The Northern Design Festival (NDF) returns to Lancaster, from 13–15 May 2026, gathering designers, studios and emerging talent from across the UK for three days of talks, workshops and conversations centred around this year’s theme of heritage.
Now entering its third year, the festival has steadily grown into an important meeting point for the creative community across the North of England and a staple event on the design calendar. At a time when many creatives continue to face barriers to opportunity outside London, NDF provides a space dedicated to connection, collaboration and shared learning.
While conversations around diversity, accessibility and creative opportunity have intensified since the pandemic, sustained regional investment in the creative industries has often lagged behind. NDF was created as a grassroots response to this challenge, serving as a platform that reflects the values and realities of the community it serves.
“From the beginning, the mission has been simple,” said Antonia Arbova, co-director of NDF. “We want to connect communities who believe in humanising our industry and ensuring that everyone has a fair opportunity to pursue what they love.”
Beyond the programme of talks and workshops, the festival has become a place where friendships are renewed, ideas are shared and creative energy is rekindled.
“NDF matters not just because it exists, but because of the energy people bring to it,” added Niamh Cartwright, co-director of NDF. “Sometimes we all need a reminder that things can move forward and that we’re not doing it alone.”
The festival is supported by Gold Sponsors Kellogg’s, Open Media, Creative Boom and Foilco, alongside a wider network of partners helping bring the programme to life. To mark this year’s theme of Heritage, the festival has also developed a bespoke typeface created in collaboration with type foundry F37 and an outdoor campaign that extends its thinking beyond the programme itself, in partnership with Open Media, with billboards appearing across Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle.
The first confirmed speakers for 2026 include:
- Claire Blyth (Red Setter) and Emma Barratt (Wolff Olins) presenting a live My Life in Design podcast
- Dan Mather set to run a screenprinting workshop
- Bryan Edmondson of SEA, another keynote speaker
- F37 holding a keynote on “Letters of origin: How calligraphic heritage shapes modern type design decisions”
- Sana Iqbal
- Studio Trumpet hosting a panel talk on “Breaking the business of Design”
- Baxter & Bailey with the infamous Design Laundry
- University of Cumbria
- Kelloggs’ keynote on “Legacy in Motion: Designing the Future of Heritage Brands”
Additional talks, workshops and panels will be announced in the coming months, with announcements posted across NDF’s Instagram and LinkedIn and free tickets available from eventbrite.
