On Friday 13th June, we joined fellow creatives at the iconic Birmingham Town Hall for this year’s Birmingham Design Festival Conference, a one-day celebration of creativity, community, and the power of PLAY.
From global studios to bold local talent, the talks explored how play fuels design that connects on a human level. As a digital agency rooted in Birmingham, it was a refreshing reminder that in a world leaning hard into AI, the most powerful ideas still start with people.
The Power of Play in a Digital Age
On Friday 13th (an ironically lucky day), we stepped into Birmingham Town Hall for this year’s Birmingham Design Festival Conference, a local gem that attracts global brilliance.
BDF is the annual pilgrimage for myself and Jim. It’s a place to reconnect with the “why?” behind design; going beyond KPIs, wireframes, and campaign metrics.
This year’s theme? Play.
Not just childish fun, but experimentation, freedom, human connection, and creative risk-taking. And wow, did the day deliver.
A Grand Day at Town Hall
If you've never been inside Birmingham Town Hall, picture this: soaring ceilings, dramatic lighting, and the kind of acoustics that make every creative word hang in the air with weight. The perfect setting for the conference, expertly curated with slick transitions, a diverse crowd – from students to seasoned creatives – and no technical hiccups.
A proud moment for our home city. And a reminder that Birmingham’s creative scene isn’t playing catch-up – it’s leading the way.
Play with purpose
The day’s itinerary was jam packed with creative brilliance, but there were three core takeaways from our fellow creatives that really struck a chord:
Templo Agency – Branding GF Smith
Pali and Anoushka from Templo shared the story of rebranding and repositioning iconic paper brand, GF Smith. The creative process was as textured as the product itself, clever, collaborative, and full of the kind of risks you can only take when client trust runs deep.
What stood out most was their transparent storytelling, not just celebrating the wins, but how they dealt with negative feedback and how holding their nerve paid off.
True play demands vulnerability, something they embodied brilliantly.
Studio Dumbar – Design in Motion
Lisa Enebes delivered a high-energy, techno music-fuelled look at Studio Dumbar’s campaign for DEMO Festival. An ambitious curation of splashing design across global motion screens. Inviting creatives around the world to be involved in highlighting the capabilities of individuals, certainly, but also the collaborative coming together to showcase motion design that moved in every sense, visually, emotionally, and ideologically.
Play is global, digital, and gloriously chaotic.
Javier Jaén – Interviewing himself
Javier’s talk was unlike anything we’ve seen. A tongue-in-cheek “Zoom interview” with himself. Surreal? Yes. Insightful? Absolutely.
It was a masterclass in process, contradiction, and the joy of not having all the answers. The talk made space for creative fluidity and challenged the rigidity that so often stifles bold ideas in commercial settings.
Play isn’t linear.
Why this matters to our clients (and us)
We’re always looking ahead and exploring how AI, data, and tech can elevate the brands we work with. A refreshing, and perhaps stark reminder from BDF, that great design isn’t just intelligent; it’s intuitive.
Play invites interaction. It earns attention. It resonates. For any hospitality marketing manager wondering how to bring more magic into their brand, remember that creativity isn’t a machine. It’s a mindset. And it starts by letting your team, your customers, and yes, even your brand...
play.
Want to inject more play into your digital marketing strategy?
We’re here to help you thrive in a digital world—with the human touch that makes it unforgettable. Let’s chat.
Scott Barker
Scott leads our design team and loves to experiment with new styles and trends. His passion for creativity shines in his photography, which has led him to some of the world’s most iconic cities, including New York, Rome and Barcelona.
