Paula Scher, Cosey Fanni Tutti and Hansje van Halem amongst the lineup for DM19 in Manchester

Taking place on 22 November, DM19 will feature Partner of Pentagram New York Paula Scher, legendary artist and musician Cosey Fanni Tutti (in conversation with writer Jon Savage), creative digital business strategist Daljit Singh (ANNA), Neil Hubbard, group leader of Heatherwick Studio, and internationally renowned typographic designer Hansje van Halem.

There's also the creative directors Clive Russell and Charlie Waterhouse of Extinction Rebellion, visual storyteller Harris Elliott, and from Berlin, creative digital agency Pfadfinderei (Moderat).

Tickets are now on sale for DM19, which returns to the epic Bridgewater Hall. Just like previous years, there's a running theme and for 2019 it's about "SMART thinking, SMART technology and SMART creativity with speakers who take their own path and make and break the rules".

With politics in disarray and no end in sight to the current upheaval, the SMART conference will look at the resourceful, the nimble, the canny, the people who can lift or shapeshift an idea and inspire us to move forward. Once again the event will take over the entire venue with five separate areas featuring talks, workshops, seminars, Q&As, craft and making.

What are those extras? Idle Letters – Adventures in Lettering is a workshop hosted by Loz Ives, a designer, illustrator and letterer. Meanwhile, Ladies, Wine & Design will present a series of talks, short workshops and Q&As on the themes of 'Design Smart' and 'The Age of The Female Gaze' with speakers from all creative sectors.

RareMags, the independent print and bookseller based in neighbouring Stockport, will be back showcasing lots of investable wears.

Do That Thing x FUSE x FRESH will be a panel exploring the Do That Thing project which addresses the Manchester creative sector’s challenges with inclusion and diversity.

Design Manchester artistic director Malcolm Garrett RDI said: "In a world that appears increasingly to be acting dumb, in the face of global political upheaval and the climate crisis in the news daily, it is well past time for designers to get SMART, think SMART and ACT SMART."

Limited early bird tickets are on sale at www.designmcr.com, priced at £48 (or £30 for students/concessions), both prices inclusive of VAT. The conference will run from 10am to 6pm on Friday 22 November 2019.