Northern Design Festival is back – and this time, it's bringing its own typeface

There's a question the organisers of Northern Design Festival get asked every year: why Lancaster?

Running from 13–15 May 2026, NDF returns to Kanteena in Lancaster for its third edition – and what began as a grassroots gathering for creatives outside the capital has grown into one of the most community-led events on the design calendar: three days of talks, workshops and conversations.

This year's theme is Heritage, and the organisers have taken that seriously beyond the programme itself. In collaboration with type foundry F37, they've developed a bespoke typeface called Lancer – a name that carries a deliberate double meaning. It nods to Lancaster's medieval roots while referencing the word "freelancer", which traces back to knights who weren't bound to a single lord.

Lancer draws on traditional Blackletter forms but brings a geometric, contemporary construction to them... something that bridges the past and the present rather than getting too nostalgic. "We wanted the typeface to feel like a love letter to both the city and the wider creative community," the NDF directors explain. "It reflects where we've come from, but also the freedom and independence that define how many creatives work today."

The identity extends into a billboard campaign with partner Open Media, appearing across Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle. And rather than promoting speakers or ticket sales, the campaign focuses on something harder to pin down: the shared experience of leaving your hometown in search of opportunity and what that might mean for reframing your story.

Confirmed for 2026 so far: a live My Life in Design podcast with Claire Blyth of Red Setter and Emma Barrett of Wolff Olins; a screen-printing workshop with Dan Mather; a keynote from Bryan Edmondson of SEA; F37 on how calligraphic heritage shapes contemporary type design; Studio Trumpet on breaking the business of design; Baxter & Bailey's Design Laundry; Sana Iqbal; University of Cumbria; and Kellogg's on designing the future of heritage brands. More to be announced soon.

What makes NDF tick is less the names on the bill and more the people who make it all happen. More than 30 volunteers help build the whole thing while working full-time jobs.

"From the beginning, the mission has been simple," says co-director Antonia Arbova. "We want to connect communities who believe in humanising our industry and ensuring that everyone has a fair opportunity to pursue what they love."

Co-director Niamh Cartwright adds: "Sometimes we all need a reminder that things can move forward and that we're not doing it alone."

We're a sponsor of NDF this year – and beyond the banner, Creative Boom will collaborate with some of the festival's speakers to create a new set of Boom Truths posters, designed in the Lancer typeface. The finer details aren't yet confirmed, but we're excited about what we're making together. Watch this space.