with prices from just £75!
From pictures books to master builders, Dreams to artificial intelligence we’ll be covering multiple disciplines and backgrounds across the two days in a celebration of design that takes some of the best bits of Birmingham Design Festival and distills them into a focussed two-day event.
Tickets are on sale now! We can’t wait for you to join us and stayed tuned for more announcements over the next few weeks.
Speakers
Oliver Jeffers
Visual Artist & Author
Oliver Jeffers is a visual artist and author working in painting, bookmaking, illustration, collage, performance, and sculpture. Curiosity and humour are underlying themes throughout Oliver’s practice as an artist and storyteller. While investigating the ways the human mind understands its world, his work also functions as comic relief in the face of futility. His twentieth book as author and illustrator, Begin Again, will be released in October 2023.
Sonal Jhuj
Global Brand Director at the LEGO Group
Sonal is an Effie award-winning strategist from India and has spent a majority of her career with global creative agency – DDB. Two years ago she packed her many bags and moved from Mumbai to Billund with her family, to become part of a global mission to inspire the world to play. As Mktg Director, Global Brand Development at The LEGO Group she has a front row seat to the wildly creative world of kids and spends a disproportionate amount of her time thinking about the future of play, culture and role of brands in shaping a world that helps kids thrive.
Brian Collins
Chief Creative Officer of COLLINS
Brian Collins is Chief Creative Officer of COLLINS, an independent experience design company in New York City and San Francisco. They were named by Forbes as one of the companies reshaping the future of brand building. Over his career, Brian and his team have won every major creative award.
Gemma O'Brien
Designer & Artist
Gemma O’Brien is an internationally renowned designer and artist known for her bold graphics, illustrative lettering and murals. Her work has been commissioned by Apple, Nike, Google, and is held in the permanent collection of the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City. Outside her commercial design work, she explores language, nature and the human experience through her art practice.
Lex Fefegha
Co-founder & Principal Designer at COMUZI
Lex is a co-founder & principal designer at COMUZI, a London based design invention studio.
He has a demonstrated history of inventing, designing and prototyping emerging tech products, services and experiences for tech companies, fashion brands, cultural institutions, governments & charities.
Marta Cerdà Alimbau
Designer & Illustrator
Marta Cerdà Alimbau brings functional beauty and emotion to Design, translating each project into an effective design that is unique. Her main body of work is focused on the boundaries between typography and illustration. While Marta’s style is strongly eclectic, she believes that the separation of these two disciplines into specialized activities is a limitation. Since 2008, she has worked on global projects which call for Art Direction, Design, Illustration and Custom Typography for Arts, Culture and Advertising Clients abroad. Her work has been recognized by professional organizations including the Type Director’s Club and the Art Director’s Club, where she was named as an ADC Young Gun.
Abbie Heppe
Director of Live Service at Media Molecule
Abbie leads live service game development at Media Molecule on Dreams. Previously at Respawn Entertainment, she draws on her background in community, brand & production to grow & support live operations, apply analytics and community learnings to set strategy and priorities for online services as well as directing online events for the Dreams platform. She has also been the Sr. Editorial Producer on X-Play at G4TV, and written for a number of outlets in games print media.
Toby Olié
Puppetry Director & Designer
Toby is a director and designer puppetry, a passion that has developed since making his first puppets at the age of six
Through his work spanning plays, musicals, opera and dance, Toby strives to blur the boundaries between movement and design. He daringly fuses traditional and innovative techniques, creating compelling characters that lead audiences through fantastical, improbable and even impossible stories. Works include: Spirited Away (Imperial Theatre, Tokyo), Animal Farm (UK tour), 101 Dalmatians (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Pinocchio (National Theatre), and Disney’s The Little Mermaid (in Tokyo, Moscow and The Netherlands).
Plus workshops from
Anthony Burrill
Venessa Scott
Astrid Stavro & Brian Collins
Snook
Animade
Gemma O’Brien
Kaye Winwood
Thursday 8th June
Workshop Day
A day of grafting, crafting and learning held at BCU.
Workshop hosts include Anthony Burrill, Astrid Stavro, Brian Collins and Gemma O’Brien. Multiple workshops available throughout the day priced £40 each or included with a Conference Pass.
Full workshop details and schedule to be announced soon.
Friday 9th June
BDF Conference
Join us for a day-long schedule of talks from an unmissable line-up of designers and creatives.
Talks from Oliver Jeffers, Brian Collins, Gemma O’Brien and more! 8 speakers from across the globe share a deep dive into their imagination.
Plus more community events, socials and talks throughout the week.
Main partners
