Interview: How The Detroit Design Fest Got So Big So Fast

There is a ton to see and do at this year's Detroit Design Festival, according to the Model D, the online magazine.

To put it all in perspective, Model D went to two experts, Detroit Creative Corridor Center (DC3) director Matt Clayson and DC3 events director Melinda Anderson for the answers. Model D managing editor Walter Wasacz asked the questions.

Take us back to the beginnings of the Detroit Creative Corridor Center and how the organization helped re-energize the Detroit design scene.

Clayson: The Detroit Creative Corridor Center is part of a broader initiative to transform Southeast Michigan's "Road to Renaissance," launched by Business Leaders for Michigan in 2007 or so. In 2009, Business Leaders for Michigan partnered with the College for Creative Studies to offer a home for the Detroit Creative Corridor Center. In 2010, an executive director was hired and a strategic plan incorporating the research, with extensive community feedback, was drafted and finalized. That plan served as the framework for launching the DC3's "Creative Ventures" program and business accelerator, the DC3's business attraction strategy, and the Detroit Design Festival.