As an agency fuelled by curiosity and creativity, we immerse ourselves in the world of design, constantly seeking out new ideas and innovations, and keeping our finger on the pulse.

So, with the renowned Birmingham Design Festival Conference 2025 taking place on our doorstep last month, we knew this presented a great opportunity - to meet up with fellow creatives, be inspired by new ideas and innovations and generally remind ourselves why we love what we do.

We sent our Senior Designer Ryan and Visual Design Director Matt to go check out the day’s talks - here’s what they had to say. 

Kicking Off the Conference Day – Matt and Ryan

This year saw the return of the Birmingham Design Festival - Conference 2025. It was our first time experiencing the festival in its ‘conference’ format, and we’ve got to say: what a show Luke Tonge and Dan Alcorn pulled off!

The whole experience buzzed with infectious energy – from the moment you approached Victoria Square, you could feel it. The bold show graphics, the now-iconic wobbly inflatable tube guy dancing outside, and the swell of people filtering in (many familiar faces from our Birmingham City University Visual Communication course) – it really set the tone for a day that celebrated all things design.

The theme this year? Play.

And it couldn’t have been more fitting. It’s always fascinating hearing how each speaker interprets the central theme – some quite literally, others in much more conceptual ways. But every take served a reminder of how powerful, freeing, and essential play is to creativity.

Ryan on TEMPLO

Anoushka Rodda and Pali Palavathanan from TEMPLO, a branding and communications agency, started things off by diving into the pretty "controversial" rebrand of GF Smith – the iconic paper company. 

The brand hadn’t updated their look since 2014, so a refresh was long overdue. Key objectives? To position them as a brand that really clicked with today's (and tomorrow’s) creatives, helping them grow globally, and showcasing what GF Smith is all about: character, community, colour, and creativity.

The rebrand was a super collaborative effort, with everyone at GF Smith getting involved, helping them land on their new brand positioning: "GF Smith. Feel good papers." 

The new look really cut through the competition – it is forward-thinking, bursting with colour, and even gives a little nod to their home city of Hull. Basically, it perfectly captures GF Smith's values, their place in today's creative scene, and their commitment to community, colour, and creativity.

What was fascinating about the launch was how they handled initial reactions. Some people absolutely loved it, while others... well, they hated it! 

"First Trump and now this to deal with" and "Whoever signed this off has torn down a church and replaced it with a bouncy castle" were just a couple of the harsh comments they got online. 

When you're working with a brand that's so well-known amongst creatives, any changes can provoke a strong response. Anoushka and Pali shared how they dealt with all that feedback in a constructive way, reassuring their client they were on the right track.

The biggest takeaway for me? If you're doing something with a clear purpose – with real meaning and solid reasons – then stick to your guns. Things will usually work out in the end!

Ryan on Kelli Anderson

Next up was Kelli, an awesome artist, designer, animator, and paper engineer. She works with a wide range of media, from infographics and branding to cool pop-up books and risograph animations. 

Having already successfully published three books, she chatted with us about her latest release, 'Alphabet In Motion.' Kelli's resume is very impressive - an artist-in-residence at Adobe and the Exploratorium, she also she teaches occasionally at the School for Poetic Computation and the New School in NYC.

Her projects embody innovation and creativity. Examples include 'This Book Is a Planetarium' (it's got a tiny planetarium and other science gadgets inside!),'This Book Is a Camera’ (yes, it turns into a pinhole camera!), she’s even created a working paper record. 

Kelli deliberately keeps things tactile and low-tech, because she believes simple materials can really show us the amazing complexity and magic of our world.

It was especially exciting to hear about all the behind-the-scenes magic that goes into her pop-up books. The sheer amount of care and detail in those prototypes to create something so visually stunning is just incredible.

You can grab your copy of 'Alphabet In Motion' in the UK this October.

Alphabet in Motion: How Letters Get Their Shape, By Kelli Anderson - watch below.

Matt on Chris Clarke

The afternoon slot delivered big time, with a feast of rich, imaginative, thought-provoking talks. 

