Organisers of the second annual Leicester Design Season are putting added emphasis on business involvement this year in their celebration of the local creative scene.
Design Season 2 will take place this October, looking at what is going on locally – but with eyes also firmly on the national and international scene – in areas such as urban regeneration, illustration and new technologies.
The month-long celebration, revolves around the LCB Depot, which provides workspace for creative start-ups in the city’s Cultural Quarter.
This year it will have a strong focus on architecture, with the Leicestershire & Rutland Society of Architects curating a series of events.
LCB Depot will also host a LOOP exhibition for graphic designers, illustrators and artists.
They will form part of a wider programme including industry talks, seminars and workshops, as well as city trails and other interactive experiences for people working in the industry and the wider community.
Other partners will include Create Leicester, Graffwerk, Creed Design, ESL games, Holland Alexander, Haley Sharpe Design, Parkside Tiles and others.
James Burkmar, workspace manager at LCB Depot, is co-ordinating the month.
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He has previously said that IT, design and architecture in particular within the city were growing quicker than the national average.
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And he said that the influence of the city’s creative sector was also being helped by event producers such as Leicester Comedy Festival and Cosmopolitan Carnival, an arts festival celebrating diversity.
Recent high profile events in the city with a design slant include a Star Wars May The Toys Be With You exhibition which attracted more visitors to New Walk Museum than any other, and the more recent Mods: Shaping a Generation exhibition at the same museum.
Mr Burkmar said the first design week gave them the foundations for an event that could be international in its ambitions.
He said: “The businesses and individuals that we have based here in the city are our hidden gems working across the world in the different fields of design.
“For DS2 we’ll be bringing those talents to the surface and giving Leicester a real opportunity to demonstrate the significance of its design voice both nationally and internationally.
“From the urban regeneration that’s happening around us across the city, to the striking artistic talent that falls within our community, DS2 will offer an opportunity for the city to immerse itself in creativity and increase awareness of the amazing work that is taking place on our doorstep.
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“The programme is being entirely developed in partnership with the design community and it’s important to us that this Design Season is an industry led event.”
A full programme of events will be released later this summer.