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Design Manchester 2015: 20,000 design-lovers descend

Esther Routledge

Not just for font fanatics and the Pantone passionate, design festival Design Manchester spans film, music, TV and more.

Whether you consider yourself a print aficionado or just a humble human who appreciates things with their eyes, this year’s Design Manchester festival (14-21 Oct) should have something in it for you. The week-long festival celebrates the love of print across design, film, music, TV and more – so anyone who enjoyed artist Matthew Darbyshire’s Exhibition For Modern Living at Manchester Art Gallery (and, like us, fantasised about doing a trolley dash through the furniture, lighting, rugs and household objects on show) should enjoy engaging with the wonderful world of design through this packed festival.

The festival opens with Unfinished Business at Ply, an exhibition by iconic graphic artist Swifty, and closes with the Manchester Moleskine party at TwentyTwentyTwo, an exhibition for which 52 Manchester-based creative have each contributed a unique piece to a sketchbook. The theme this year is “know now”, which splits the festival up into sections such as Film How and Design How.

Must-sees include Stephen Morris from New Order & a debate on what exactly design contributes to the city

Must-sees include Stephen Morris from New Order discussing the live music industry with other leading figures at Music Now, or the Director of Design at the Government Digital Service (the people behind the gov.uk website) giving an exclusive talk. There’s debate on what exactly design contributes to the city at the Whitworth, a screening of Elaine Constantine’s feature film Northern Soul at 70 Oxford Street, and a charity exhibition at Kosmonaut in the Northern Quarter, Manchester in Mind. Finally, The People’s History museum hosts Manchester Print Festival, supported by G.F. Smith, with original works for sale and informative workshops in all things paper based.

At Design Manchester 2014 over 20,000 visitors attended 19 sold-out events and workshops, and 20 brand new works debuted across the city. This year, many events are free, while all tickets are under £12 each; these are likely to sell fast, so make sure you register for the most stylish October you’ve ever experienced.

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