— Swiss Legacy

Building on the success of the original event, Plus ’07 has evolved into a unique design-led festival showcasing all that is innovative, pioneering, and novel in the world of international typo/graphic design. The ’07 Festival not only provides a platform for contemporary professional design, but also an arena for experimental work and a meeting point for the international design community. It also offers a forum for informed academic debate on typo/graphic design. The Festival aims to attract audiences from across the worldwide design community, from craft-based industries and from commerce; the Festival also engages new audiences with design in their every day lives. In 2006 the Festival attracted in excess of 1,700 visitors and this fi gure is expected to rise signifi cantly in 2007. The ’07 Plus International Design Festival comprises several elements:

The Exposition presents pioneering work by leading international typo/graphic designers through a five-day showcase in Birmingham in the heart of the UK. The Expo features national and international work by some of the most infl uential design agencies, freelancers rising stars and students working in the areas of print, web, video and animation. The Expo is not intended as a trade show, but it aims to provide a platform from which the international typo/graphic industry can present its most dynamic, ground-breaking and inspired work. Preference is given to those exhibitors that demonstrate a freedom of expression, present raw concepts and add creative value to the Festival. All exhibitors are encouraged to create unique work for the event not past commissions.

The conference has evolved out of the highly successful Friends of St Bride Library Conference held in London 2002-05 and Birmingham 2006. The original conference was born out of a desire for a UK-based typo/graphic forum diverse in content, eclectic in spirit, marginal in its sympathies yet international in appeal. Each year the event has built on these aspirations, attracting a diverse range of speakers, exhibitors and delegates prepared to push the boundaries of design and letterforms. The conference draws around 150 international delegates including typo/ graphic designers for print, web and interactive media; artists, illustrators and craftsmen; printers, publishers and advertisers; teachers, researchers and historians; students and those just starting their careers.

Experimental exhibitions allow artists, craftsmen and designers to exhibit the unproven and untried. Exhibitors are encouraged to push the boundaries of typo/graphic design and to transform the subject by taking it into new environments. In addition to print-based exhibits, contributors use typo/graphic design in other mediums: 2- or 3-dimensional; largescale installations or small-scale displays; screen or paper based work; use elements such as air or water; or utilise the physical environment: fl oor, walls, ceiling or roof. Work is also site-specific with designers, artists, or craftspeople exploring typo/graphic design within the urban environment and the community beyond.

Workshops where visitors can watch and participate in craft processes are a signifi cant aspect of the Festival. Using the skills and resources of crafts people and professionals, the Festival offers workshops covering activities such as letterpress printing, stone carving, sign writing, calligraphy, bookbinding and paper making as well as computer-based activities. The workshops are open to the general public, with specially designated days for school parties.

Forums and seminars run throughout the Festival covering subjects such as the impact of design for businesses, environmental issues, and technical advances. These events are aimed at both the design professional and the wider business community. The Festival also includes a lunchtime audience with an eminent designer.

Design tours exploring the typo/graphic complexity of Birmingham’s urban environment, will run throughout the week of the Festival. Aimed at both practitioners and students of design, local historians and visitors to the city, the walks will look at a variety of letterforms that can be found in the street. The walks serve to animate the subject, highlight the significance of graphic design in everyday life; and are a great way of exploring overlooked areas of the city. The tours are lead by experienced guides with both local knowledge and graphic understanding.

[tags]Birmingham, festival, graphic design, typography[/tags]