A Journal of Life: Erin Huizenga at 33rd CreativeMornings in Chicago

At the 33rd gathering of the Chicago chapter of CreativeMornings, Erin Huizenga, designer, strategist, and educator, discussed her experiences with “Failure,” CreativeMornings’ global theme for August 2014. Along with the great success that she has achieved through her realized projects—like EPIC, an organization that pairs creative professionals with Chicago-based nonprofits, and the Well Conference for branding agency Remedy, she has experienced resistance and setback in her career. She revealed a to-do, informed over time, that strengthens her:

“To fail forward: To pursue what I believe in”

A method that Huizenga recommended to help cope with defeats, was keeping a journal. She drew(1) the audience in with selected pages from her personal journal. Her emphasis on establishing and maintaining a journal advocated an enduring human need to recount, to translate, to sketch, to doodle, to draw.





Whether in the form of a timeline (above) or a chart (above), Huizenga’s documentation of her experiences with friction, in the company of her triumphs, is a way of claiming her life as it unfolds. She encourages using a journal as part of a “life-enhancing”(2) toolkit. The genesis of much of her work has its roots in journal-keeping.

Huizenga’s talk reminded me of an interview I had published the day before, with Summer Pierre, a cartoonist, writer, and illustrator (in this order). Pierre fills sketchbooks with drawings, prose, and comics—however brittle, dormant, in their tender condition as thoughts. Her sketchbook-keeping is kindred to Huinzenga’s journal-keeping. They’re opportunities to visualize imagination. They’re therapeutic attempts to record disappointment to soothe its inflammation. Both act as a bridge built for reflection, which, at any point, whether explicitly or softly, can fuel liftoff of a new and bright set of circumstances.

The author Anaïs Nin kept journals over a sixty-year period. Brainpickings’ founder and editor Maria Popova featured Nin’s book “On Writing,” which was adapted from a lecture given at Dartmouth during December, 1946. In the following passage, Nin describes the allure of establishing a journal and persisting its expression:

“…in the Diary I only wrote of what interested me genuinely, what I felt most strongly at the moment, and I found this fervor, this enthusiasm produced a vividness which often withered in the formal work. Improvisation, free association, obedience to mood, impulse, bought forth countless images, portraits, descriptions, impressionistic sketches, symphonic experiments, from which I could dip at any time for material.”

The journal—whether used as a sketchbook or a diary—is a medium for navigating the spaces and times that living digests. What it particularly consumes are the failed scenarios. Huizenga’s first recommendation, of keeping a journal to cope with failure, absorbing it and channeling it, is the first grounded step to guide the other six life-enhancing methods that she prescribed:

Explore what-ifs
Go for it
Give yourself a break
Reframe success
Celebrate
Be grateful

I suspect that Huizenga’s first task of journal-keeping was the most fit start, because it stimulates the record of life by promoting sensitivity to it—being sensitive to what worked and what did not. With the latter, it’s inevitable, but not final. Taking note of failures in one’s journal could turn into stepping stones taken to experience victories, or as Nin put it, “vividness.”

---

(1) Verb surely intended.

(2) From this quote: “Space travel is life-enhancing, and anything that’s life-enhancing is worth doing. It makes you want to live forever.” Stated by Ray Bradbury, born in Waukegan, Illinois—one of the most celebrated 20th-century American authors. Erin Huizenga’s CreativeMornings/Chicago talk coincided with his birthday: August 22, 1920.

• • •

“Mistakes are the portals of discovery.” James Joyce, Author

• • •

Big thanks: to both The Marketing Store—for hosting—and Braintree for sponsoring Chicago CreativeMornings #33; to organizer Kim Knoll and operations manager Kyle Eertmoed of Knoed Creative, who spoke at Chicago CreativeMornings #7, and to the Chicago CreativeMornings crew—Joy Burke, Pedro Carmo, Rusty C. Cook, Benjamin Derico, Erick De La Rosa, Steve Delahoyde, Talia Eisenberg, Chris Gallevo, Keith Mandley, Neftali Morales, Isaac Steiner, Martha Willis—for their volunteer work in making CreativeMornings happen in Chicago.

Especially big thanks: to Tina Roth Eisenberg—Swissmiss—for inventing CreativeMornings in 2008. The fifth chapter was launched in Chicago, June 2011—my write-up and photos.

Read more about the people who make the Chicago chapter of CreativeMornings possible.

• • •

My coverage: view more photos of 33rd CreativeMornings in Chicago; read more write-ups about Chicago CreativeMornings.

• • •

2011 was Chicago CreativeMornings’ debut year. Download the entire collection of selected insights.

---

Please consider supporting Design Feast
If you liked this lovingly-made write-up, show your appreciation by helping to support my labor of love—Design Feast, which proudly includes this blog. Learn more.

Anticipation for Cusp Conference 2014

Chicago-based design firm Multiple is having again their Cusp Conference in 2014. This is the seventh annual gathering, uniquely steered by Multiple’s drive to shape and deliver an alluring staple of people and projects that compose, from their conference’s definition, “the design of everything.”

A hearty slice of “everything” was what I received when I attended Cusp for the first time last year. The conference’s start consisted of a watermelon-crowned (literally) anthem with the vigorous refrain of freshness, and the artistry of lego-sculptures that incite a vital and elusive sense of playfulness. The conclusion included an enormous tour of classic rock music fiercely performed by millennials. In between, there were servings of comics, letterpress printing, and architecture in outer space, as part of an eclectic menu of other atypical topics. My incessant bubble of self-absorption was popped.

