Design is such a broad term these days – you can ‘design’ your own life, create a personal brand through social media and customise your bike, phone, bag and laptop. So we applaud the Victorian government for coming up with State of Design in order to remind us what “design” really is, the thought process behind it and basically embracing design and all it entails.

Whilst there are many events as part of the third annual State of Design festival, here’s the three stand outs we think you’ll enjoy:

1. Design:Made:Trade – Get lost in the maze of recycled Visy cardboard booths at this trade (15-18 July) and public event (17-18 July) held at the dripping-in-heritage-Royal-Exhibition-Building. You’ll discover some of Australia’s leading furniture, fashion and industrial design brands.

2. Edible Tapestry Tales – What better way to indulge in design than when paired with food? Set amongst the Victorian Tapestry Workshop looms, you’ll make your way through a slow food, 6 course dining experience whilst learning about the art of tapestry making. Held over 3 nights, Edible Tales is a collaborative creative culinary project. 23-25 July.

3. The Long Table – This isn’t a joke – a table the length of the Royal Exhibition building is going to house workshops, discussions, a design mini library and a café. Worth the visit to see how this works, let alone the great events on; Makedo Making party – using their award winning construction system, you can create artwork from reclaimed materials or perhaps you’d like to Speed Date with Sanctuary Magazine where you can get free advice from a green building designer/architect or you can just browse through Mag Nation’s designer books and magazines. 15-18 July.

2010 State of Design Festival

14 – 25 July
Metropolitan Melbourne, and regional centres around Victoria