Founded in 2017 by designers Daniel Alcorn and Luke Tonge, Birmingham Design Festival has built a reputation for bringing international design voices to the West Midlands while keeping accessibility and community at its core.

Now in its seventh year, the festival alternates between a larger, city-wide format and a more focused conference model. This June sees the return of the latter, with a two-day event exploring the theme of Play.

The opening day will take place at Birmingham City University, featuring a selection of hands-on workshops such as collage sessions led by Jimmy Turrell and Stephen Smith, model making with Amanda Thomas, and a session with creative agency McCann.

The following day shifts location to Birmingham Town Hall, which will host a full day of talks. The line-up features designers and studios working across a range of disciplines – from illustration and branding to motion and editorial design.

Among those speaking is Aardman creative director Merlin Crossingham, who directed the recent Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl film, along with experimental designer Kelli Anderson.

Also joining the programme is The Guardian’s longtime creative Chris Clarke, Studio Dumbar founder Liza Enebeis, Barcelona-based designer Javier Jaén and creative studio Templo.

Birmingham Design Festival takes place on June 12-13. See the full line up and book tickets here