Framed by the event’s full timeline and intimate venue, chatting with attendees and speakers yielded an abundance of interests, from contemporary art to the typeface Helvetica to medical education to entertainment to work environments to the Big Bang. My lunch was spent with 2012 presenter, Jeannette Andrews, a professional magician. There was an all-things-considered impression of these interactions. Like bubbles gravitating and snapping into place, my specific lens of interests, in design and writing, was colored by encounters throughout the conference. Its social landscape reinforced writer Guy de Maupassant’s belief: “Each human being becomes a little universe within the universe!”

With large gatherings, two expected results were achieved: new professional connections to possibly mature over time; new nuggets of subject matter to possibly investigate. The major result, also practical, but more fortified as an overarching feeling, was beholding a panorama of wonder. I felt a bold trace of what the writer, Henry Miller, called an “unquenchable curiosity.” Having been stuffed with wonder is an opportunity to carry it in a manner that would influence my day-to-day, rather than domesticate it, rendering the experience flat.

A visible factor defining a conference is the composition of its audience. Being a designer, there was the likelihood of drawing peers. Introductions were exchanged with creative directors and in-house designers, but adjacent to this was hailing roles beyond mine. I happened upon an educator, a stylist, a documentary filmmaker, an engineer, a social researcher, a physician, and a scientist. My assumed ratio of primarily meeting those within and related to my discipline was gladly stirred with remarkable detours.

Another dominant pattern emerged from the attendees I met: a majority (substantial number of whom were repeat attendees) asserted the Cusp Conference’s broad spectrum of speakers and topics as a central part of their decision to go. The event’s broad nature diverged from my area of practice, and I believe applied to other, if not all, attendees. It’s a divergence welcomed and judged necessary, in order to fuel and hone one’s work that has tendencies to get stuck and subdued.

Creative revelations are motivated by gatherings like the Cusp Conference. Its two days, packed with a wide array of people expressing and representing their respective field of practice, serve the human reflex to seek wonder and curiosity, and be inspired by their potential. They are sensations in need of nourishing, because they beget collaborating, drawing, dreaming, editing, leading, organizing, visualizing—all of the seasoned actions toward orienting a perspective, evolving a style, making and shipping things with vigor, succeeding in tiny and big ways—furthermore, iterating one’s worldview.

Exposure to elsewhere—other crafts, disciplines, careers—sustains one’s toolkit to keep being able to bring ideas and opinions. Browsing Cusp Conference’s 2014 roster of speakers, you’ll find a “director of dreams,” a designer of “luxury sex toys,” and an opera singer who founded “America’s first online caregiving service.” These are only a few of the speakers that invite wonder and curiosity. As a list, the speakers include a variety of interesting people doing many fascinating forms of work that propel them.

I anticipate the combined effect of Cusp Conference 2014 to echo that of 2013: seated but spellbound. And when the gathering itself is over, I expect a collective surge in energy toward persisting creative efforts.

• • •

See my recap and photos of Cusp Conference 2013.

Speaking tips gleaned from CreativeMornings

Stephanie Brown preparing to talk at 27th CreativeMornings/Chicago gathering

As I prepared for my talk about my latest book BROKEN at the Illinois Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology, I recalled the people who gave terrific talks at the monthly gatherings of Chicago CreativeMornings. Following are some things I found useful as I reflected back on these presentations.

Say thanks

Being invited to speak to a group of potentially like-minded people is a prime opportunity to give thanks. Thanksgiving is a charming way to qualify the tempo of your talk. Thank the audience for attendance, for their interest, and for their time.

Present with or without slides

Slides primarily serve as visual representation and cue for the speaker to elaborate. With the Chicago chapter of CreativeMornings, the speakers’ slides mostly display a spare layout with minimal copy. Good Studio’s slides (like this) were concise visual statements, consisting of a representative image tied to a bold headline.

Slides are not a requirement. Animator and photographer Nick Campbell gave an amazing presentation without slides. But know that speaking without visual aids is a risk. You can either rely on a script, memorized, or an outline of points, memorized and stitched together.

Present with or without notes

If they were using a script, most speakers appeared to speak without it. Even when taking cues from a script, it was obvious that the speaker’s familiarity, with their topic and their focus, naturally flowed. This familiarity is not a guarantee of a coherent talk. This possibility reinforces the fact that it takes effort to sound effortless.

Express character

When designer and illustrator Mike McQuade talked about how hard he works on his craft, it showed. When photographer Paul Octavious spoke about his enthusiasm for the digital image, it showed. When Stephanie Brown talked about her vision for the art of tattooing, it showed. These speakers expressed their personality and a unique tone in sharing their work and attitude. These factors form character.

Tell stories

Linsey Burritt and Crystal Grover, of design and fabrications firm INDO, shared the bumps and thrills of making site-specific architectural installations. Designer and producer Eric Siegel, of Tree Hopper Toys, shared his observations about his kids and how these positively provoke his next product. Creative director Chris Eichenseer, of Someoddpilot, gave a telling glimpse of our place on the miniscule timeline of human existence, compared to the age of the universe. These speakers, and more, offered narrative that made their presentations feel down-to-earth.

Leave time for Q&A

The perk of attendance is the opportunity to interact with the speaker. Speakers, invited to CreativeMornings, manage to not exceed their allotted time to talk. This acknowledges both the event’s organizers and audience.

Give the gift of presentation

Above was a very short list of patterns found among speakers at CreativeMornings’ gatherings. Based on what each said and how it was said, the ultimate pattern was that each respected the attention given to them to deliver the gift of presentation. In return, what is (capable to be) received is the gift of perspective.

• • •

Photo by Nate Burgos. View more.

---

Please consider supporting Design Feast
If you liked this lovingly-made write-up, show your appreciation by helping to support my labor of love—Design Feast, which proudly includes this blog. Learn more.

