We get it: it is chilly, raining, and also you simply wish to keep inside for the following six months. However you realize, in your coronary heart of hearts, this solely results in distress. And if you will get to Glasgow this November, there’s an occasion that is purpose-made to blow the cobwebs away and get your blood pumping once more.
Worldwide Meeting, the design and inventive competition run by INTL, returns to Britain’s third greatest metropolis from 12–22 November, with occasions at Glasgow Royal Live performance Corridor and The Pyramid at Anderston.
Over these 11 years, the organisers have packed in an amazing quantity, together with a one-day convention, weekend workshops, and a two-day Dwell Venture connecting college students with trade. And that is not all.
This 12 months there’s an all-new Secret Stage with undisclosed company (ooh!). Plus the Worldwide Artistic Awards return, which this 12 months might be offered in a medieval fortress (double ooh!). All through the occasion, you will even have an opportunity to take a look at the Worldwide Poster Exhibition, which was my private spotlight of the 2025 occasion.
Not your common occasion
Sure, I used to be there in individual final 12 months to assist decide its scholar competitors. And so belief me once I inform you: this is not your commonplace sit-in-the-dark-and-take-notes design convention.
Sure, there are talks, in fact, fairly darned good ones if 2025 was something to go by. However numerous the power comes from individuals rolling up their sleeves and truly making issues collectively. As co-founder James Gilchrist places it: “Our aim has at all times been to create the dream occasion which we’d wish to attend.”
The convention kicks off on Thursday 12 November, bringing collectively thinkers, makers and innovators working throughout graphic design, branding, coding, animation, artwork and promoting.
This 12 months’s line-up consists of Bráulio Amado, COLLINS, Harriet Richardson, FISK, Shamma Buhazza, Vlad Boyko, Coding Techniques, Eva Cremers, GF Smith and Readymag, with additional names nonetheless to be introduced.
Seems like a random combine? That is deliberate. “Now we have a little bit of a method for curation, so we hope there might be any person who everybody can join with deeply,” explains venture supervisor Mook Attanath.
As for the brand-new Secret Stage, which opens for enterprise on Saturday 14 November, 4 undisclosed particular company will share private tales, insights and work. Who they’re is anybody’s guess, which is a enjoyable concept I’ve by no means seen at a design convention earlier than.
Workshops and tasks
Past the speaking, there’s a lot of doing. Workshops run over the weekend of 14–15 November and canopy sort design, coding, editorial, illustration, visible language, poster design, and conventional graphic design.
As co-founder Beth Wilson explains: “I feel it is one of many few festivals the place there aren’t solely audience-based occasions however intensive workshops and tasks the place you truly produce new work.”
Here is what’s on provide:
- Signopic with Patryk Hardziej: study the normal methods the previous masters used to create logos, symbols, marques and indicators.
- Scavenged Narratives with Vlad Boyko: develop your individual visible language and create experimental posters.
- Versatile Visible Techniques Design with Coding Techniques (Tim Rodenbröker and Martin Lorenz): beginning with an software in-built Processing, uncover how you can mix tech, artwork and design to supply generative visible work.
- Every day Disk with FISK: produce your individual experimental piece of editorial work and contribute to a collaborative newspaper, printed courtesy of Newspaper Membership.
- Kind Playground with Shamma Buhazza: create a customized modular font utilizing patterns, textures, grids and drawing.
- Alien Meeting with Eva Cremers: design and illustrate your individual 3D character, contemplating persona, emotion and story, then watch it come to life.
From contest to ceilidh
On 16–17 November, college students and up to date graduates participate within the Dwell Venture: two days of mentorship from design studios whereas engaged on a dwell competitors temporary.
Greater than 22 work placements are on provide, together with the prospect to current work on the competition and win prizes. Having judged final 12 months’s entries, I can vouch that the usual of labor is excessive and the chance is efficacious.
On Monday 16 November, a panel dialogue tackles a query many within the sector will recognise, with the blunt title: ‘What the f_ck is occurring within the Scottish design trade?’. Nowt like getting straight to the purpose.
The Worldwide Artistic Awards, in the meantime, get a little bit of an improve this 12 months. For the primary time, winners and company will collect on the medieval Rowallan Citadel on Friday 13 November.
The night will function conventional music, high-quality eating, and the presentation of handcrafted concrete trophies to this 12 months’s winners, plus a ceilidh, a conventional evening of Scottish music and dancing. Oh, and if you happen to’re new to the town, Readymag can also be operating strolling excursions of Glasgow earlier that day so you will get properly acquainted with this fabulous place.
Lastly, if you happen to’re in Glasgow at any level through the occasion, I would urge you to take a look at the Worldwide Poster Exhibition, which, as I mentioned, runs all through.
That includes 190 modern works by greater than 200 designers and creatives from world wide, the exhibition opens on Thursday 12 November with music, refreshments and the launch of the brand new Worldwide Poster Ebook. It closes with a goodbye gathering on Sunday 22 November.
What’s on when
With a lot happening, it is price planning forward. Here is a fast abstract of the principle occasions:
- Thursday 12 November: Convention; Worldwide Poster Exhibition opening
- Friday 13 November: Glasgow Strolling Excursions x Readymag; awards ceremony; competition ceilidh
- Saturday 14 November: Weekend Workshops (day one); Secret Stage
- Sunday 15 November: Weekend Workshops (day two)
- Monday 16 November: Dwell Venture (day one); Nitty Gritty panel dialogue
- Tuesday 17 November: Dwell Venture (day two)
- Sunday 22 November: Goodbye gathering on the Worldwide Poster Exhibition
I will go away the final phrase to James. “When you’re on the lookout for a way of neighborhood, a kick up the arse, an excuse to get out of the studio, a reminder of why you do what you do, then get your self to Worldwide Meeting,” he says. “You may be welcome.”
