The directors of the Northern Design Festival (NDF) say the design industry needs more honesty to move forward. The NDF kicks off this weekend in Lancaster, and speakers include Claire Parker of The Chase, Simon Dixon of DixonBaxi and Hondo Studio. There will also be panel discussions, workshops and portfolio reviews. Co-directors Niamh Cartwright and Antonia Arbova say this year’s theme – transparency – is inspired by their experiences in the industry so far. They both graduated from Lancaster University in 2024 and so they know first-hand how confusing it can be to navigate the industry as a young designer. “It’s one of the reasons why we began the festival,” Cartwright says. “We didn’t know who to talk to, where to turn, where to begin even. And so we thought, let’s start a festival to create a space to ask these questions” she explains. “We weren’t finding the answers any other way. “The more we started these conversations, the more we engaged with students and agencies, the more we heard that something like this needs to happen.” While the design industry can feel very glamorous from the outside, Arbova says that for young people starting out on their careers, it can feel “cliquey” and opaque. “That can be very isolating,” she says. Antonia Arbova (left) and Niamh Cartwright One of this year’s speakers, designer David Sedgwick who runs Manchester-based Studio DBD, agrees with Cartwright and Arbova that a more transparent design industry benefits everyone. “It would create more equality and trust across the industry,” Sedgwick says. “When we’re honest with our clients, our collaborators and ourselves it levels the playing field. It helps people understand the value of the work, the realities behind it and the people doing it. That kind of openness builds better relationships, stronger teams, and ultimately, better design.” he says that there has been some progress in recent years, with more discussion around issues like mental health and working hours. But he thinks there is still some way to go, and he thinks the need for honesty comes down to “two age-old topics” – time, and money. “First, we need to be more upfront with clients about how long good design really takes,” he explains. “The rise of AI and automation has warped people’s expectations. It’s created this idea that everything can and should be done instantly. But proper craft takes time. Good design needs thinking, testing, refining. We should feel more confident telling clients that. “Second, we still avoid talking about money. Agencies, freelancers, studios and everyone in between. Pricing remains a kind of taboo, even among peers. If more experienced studios were open about fees and project costs, it would help younger designers navigate the industry with more confidence and help clients understand the true value of creative work.” The 2025 Northern Design Festival identity This year’s NDF will explore finances, from salaries to freelance fees. And while they are not asking design leaders to “show us their payroll lists” the team does want to start specific conversations about the practicalities of running a design business. “Let’s say you’re doing your first project as a studio, and you’ve been given £5,000,” Arbova says. “How do you share that, so that you’re not living day-to-day or worrying about bills?” But, the team explains, transparency extends into many of the design world’s main discussions, from how work is developed to paths into the industry. They hope, for example, this year’s festival will demonstrate that design careers are “not linear” and highlight some of the lesser-known ways in. And, as Cartwright points out, an issue like unpaid internships touches on both finances and career progression. These placements still shape many pathways into design jobs, and Cartwright says we need to be “open and honest” about how that system works, and what impact it has on young designers. In the run-up to this year’s event, the team has collected anonymous transparency stories from people at all levels of the industry. These are used across the visual identity and will be on display at the festival itself. One of the 2025 Northern Design Festival’s Transparency Stories One of the 2025 Northern Design Festival’s Transparency Stories One of the 2025 Northern Design Festival’s Transparency Stories Arbova hopes they will encourage people to be vulnerable and share their own insights and experiences. “I think they will help create more personal connections people have with the festival itself, and the community around it,” she says. To build that culture, the NDF co-directors have clearly thought carefully about creating spaces that change the sorts of conversations that usually happen at design conferences. “We want more opportunities for people to talk to each other,” Cartwright says. So there is a session where design leaders from northern agencies like Hotfoot, SUN and LOVE Creative, will speak with attendees in an intimate one-to-one setting, to allow for more honest discussions, “Our hope is that people will say things they wouldn’t necessarily say on a panel,” Cartwright says. “It will be a bit more raw, and a bit more honest, creating a safe space to talk about the real issues.” Both are quick to point out their own relative inexperience – “We have no clue what we’re doing,” Arbova laughs But in many ways, their self-confessed “naivety” allows them to ask questions about how the design industry works, and suggest ways it could, and should, change. And they agree that it’s hard for people who’ve been in the design industry for a long time to see some of its shortcomings. “We don’t know the politics of the industry, all the ins and outs,” Cartwright says. “Everyone is the same in our eyes.” Beyond the festival, the plan is to extend NDF’s influence and impact throughout the year. They want to hold more regular events across the North, starting in Manchester and then Leeds, Newcastle and York. “We’re creating a community to create opportunities,” Cartwright says, and their main objective remains very focused, “There is a narrative that you need to go down South for a job. We want to show that’s not true – the North is such an amazing creative place, and we want to keep telling that story.” A workshop Northern Design Festival ran with FUSE in Manchester