Public-speaking notes: Talked about BROKEN at the Institute of Design, IIT

Presentation icon designed by Daniel Flp from The Noun Project collection

I had my first opportunity to discuss BROKEN: Navigating the Ups and Downs of the Circus called Work with a small group at the Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology, in Chicago. This was my first time publicly presenting my new book.

I’ve been reflecting here and there on my public-speaking experiences, because public speaking is a good skill to have. It’s one that I try to excel at, if only on a basic level. Here are some things that stuck with me concerning presentation skills, and that you may corroborate with, in making your presentations.

Courtesy

Most attendees at my talk were busy graduate students, with packed schedules. So it was great when one of them told me prior to my talk not to be offended when she and her work group slipped out early during my presentation. Proactive courtesy feels good.

Presenter tip: Be courteous throughout your appearance.

Nerves

My nervousness gradually faded around the time I started speaking. When my nervousness abated, my comfort level rose. What particularly helped to manage the nervousness was physically not keeping still. I wandered away from the podium and treated the floor like a mini-stage.

Presenter tip: Acknowledge the fact that once you dive into your presentation, you’ll float and swim (in my case, a steady doggy paddle). Stay afloat by finding a technique to calm your nerves.

Script

I had a script, written per slide, but rarely used it. This isn’t to say that the script wasn’t handy, it’s a great safeguard, especially for a scatterbrain like me.

Presenter tip: Write out everything you want to say, but give yourself permission to go off script. Off script is risky, but you’ll act less robotic.

Feedback

Specific and constructive feedback is useful. One such piece of feedback, I received, addressed a gap in my presentation, while another praised my plainspoken tone as “refreshing.” Still another comment highlighted how an aspect of my presentation gave a necessary nudge that proved, as the attendee put it, “inspiring.”

With its hardwired reflexes, my brain quickly attached to the criticism about the gap—what my presentation primarily lacked. It was one of those darn-I-wished-I-had-fully-satisfied-this-need reactions I kept echoing, to myself. What helped minimize this echo was acting on this feedback. It motivated me to adjust the content of my presentation. On the following morning, I took the collective feedback and responded to it with a revised version of my presentation (for presentations are highly subject to iteration as they should be).

Presenter tip: When it comes to feedback, you can either dwell on it or put it to productive use.

Phrasing

After I left the talk, I realized a number of things—certain phrases, different expressions—that I wished I said to add emphasis and color to what I was telling. Ultimately, something always gets left out.

Presenter tip: It’s ideal if you can say everything you wanted to say in the way you set yourself to say it. If not, accept how you presented and try to learn from it. It’s annoying to not connect what you originally had in mind to elegantly say. This feels sharply unforgiving, but it paves the way for turning that could-have-done-better-then to doing-it-better-now.

• • •

Big thanks to Rachel Dean and Raina Russ at the Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Chicago, for giving my first opportunity to talk about my latest book BROKEN!

• • •

This is the sixth post, after the launch of BROKEN, that reflects on how this book was made. More to come in this series about aspects related to writing and self-publishing. Read the previous write-up: Choosing the right fonts for BROKEN.

• • •

Learn more about the eBook → BROKEN: Navigating the ups and downs of the circus called work.

---

Please consider supporting Design Feast
If you liked this lovingly-made write-up, show your appreciation by helping to support my labor of love—Design Feast, which proudly includes this blog. Learn more.

Wisdom at CreativeMornings: Maira Kalman, George Lois, Milton Glaser

Audience at CreativeMornings/New York gathering with Maira Kalman. Photograph by Katherine Miles Jones

At the New York chapter of CreativeMornings, three creative legends shared their experience to keep exploring and knowing.

Maira Kalman on Moments


Photograph by Katherine Miles Jones

Maira Kalman has illustrated many covers for The New Yorker and writes children’s books. In her CreativeMornings/New York talk, traveling was a refrain. Wandering has informed her imagination of what to draw next. Whether it’s a short walk or a long trip, moving unveils moments. Moments inspire Kalman. Not visibly striking moments, rather, easy-to-ignore moments. Kalman is herself a hidden camera. She looks and zooms in on a composition, harnessing her, what ethnographer Steve Portigal calls, “noticing power.” Kalman encouraged an intuition of moments: “To be very aware of the moment. Greatest moments are when you’re on your own, you’re wandering around, and when you’re not with somebody else, and you encounter these kind of celestial moments that send you into a really incredible place.”

George Lois on History


Photograph by Katherine Miles Jones

Advertising designer George Lois qualified the context of his work with the phrase “It was a time when… .” Lois’ presentation was a slice of history seasoned by remarkable people and events. His work advertised products and, at the same time, advertised the unique circumstances of the time. Lois’ insistent lens on context encouraged the present tense and its past, summarized in this instruction that he inserted throughout his talk: “You have to understand what was going on in those days.”

Milton Glaser on Miracles


Photograph by Emily Gilbert and Chasi Annexy

When asked after his talk about what his greatest achievement has been, artist and designer Milton Glaser answered, “Staying alive.” This is a fact, easily overlooked: every breath allows the opportunity to create something new. Glaser expressed gratitude to wake up each day, go to his workplace, and try again to make good work—a circle of miracles. Glaser encouraged “the pursuit of miracles”: “The idea of making something that moves minds is a profound miracle.”

To-Dos

Be open to moments. Mind history. Work miracles.

---

Support Design Feast on Patreon!
Your visiting means a lot. Lots of hours are put into making Design Feast—because it’s a labor of love to provide creative culture to everyone. If you are able to contribute, please consider becoming a Patron to support this long-term passion project of mine with a recurring monthly donation—every bit of support makes a difference in allowing me to generate all of this content on a regular basis. Thank you for your consideration!

