Sir John Hegarty, one of the world’s most famous creatives, and the visionary graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister are just two of the people that will bring their inspiring outlook on the world to the very first Cheltenham Design Festival in April next year.

The festival, which will become an annual event with an international outlook, will take place in the Cotswold town with Sir John Hegarty, Worldwide Creative Director of Bartle Bogle Hegarty, acting as Festival President. Three days of interviews, debates and discussions with major creative thinkers in areas as diverse as style, education, transport and architecture will demonstrate the importance of new ideas and how they impact on our lives.

Explaining why he wanted to preside over the festival, John Hegarty said: “Being exposed to a creative environment will benefit you for all kinds of reasons. I want to try and encourage more people to consider some form of creative future, whether they want to become fashion designers, engineers or doctors.”

The Cheltenham Design Festival will also mark the end of the first year of the Cheltenham Design Academy, which was launched in September 2011 as a series of free Saturday classes for talented 14-16 year olds. By next April the students will have attended a total of 21 classes taught by experienced professionals, studying topics that include illustration, graphics, packaging and garden design.

Marksteen Adamson of creative consultancy Arthur Steen Horne Adamson is on the board of the Cheltenham Design Foundation, which has established both the Festival and the Academy. He is keen to show the public how creative thinking affects our everyday lives. “The purpose of this festival is to celebrate new ideas and how these ideas improve business, health, transport, education and the world we live in,” he explains. “The Cheltenham Design Festival will focus on creative thinking that makes a real difference in our lives. Without that, it’s just another festival and we don’t want that. That’s also why our foundation is running a Saturday design academy throughout the year, introducing young people to all design disciplines and inspiring them to unlock their creative thinking and develop invaluable problem-solving skills.”

The Cheltenham Design Festival will take place at the Parabola Arts Centre in Cheltenham from 20-22 April 2012. For more information visit cheltenhamdesignfestival.com