Vox Pop

‘In terms of marketing promotion, both the D&AD Congress and the London Design Festival have so far failed to reach me. And their websites aren’t exactly inspirational either, which is a real pity, as we are talking about two international design events in the ‘creative capitol [sic] of the world’. I can only hope that the events themselves do more to inspire and promote design.’

Jim Orkney, Managing director, Kinneir Dufort

‘It’s great for the industry to have these big get-togethers and I am sure they’ll stimulate interesting debate. However, the big challenge is the one which has proved most difficult, convincing clients that good design is good for business.’

Ben Casey, Creative director, The Chase

‘As an owner of an independent design studio, I often struggle to identify with industry bodies. I don’t have this problem with D&AD and expect the congress to be a positive step for D&AD and our industry in a post- David Kester era. I admire the energy behind the London Design Festival and suspect it could be good for all of us.’

Jonathan Ellery, Partner, Browns

‘I have split opinions over this type of event. On one hand, I applaud the organisers for their commitment to promote the creativity within the UK and importance of design in our lives. However, I feel the potential benefits to the North of England, both in terms of raising internal and external industry aspirations, could be enhanced by another event staged outside the capital.’

Darren Richardson, Director, Gardiner Richardson

‘Hopefully these events will not only promote a knowledge exchange within the design community, but will also market the industry’s best creative advances (through real-life case studies), showing potential clients the advantages of challenging and adventurous design work… a difficult task in front of a competitor audience.’

Jon Turner, Creative director, Boots the Chemists