I like CreativeMornings—a lot

CreativeMornings inventor Tina Roth Eisenberg at debut gathering in Chicago (Summer, 2011). View more.

CreativeMornings is a monthly breakfast lecture series, for the creative community, started by Tina Roth Eisenberg of Swissmiss. What originated in Brooklyn, New York, has evolved into a platform with kindred chapters established throughout the world.

It’s no secret that I’m an avid CreativeMornings enthusiast through my write-ups. Based on my experience of going to past events and what I’ve taken away from them, I feel that CreativeMornings is one of a rare few of high-quality meet-ups worth returning to.

While reading “The Rise of the Creative Class and how it’s transforming work, leisure, community and everyday life” (2002) by urban studies theorist Richard Florida, CreativeMornings came to mind. I paired the following quotes from the book with observations from CreativeMornings to bring the two together, and to further demonstrate how this is an activity that matters.

“Creativity comes from people.” (1)

CreativeMornings is run entirely by volunteers who organize monthly events with speakers, find and persuade hosts and sponsors, manage the recording of each event, and keep the communication flowing about their respective chapter’s news. You can easily sign up online to attend, the Chicago chapter in my case. Registration for upcoming talks transpires quickly, most times, rapidly.

The urbanist Jane Jacobs said, “Design is people.” CreativeMornings is composed of people, by design. This is obvious, but it’s a fact that can be easily taken for granted.

“Members of the Creative Class endeavor to create individualistic identities that reflect their creative identity. This can entail a mixing of multiple creative identities.” (1)

Though the major part of each CreativeMornings is the featured talk, there is designated time to interact with other attendees (coinciding with breakfast-treat indulgence) beforehand. I’ve met jewelry designers, knitters, copywriters, project managers, software developers and a physical therapist. You may find the last role as an outlier, but this is what makes CreativeMornings work, where eclectic diversity prevails. The range of “creative identities” is complemented by out-of-towners. I’ve been introduced to attendees at the Chicago chapter of CreativeMornings from outside the city as well.

Whatever the creative discipline—wherever home is—the collective identity, of those signing up and attending CreativeMornings, is that makers are curious about other makers. This collective sense of curiosity is energized by both CreativeMornings’ global themes, that address aspects of humanity, and its regular rotation of venues that take advantage of a city’s cultural portfolio.

“The Creative Class favors hard work, challenge and stimulation.” (2)

I’ve been attending and reporting on CreativeMornings/Chicago since their debut in 2011. Listening to speakers sharing their challenges and efforts in making what she or he considers fulfilling work is a comfort, and one that many of us seek, in order to be nudged.

Stimulation quickly gets scarce. I’m thankful that CreativeMornings reliably provides it, in person and via video, on a monthly basis.

---

(1) Page 5 of hardcover edition, 2002
(2) Page 78 of hardcover edition, 2002

• • •

See related posts: Infographics inspired by Richard Florida’s Book “The Rise of the Creative Class” / Speaking tips gleaned from CreativeMornings / The people who make the Chicago chapter of CreativeMornings possible / Wisdom at CreativeMornings: Maira Kalman, George Lois, Milton Glaser

• • •

For more conferences/summits/camps/meet-ups related to art, business, design, storytelling, technology, and more, see this list.

---

Please consider supporting Design Feast
If you liked this lovingly-made write-up, show your appreciation by helping to support my labor of love—Design Feast, which proudly includes this blog. Learn more.

Laura Helen Winn and Jason Schwartz on Making Hike, the Conference and Workshop for New Designers

Identity design courtesy of Laura Helen Winn and Jason Schwartz

Big thanks to Jennifer Maples (read her Interview about creative strategy) for the introduction to Hike, a one-day design conference and workshop to empower new designers. Here, the event’s co-creators and organizers, Laura Helen Winn and Jason Schwartz, elaborate on aspects of making a gathering—in two cities in one year—from scratch.

On being a designer and event maker

How did you arrive at the idea of making the conference Hike?
[Laura] I arrived at the idea because I started doing small creativity events under Form and Future at Makeshift Society. The events took Form and Future’s designer interviews offline and in front of a real audience, and covered topics from chocolate-making to a panel of small business owners. It was a lot of fun. After a few months, my boyfriend asked me when I was going to put on the Form and Future conference. I laughed it off because it seemed too big of a project to do on my own. But when I met Jason through a mutual friend, I still had the conference notion in the back of my mind.

The first time we Skyped, I was asking Jason for advice about keeping my side project going. I had this half-baked idea to turn it into a magazine that I talked through with Jason. Even while I was talking about it, I knew it didn’t have legs. He told me to be focused and have a plan, but more importantly, to dream about making something bigger than I could even imagine. I remembered the conference idea, and my gut told me, “this is it.” So I Skyped with Jason for a second time and pitched him the idea of co-founding a brand new conference stemming from The Secret Handshake plus Form and Future. Even though I’m in San Francisco and he’s in Chicago, Jason was crazy enough to say yes!

[Jason] Laura and I had connected through a mutual friend in Chicago and once we started talking, it was natural that The Secret Handshake would want to collaborate simply based on our missions. Since we are located in two far apart cities, naturally we wanted to make this as hard as possible and throw a conference in two cities in one year.

What were essential activities/steps you took to start
and establish this event? And why were these 
activities/steps important?
[Laura] Like I said before, hosting events at Makeshift turned out to be a lot of fun for me. I really got into designing the experience, from the snacks to the ambiance to making everyone feel really comfortable, both the speakers and the audience. It felt like, ‘hey, I can really do this.’ Beyond that, the mission of Form and Future is the real important factor. I’m a new designer who can attribute my career to some talent, luck, and a lot of guidance from various mentors. That’s important because not every new designer has mentors, and it can be difficult to find satisfying work without people helping you develop your own point of view along the way.