One that stood out in a big way for me was from Chris Clarke, the Editorial Creative Director at The Guardian. Not just because of his body of work (which is seriously impressive), but because of the way he spoke – considered and articulate. The whole presentation felt like a masterclass in how to think like a designer.

He opened with a quote that really stuck with me:

“In a world tuned to perfection, play is your beautiful glitch.”

I love this. He spoke about the importance of being expressive and by that he didn’t just mean wild colours or abstract shapes. He meant expressive in voice, in approach, in the courage to try something raw, imperfect or politically charged. His team use design not just to inform but to provoke, to campaign, to stir something in people. 

At The Guardian, design becomes a vehicle for storytelling – and not the fluffy kind. We're talking climate change, protest movements, elections, human rights. 

One moment that really resonated was when he spoke about the pro-Palestine protest cover – where they physically spray-painted a megaphone. Seeing the actual, real-world version – gave a beautiful behind-the-scenes glimpse into the tactile rebellion that inspired it. That sentiment continued with their collage-led responses to the local election in the UK, which in turn then developed into the US election and Trump-era chaos. 

His team literally ditched their computers, picked up scalpels, and got cutting. No undo button. No layers. Just raw play. There’s something deeply joyful and meaningful in that kind of return to handcraft.

Matt on Other Highlights

Across the board, the speakers brought their own flavour of what 'play' meant for them, and it made for some powerful moments. Javier Jaén’s set was a showstopper – he opened with a brilliantly unexpected fake Zoom call, breaking the fourth wall in the most surreal and hilarious way. He also treated us to an Indiana Jones-inspired trailer, packed with visual jokes and clever references. It was chaos, in the best sense.

Bryony Gomez-Palacio and Armin Vit, the design duo behind Under Consideration, were a particular highlight for me. I’ve been a fan of their work since my days at Uni. They took us through the behind-the-scenes chaos (and joy) of designing the branding for their stateside design events. The way they embrace materiality, texture, doing before digitising, it genuinely made me want to close my laptop and start designing with scissors and glue again.

We also heard from Malika Favre and George Wu who spoke about their side project, I Can’t Afford This But Maybe She Can – a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek Instagram page that’s evolved into a rich, visual curation of beautiful things. It started as a sort of shared wish list, a joke between friends and now it's a celebration of form, craft, and aspiration in all its glossy, strange, and stylised glory. Check it out here.

And then to close, an absolute treat from Merlin Crossingham, BAFTA award winning director at Aardman, took us behind the scenes on Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Alongside Nick Park, they lifted the curtain on what it actually takes to make stop-motion magic. From puppets and props to the hours of tinkering per frame it was a beautiful reminder that play isn’t just about experimentation. It’s also about persistence, patience, and believing in the idea enough to see it through.

Final Thoughts

Matt: 
“This year’s BDF felt like a celebration. Not just of design, but of the messy, joyful, chaotic process that gets us there. It reminded me why we do what we do and more importantly, how we do it. With curiosity. With intent. And with play at the very heart of it.”

Ryan: 
“With every BDF, you undoubtably walk away feeling inspired. This time, it was a big reminder for me not take things too seriously! I’m so lucky to work in the creative industry and to be creative you need to have time to play. Get messy – make mistakes – try new things – experiment. That’s what it’s all about!”

Summary

To sum up, The Birmingham Design Festival left us re-energised, with a renewed commitment to keeping play, experimentation, and bold thinking at the heart of our creative process. It was a powerful reminder that great design comes from curiosity: from asking 'what if' and embracing the mess along the way. 

If you’re looking for a creative partner who believes in the power of play, who isn’t afraid to push boundaries, and who brings passion and thoughtfulness to every project, we’d love to chat. Get in touch - let’s play, explore, and design something brilliant together.

The Authors

About Keane

Keane is a Hospitality Consultancy & Creative Studio that delivers memorable experiences and measurable results, across the UK, Europe, Middle East and beyond.

We do this by advising clients on how to deliver long-term growth and maximise return, creating and rejuvenating brands, spaces and places.

To find out more please get in touch.