Optimism will be held 11 to 17 October. AGDA was presented this opportunity in late 2008 so it has been quiet a journey for this design association.

Optimism is to be a catalyst for change, to highlight the need for the designer and for design to be seen beyond just the aesthetic.

The international conference speakers list come from the US, Canada, Berlin and from Australia. In addition to the conference, the event will also have a portion dedicated to creative industries businesses and even design tour.

There will be a screening of Typeface, the film, for type fans (!).

October will be the month for design! Good work Tanja Hall, the AGDA team, ICOGRADA and the Optimism supporters.

Russel Kennedy explains what ICOGRADA is which is an industry association that represents design groups around the world. Russell stresses that design advocacy and conversations is the way for the future and we hope that through this live blog post we can help out in initiating and driving the online conversations in the lead up to Optimism in October.