The second Jason and I started working on Hike, I knew we were a good fit as creative partners. My weakness has been trying to handle side projects all on my own. The first thing he said was, “We need a board, we need volunteers, we’re going to need a lot of help.” It made me nervous to be honest, but I took a deep breath and said OK.

[Jason] Laura and I talked for a few months before opening up the conversation to peers and getting people involved. Because we opted for a two-city conference, we pretty much needed to create an established pocket of volunteers in both cities.


Jason and Laura discussing Hike Conference

There is a welcoming pattern of individuals making gatherings, such as Tina Roth Eisenberg who invented CreativeMornings; Rusty Meadows started Nearly Impossible that made its debut last November; Emily Ruth Cohen and Sheri Koetting made Evolve to debut during Spring 2014. Why do you think this is?
[Laura] I think it’s because sharing knowledge is inherent in the design practice. In order to become a designer, you have to learn about the designers who came before you and the designers who came before them. The thing I miss the most about art school is the class discussions we had about a reading or an artist’s body of work. Hearing people with conflicting opinions share their point of view, and occasionally reach an understanding of each other, is real magic. I guess I just want to keep that dialogue and magic going as I pursue my career.

[Jason] This falls into whatever the category the “gathering” falls under, i.e. inspiration, education, networking.

In the education space, schools are having a hard time keeping up with the pace of our skills, and students are graduating with tons of unanswered questions and needed skills. Think about how fast our industry changes versus others. Six years ago, the iPhone didn’t exist. Four years ago, tablets really didn’t exist and weren’t widespread. In the past two years, responsive experiences started to become widespread, and Apple made the first play for “retina” internet.

Schools can’t keep up with things changing yearly. By the time Seniors have gone through four years of classes, they may have missed huge changes to how we work that happened within the previous twelve months, because they already took that class three years ago.

It’s tough.

The real reason behind the scenes for all gatherings is really networking, even for education. People come to learn, but also it’s about getting thirty seconds of FaceTime with people from across the country you’re excited to shake hands with.

Were there principles and practices from your work as designers that translated well toward designing a conference? If so, what were some of those?
[Laura] Communication is key. Surround yourself with people who are smart, motivated, talented, and fun to work with. In my experience, the best design projects are those where people with differing opinions and specialties create something new together. In planning our own conference, we essentially have the opportunity to create our ideal project. Jason and I are also well aware of the challenges that come with design projects. I think knowing to expect common challenges, like miscommunication and people getting spread too thin, has helped us be prepared for the process of getting a bunch of people together to throw a conference in two cities in one year.

[Jason] OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Lots of OCD.


The first volunteer meeting at Smart Design in San Francisco

Compared to other events related to design disciplines,
what makes your conference different?
[Laura] What makes Hike different is that it’s a conference specifically for new designers. Organizations like AIGA do a great job of fostering the student design community and posting job boards, but there’s no Brooklyn Beta for design students. There’s no Build for design students. We want to make something really special that tailors to a very specific audience at a crucial point in their lives. Hike is about more than getting a job. It’s about finding your own voice, and taking action in order to build the life you want to live.

[Jason] One of the main issues I’m having with a good amount of conferences I attend is that presenters are showing a glorified version of their portfolio. I can see why that is inspirational, but I’m at a point where I’d just look at someone’s website and understand the who, what, when, where, why and how.

I want Hike to be fully functional. I want speakers to focus specifically on what it takes to create and develop personal brand, which extends into job hunting, résumés, portfolios and following a path that is right for you. This is the difference between benchmarking, “I like that designer’s work,” and, “Whoa, I never thought that was how an application process worked behind the scenes.”

I really want to lift the curtain for a peek into the other side.

How do you find, select, and invite your speakers?
[Laura] We brought Jennifer Maples on board for San Francisco content, and Kelly Knaga for Chicago content. These ladies are absolutely rocking it on finding speakers and planning the schedule far beyond what Jason and I could accomplish. Early in the project, Jason and I invited all of our volunteers to make a list of dream speakers. Most of our speakers have been invited by recommendations from people we know. There’s a level of trust that’s really important when inviting people to speak, whether or not they have a good reputation as being reliable and relevant. Jennifer and Kelly have done an amazing job at designing a speaker list that’s well-rounded, useful, and true to Hike’s mission.

[Jason] Our whole team wanted to find speakers that had substance to their presentations beyond just showing work. Each speaker will be going deeper into how they vetted the process, what they’ve learned, processes their companies use and how they look for people currently.

We also wanted to avoid usual suspects. You most likely won’t see the same speakers at Hike as other conferences.

What are must-don’ts in making an event?
[Laura] You must not be afraid of anyone or anything. You must not take anything personally. You must not tiptoe when providing honest feedback. You must speak up. You have to trust other people to carry your vision. You must not burn any bridges. You must only bring in people and organizations or sponsors who truly support you and your cause. Don’t take money from people who don’t align with your values. Don’t burn yourself out trying to handle it all–spread out the responsibilities. Don’t take that as an excuse to shove responsibility onto other people: own everything you do. Anything worth doing is worth doing well.

[Jason] No portfolio presentations (unless specifically that is focused on making a good and presentable portfolio.) No filler. No lies.

Provide more value to every attendee than the price of admission.


