Hasta La Ideas

Scotland’s first annual Graphic Design Festival takes place in Glasgow next week, with a five-day programme of hands-on events that aim to help connect young creatives with industry. Here’s a look at the line-up, plus we have one ticket to a two-day workshop with Hort’s Eike Konig to give away…

Graphic Design Festival Scotland runs from October 22-26 and was organised by Gilchrist and Beth Wilson. The pair, who also run Glasgow design studio Warriors, came up with the idea while studying at the University of Edinburgh.

“There are so many successful design festivals abroad and a lot of events going on down South. With so many students, creative studios and great universities [in Scotland], we just thought, ‘why shouldn’t there be one here?'” explains Gilchrist.

Rather than a traditional programme of talks and exhibitions, Gilchrist and Wilson have opted for a more collaborative model, which aims to showcase local talent and help young designers network with established studios.

The programme begins with a live two-day project, in which a group of creatives selected from online applications before the festival will be given a conceptual brief and asked to create a piece of work individually.

Participants will work independently but be split into groups, with each receiving advice from a mentoring studio or designer throughout the project. Mentors include Graphical House, Freytag Anderson, O Street and Edinburgh creative agency Touch.

Freytag Anderson’s branding for The Fableists

Graphical House branding for Scotland Can Make It!

At the end of the event, work will be judged by a panel from INT Works and Grafik and winners from each team will receive a work placement with their mentor studio. They’ll also get a ‘Best up-and-coming 2014’ award and a bundle of prizes.

“[The live event] is all about giving designers a chance to showcase their work and have it reviewed. Everyone will be working independently but in an open-plan space and mentors will give one-on-one advice throughout,” explains Gilchrist. “We’ll also feature the students and young designers who took part on our website, so it’s another chance for them to show their portfolio,” he adds.

Following the live project are a series of one and two-day workshops: one day events are priced at £80, two-day at £160, and prices include a free ticket to the festival launch party on October 24 and an informal talks night on October 25.

Freddy Taylor of KesselsKramer and riso printing studio Risotto will be holding workshops

Workshops range from risograph printing with local studio Risotto, animation with STV Creative and hands-on ‘construction based’ projects with Berlin arts collective 44 Flavours.

Hort’s Eike Konig will also be running a print workshop, OK-RM will focus on type and print, and KesselsKramer designer Freddy Taylor’s will be based around a conceptual product.

“We wanted to feature a good selection of home-grown talent and international studios,” explains Gilchrist. “The one and two-day workshops will follow the same concept, but the two-day ones from international studios will be more comprehensive, focusing on developing an idea as well as creating something physical,” he adds.

This year’s programme also includes an exhibition at In Public Gallery featuring shortlisted entries to an international poster design competition held by the festival earlier this year.

The exhibition was curated by Felix Pfaffli, Pierre Vanni, Morgan Fortems (founder of My Monkey gallery in France) and Warriors, and the shortlist was selected from over 3000 entries. Winners will be announced at a launch night on October 24 and you can see shortlisted names here.

To celebrate the launch of the festival, Graphic Design Festival Scotland has given us one ticket to a two-day workshop with Konig on October 25 and 26th, worth £160. To win, simply leave your best design-punning movie title in the comments section below (top marks if there’s a Scottish connection too), and remember to include your name and email address alongside your answer.

The competition closes at midnight tonight and the winner will be notified by midday on October 20th.

For more information on the festival or to book tickets for events, see graphicdesignfestivalscotland.com