Cheltenham Design Foundation
The Cheltenham Design Foundation was co-founded and established in 2009 by Marksteen Adamson and other leading design professionals living and working in Gloucestershire. The Foundation was set up to show the benefits of design and creativity to people from all backgrounds, from design professionals to the general public. By bringing creativity closer and by enabling more people to access and experience creative disciplines, we can give a greater unerstanding of the power of creativity to change the world for the better.
The Cheltenham Design Festival provided a unique opportunity to engage with innovators from a wide range of disciplines covering a broad array of topics from education, engineering, entertainment, business and technology as well as design, architecture and well-being.
The Festival featured debates, talks and workshops delivered by a host of well-respected figures from across the creative spectrum. It brought world-class creative talent right into the heart of Cheltenham, giving thousands who would not normally have had the opportunity, a chance to engage with the best in international creative thinking.
An audience with Stefan Sagmeister – Does Good Design Make Us Happy?
Nat Hunter, formally of Airside | Sir John Sorrell | Tom Dixon
In 2012 The Foundation established the CDF Academy – at the heart of which is a Saturday design school for students aged 12-16 years that teaches process and practice across a range of design disciplines in line with the industrial and innovation needs of today and tomorrow. Since then, the Academy has educated creativity to over 350 students. 93% of students that completed the academy have gone onto higher education in design and began careers in creative fields.
The CDF Academy provided a space in which to explore creativity, meet leading figures and become inspired