San-Francisco-and-Chicago-hosted brainstorming sessions to name the conference

Concerning events, like conferences/summits/workshops, what are their purpose or obligation in our society, the world?
[Laura] Like I said earlier, sharing collective knowledge is really important for the design community. Seasoned designers have a unique opportunity to shape the minds of young designers, and that’s really important. Christopher Murphy talked about this very thing in our interview. One day, his mentor told him that as teachers, they’re literally designing the minds of their students. It blew his mind to think of teaching that way. He takes his job really seriously, and I admire him for that.

It’s also amazing to me that the more time we spend on our devices, the more we treasure our time away from them. Services like Foursquare document the fact that you were in a physical place with your friends. That’s really special. Events that bring people together are important the way a long talk with a friend is important. Giving people the space to learn, grow, and reflect on their own lives and shortcomings. A safe space to examine yourself, and determine what you can do to be better and provide better experiences for the people around you. Reflecting on why we make rather than how we make is important, and I think the obligation of events is to support this kind of thinking, sharing, and growing in any given community.

[Jason] Additional viewpoints. There are a lot of designers who just work at one job with the same team for a sizable amount of time. Other perspectives are out there. There are other ways of doing things, for better and worse.
 
Who are your influences related to design?
[Laura] My own mentors and friends are the most influential. The funny thing about mentors is how they’re woven into your life at just the right time. Dan Saffer, the creative director at Smart Design, is a current influence. He demonstrates qualities that I aspire to in leadership: understanding the desires of the people he leads in order to help them become better designers. It sounds simple, but so many people don’t get to that level of understanding with their staff. Design is about relationships, so my influences are the relationships I have with other designers.

Ryan Freitas and Shawn Collins at about.me taught me how to be wrong, how to be right, and how to listen to feedback. Mandy Brown is always teaching me something, most recently not to quit my side projects. Marc O’Brien’s work inspires me to run as fast as I can towards the things I want to do in life in regards to design, even when I don’t know what they are yet. Jennifer Maples teaches me how to be a better adult. Linda Eliasen is a better illustrator than I’ll ever be. Xiulung Choy makes technology look fun and he values fine art. I could go on and on–I’m very lucky to have people in my life who support me and encourage me, whether they know it or not.

[Jason] Andy Warhol. Process and body of work. Dieter Rams (Braun), who possibly lead the most influential product design department in the last decade. There’s a reason why Apple does things the way they do. ;)

How important is it for you to follow your instincts?
[Laura] It’s very important for me to follow my instincts. My Meyers-Briggs personality type is XNFJ, in which F stands for Feeling and J stands for judgement. Essentially I use my own intuition to guide my actions. Most recently, intuition led me to work with Jason. Following my instincts is the reason I’m a designer in San Francisco today. It all started with a hunch that I should go to art school, because art had been my most consistent interest in life to that point. I learned to recognize through experience that when I followed my intuition, it led me to more satisfying experiences. Another way to think of it is being honest with yourself, about your own strengths and limitations, about what you really want. When you go against your instincts is when you get into trouble, and find yourself where you knew you shouldn’t be. When you follow your intuition, you learn to recognize when you’re exactly where you should be. It feels like home.

[Jason] Depends. I modify my instincts based on situation. I always have a gut feeling, however how I act on it is modified per scenario.

How do you get the word out about Hike?
[Laura] Talking! We’ve been sharing the news with our close friends, mentors, colleagues, anyone we meet, really. It’s an easy party conversation. “What do you do?” “I’m planning a conference.” People tend to have a lot of questions, and it’s fun to share the story.

[Jason] Help us!

How do you attract sponsors?
[Laura] Through the relationships and connections that we already have. It’s not so much attracting but just asking people, very plainly and nicely. Have I mentioned how important relationships are?

[Jason] Top secret. Actually a lot of the sponsors have been our friends and network. The board has some really great connections out there.

What is your definition of growth, as it relates to event-creation and management?
[Laura] My personal definition of growth is only as much as the community needs. On the local level, I’m in favor of keeping the events on the small side. I prefer when people can get to know one another without being overwhelmed by a thousand people. On the national level, Jason and I are interested in hosting the conference in more cities in the future. I’m from Tennessee, so it would mean a lot to me to host a Hike event in Chattanooga or Nashville. Events don’t have to be huge to be important. It’s the quality of the community and the willingness for people to participate that’s most important to me.

[Jason] We just want to fill enough seats that the thousands of hours were worth it to us. We’re not really focused on opening a Hike in every city, like CreativeMornings, or anything at this point.

How would you describe Hike’s culture? And why is it important?
[Laura] Hike’s culture is fairness and a lot of fun. It’s funny, because I haven’t thought of Hike having a culture until just now. I think Jason and I set the tone for the board and our volunteers with our personalities and the way we work together, which includes a lot of laughter and trusting each other. We make decisions quickly because we don’t have time to debate forever. It goes back to instincts: we agree on something and it’s settled, unless we later think of a solid reason to go in a different direction. We all have a common goal to get this thing off the ground, and we all trust each other to pull weight. We all need each other, and we all like each other.

It’s important because when I imagine the opposite—a group of people who have big egos and selfish motivations—it sounds like a nightmare to me. I only want to work with people who are better than me and who respect each other. We’re really lucky to be working with our group of volunteers. Once a week, Jason and I have a “holy shit” moment. Everyone on our team is amazing. We couldn’t do this without them.

[Jason] The entire day of the conference will not be speakers presenting to you. There is a focus on collaborative sessions where your input will be shared with smaller groups.


The board meets weekly on a Google Hangout. Special guests include Jennifer Hansen’s cat.

How can people learn and be informed
about the Hike conference?
[Laura] Through our website, hikecon.com, and on Twitter @hikecon. The full website will be up in early February with our list of speakers and more details about what Hike is.

