D&AD Festival 2018 takes place from 24-26 April at London’s Old Truman Brewery, and brings together speakers from the worlds of advertising, design, film, technology and music, all of whom will be discussing the influence of creativity on culture.

There will be bitesize versions of D&AD’s training workshops on offer, an exhibition of Pencil-winning work, and a set of Fringe events located around east London – which includes everything from meditation and yoga to a live brief competition.

This year’s event is divided into three themes – Human Voices, which explores the ways the creative world is facing up to wider social issues, Blood, Sweat and Tears, which focuses on the craft and hard work that goes into ideas, and Owning the Future, which delves into the evolution of the industry.

Standout speakers include writer and podcaster Debbie Millman, who’ll be sharing stories of success (and failure) from her Design Matters show, design duo Lernet & Sander, who plan to bring a clairvoyant on stage to predict their creative future, and director Adam Smith, who’ll be discussing two decades of collaboration with The Chemical Brothers with CR’s Eliza Williams.

From the world of film, Supervising Art Director, Paul Inglis, and Territory Studio’s David Sheldon-Hicks will go behind the scenes of Blade Runner 2049, and CR’s Rachael Steven will quiz graphic designer Erica Dorn on her work on Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs.

Design and advertising enthusiasts will enjoy adam&eveDDB’s Ben Priest discussing the importance of getting things wrong, and artist Robert Montgomery exploring the role of billboards, while branding buffs shouldn’t miss Platform 13’s Leila Fataar discussing how companies can remain culturally relevant. From the creativity for good sector, Impossible Food’s Sasha Markova explores how creativity can change our attitudes to meat, and a panel on sustainability will discuss ways the industry can tackle wider environment issues.

There are also workshops aimed at helping students crack the creative industry, covering everything from business acumen and career goals to developing ideas and fitting in.

Tickets at dandad.org