Designers Block stages illustration show

Designers Block is to stage its first illustration event this weekend, with the launch of Illustrate, a nine-day festival of live art, animation, installations and film at a new development in north London.

Illustration, digital, animation, film and design groups, including One Dot Zero, Poke, Airside, the Association of Illustrators, Debut Art, Secret Wars and Zip are taking part.

Visitors are invited to take part in drawing, music and club night activities, such as the Secret Wars event, a planned live-art ‘battle’ between illustrators and graffiti artists which consists of four heats, the first lasting 20 minutes and the next 35 minutes.

Designers Block founder Rory Dodd explains that the venue, which takes up 4600m2, is ‘massively important’ in staging the event.

‘We’re so used to seeing illustration in advertising these days, what we’re trying to do is show it in its raw form, so that you see the hand-drawing and the craft,’ says Dodd.

Designers Block was approached by developer Anthony Green & Spencer, the company behind the Emirates Stadium, to help it promote its latest venture at Highbury Studios, in Holloway, London.

‘The company found us having seen the show [at the London Design Festival] in Shoreditch last year. It liked the way we bring buildings to life with what we put in them,’ says Dodd.

Illustrate takes place at Highbury Studios, Hornsey Street, London N7 until 23 September.