What conferences/gatherings do you enjoy experiencing?
[Laura] I enjoy experiencing small local gatherings here in San Francisco. Jennifer Maples’ StrategyTNT, at Makeshift Society, brings in speakers who discuss design strategy and their careers. Joe Robinson hosts a Designers+Geeks event where I saw Aarron Walter from Mailchimp speak at the Yelp headquarters. Julie Horvath’s Passion Projects at Github are a big one. She brings women in to speak about side projects, from code to lettering and illustration. It’s been really amazing to see Julie grow the idea and community over the last year, and I can’t wait to see where she takes it this year. Julie is another design inspiration for me, in that her hustle is so fierce. If we all worked half as hard as Julie, I don’t even know what would happen. We’d spontaneously combust.

At a higher level, I enjoy events where I can really connect with everyone involved, from the organizer and speakers to the other attendees. It really helps me get out of my own work and remember that I’m part of a huge community of people with different strengths and passions.

[Jason] In 2013, I went to a lot of conferences. I’m starting to get a lot less hyped about events where speakers just show a glorified portfolio as their presentation. For me, I’d rather hear a speaker talk about life in general for 45 minutes.

I’m more hyped about shared creative experiences, like hackathons and passion weekends. I think the coolest ideas are coming from these, and that they are absolutely valuable for people who attend and learn new skills, see how others work and make some cool connections.

On creativity, design, working

Design writer Alissa Walker wrote an article called “Women in Industrial Design: Where My Ladies At?” Where are the Ladies in Design/Development/Strategy/Business, et al., at?
[Laura] We’re right here! *waves hands* A common explanation is that women are raised to be more passive and less aggressive than men, which leads to us shying away from the spotlight. I have to admit that it does feel weird to put myself out there and shout, “Hey, look at me! I’m making cool things.” But I think there’s more to the story than that.

Kai Brach of Offscreen Magazine just posted an explanation of the unbalanced gender line-up they’ve had with their interviews. It seems like there are a handful of women who become well-known for their trade, and end up doing a lot of interviews. I think they become our representation of women in the industry, and the rest of us can just keep on working. We’re so focused on cranking out work that we aren’t taking time to produce talks and answer interviews. I’ve got to admit that it feels strange for me to be doing it now, but I know that this is what it takes in order to share your message. I’m more passionate about sharing the Hike story than I am afraid of putting myself in this uncomfortable space.

By the way, it’s incredibly satisfying to see my company, Smart Design, mentioned in the article. Femme Den started in our New York office, and now there’s a contingency of San Francisco folks who are refreshing it and reviving the whole movement. My colleagues are starting a feminist literature book club, and expanding the concept beyond marketing. Smart Design is an incredible example of how a modern workplace should be: it’s pro-women, pro-work-life balance, pro-employee happiness.

So where are the ladies at? We’re right here, making an impressive amount of work for you.

[Jason] Our Hike board is all ladies but myself. They are out there. Most of our volunteers are also female.

My agency, Bright Bright Great, is also more female than male.

How do you handle disagreements while you’re working?
[Laura] We talk it out! Jason and I are very, very different, and that’s part of what I love about working together. When we disagree on something, we just talk about it until we reach a mutual understanding. We respect each other enough to listen.

[Jason] We are a small team (under 10), so that allows us the opportunity to talk everything out. Since we base all of our work on usability and functionality, the disagreements are usually about how to make something better, opposed to typical feedback like “I don’t like that.”

Disagreements become so much more clear when data and analytics are involved.

What part of your work is particularly trying,
and how do you deal with it?
[Laura] There are a lot of moving pieces, and often things get lost in translation. I’m taking on several different jobs at once: project managing, sponsorship, and contributing to marketing outreach. We deal with it by talking to each other a lot, and talking to our board members a lot. It takes a lot of patience, because it can be frustrating to not know what’s going on. Things flow more smoothly when Jason and I are checking in and carving out our responsibilities on a daily or weekly basis.

[Jason] Being the small team, my role is running the company (Operations), all sales (Sales Director), leading all creative (Creative Director) down to things like paying bills and emptying the trash. Time is the biggest factor I am up against.

To make sure that my day as well as my entire team’s days are as valuable as possible, we have pretty tight processes around we do everything. We use tools to allow us to succeed like Freshbooks, Basecamp, and other apps.

I think our processes are extremely smart. That affords us time to make sure our work is done.



What is your workspace like? How does it contribute 
to doing the quality of work you want to do?
[Laura] My workspace is wherever my brain, notebook, and/or computer are. Smart is incredibly supportive of the conference, so I end up conducting a lot of business there. Otherwise, I work from my bed, my kitchen, my backyard…right now I’m in a coffee shop. I moved three times last year, so I’m a very mobile person. I’ve learned that I only need a comfortable, spacious place to get work done. I’ve just got to be relaxed and focused, and I seek cozy environments that help me achieve that mindset.

[Jason] Bright Bright Great is a wide open space. Everyone sits together forcing everyone to collaborate on all projects even if designers, marketers, etc., aren’t on that specific project.

You can peek into our space here. We are also putting up lots of photos of our space on Instagram at brightbrightgreat and on Facebook.

What tools do you use and recommend to work on ideas 
and make them grow, to collaborate and get things done?
[Laura] I work almost entirely in my inbox and Google drive for collaborating. We use Basecamp to manage what our teams are doing, and set up different projects for each team: marketing, design, sponsorship, and so on. It’s not perfect, but we manage to get things done. I personally use IA Writer and Google Drive for any longer-form writing that needs to be done. The calendar on my iPhone is also very important.

[Jason] There’s a lot of tools out there. I recommend you have at least one to handle the following:

• Project Management, e.g., Basecamp
• Accounting, e.g., Freshbooks, Quickbooks
• Collaborative Documents, e.g., Google Drive

How do you stay creative? What are some
of your sources of motivation/inspiration?
[Laura] I stay creative by being really kind to myself. I work when I feel like working, and I take breaks when I’m not getting anything done. I don’t look at many inspiration blogs, they tend to overwhelm me. I’m inspired by all the I spend away from my computer. I love traveling, getting to know California, cooking meals, and film photography. Remembering to enjoy life is what motivates me to keep working on my dreams. If I worked all the time, I would get really burnt out. I worked a lot in college and made a lot of great work that I’m proud of. But in hindsight, I wish I had spent a little more time drinking wine and shooting the breeze on my best friend’s front porch.

[Jason] We don’t work long hours, which I know is not the norm. Everyone is required to put in a full work day at our office, but all of that other time is about being out in the world and getting excited for how many amazing things are out there.

Every person on my team must have at least one other creative skill that they are a master of. For example, design and photography, design and modeling, design and music creation. We get each other excited with our skills, and learn together, which is always fun.

What is your definition of bad design?
[Laura] My definition of bad design is anything that solves problems that don’t need to be solved, or aren’t actually problems at all. I was just talking about this with my boyfriend last night, about how bad design and all the money in Silicon Valley is laughable. But at the same time, sometimes really stupid ideas lead to amazing products that can have significant cultural influence. Twitter is a great example of that. The founders didn’t know exactly what they were making or why, and now people use it to connect with one another in ways that were unimaginable when the idea was first conceived. It was just a silly little thing.

If everything were designed seriously and with purpose, how would we know what’s actually good and relevant? We need bad design to really appreciate good design.

[Jason] Anything that doesn’t solve the problem posed. Because I am a hard-ass at work, we not only strive to solve the problems but end up with solutions that amaze.

If you were posed, “Laura and Jason, I have an idea 
for a conference. How do I get this real?” What’s your response?
[Laura] Find someone to work with. Don’t try to do it on your own. Understand why you’re making it, and be very specific about who your audience is. Most ideas are broad enough to encompass a whole spectrum of people, but you really need to define your target audience and understand them completely. By focusing on one specific group of people, you’ll find your own voice and direction is much clearer.

[Jason] Creating a conference is bigger than you, even if this is just your idea or brand. Working with a team of amazing people who you can count on and will share the load is really what it’s about.



Other aspects of your work that would be interesting 
to creative practitioners and aspiring product/business makers?
[Laura] I’ve said it twice, I’ll say it again: relationships. Cultivating relationships is the single-most important part of a creative career. You will be a much better person for seeking mentorship and connecting with your creative peers. They will teach you more than you can imagine.

[Jason] The reason why we are doing this in the first place is because of The Secret Handshake and Form and Future. This is interesting for the students and young creators, because the content is so strong. How did the best designers do it? What did they do to get to where they are today? How do they define success?

How do the cities of Chicago and San Francisco contribute to your work? And what makes each special for startups/business/creativity-at-large?
[Laura] San Francisco is obviously a huge tech hub, and that’s a big part of what people hear. It’s the “new Silicon Valley.” I’m more interested in the less-discussed side of San Francisco, the part of the city that still fosters artists and creatives and entrepreneurs who aren’t exactly tech-focused. Rena Tom, the founder of Makeshift Society, really opened my eyes to that part of our city. Personally, San Francisco contributes to my work by it’s incredible weirdness and beauty. There’s such a rich and conflicting history here, and it’s really interesting to live here right now. I hope the city can find a way to support its artists and residents without just catering to the ultra-rich.

[Jason] I am very pro-Chicago. I think it’s no where as visible as New York City, or San Francisco, but there are amazing things happening here, as well as amazing talent.

• • •

All images courtesy of Laura Helen Winn and Jason Schwartz of Hike.

• • •

Typeface of quotation is Avant Garde.

• • •

For more conferences/summits/camps/meet-ups related to art, business, design, storytelling, technology, and more, see this list.

• • •

Hike co-creator and organizer Laura Helen Winn emphasized the importance of having mentors. Read my reflection, “Mentorship keeps me awake and aware.”

• • •

Read more from Design Feast Series of Interviews
with people who love making things.

---

Please consider supporting Design Feast
If you liked this lovingly-made interview, show your appreciation by helping to support my labor of love—Design Feast, which proudly includes this blog. Learn more.

“Convening power” energized: Gatherings for Creatively-Hearted and Minded People

First CreativeMornings gathering in Chicago. View more.

In his CreativeMornings/New York talk, author Seth Godin emphasized the “convening power” that everyone possesses. Here’s a running list of gatherings for creative professionals. They include conferences/summits/camps/meet-ups—various opportunities to help your planning of community events to experience. These gatherings generally share the theme of creativity applied to many areas, like business, design, storytelling, work, writing, the Web, and more.

---

A Better World by Design – “…a three-day conference at Brown and Rhode Island School of Design that cultivates a global community of socially-conscious and passionate innovators.”

All About People – “Creating Amazing Workplaces”
Discovered 6-30-2014

Altitude Summit – “…your definitive resource for the very serious business of beautiful, brilliant blogging and cutting-edge creativity. Alt Summit is a community of exciting, creative thinkers and entrepreneurs. Altitude Summit holds a variety of workshops around the country and on the web. Collaborate, explore, investigate and learn with all your closest friends, and friends-to-be!”

An Event Apart – “…an intensely educational two-day conference for passionate practitioners of standards-based web design. If you care about code as well as content, usability as well as design, An Event Apart is the conference you’ve been waiting for.”

Ampersand – “…an affordable one-day event for knowledgable web designers and type enthusiasts.”

The Armory Show – “…is devoted to showcasing the most important artworks of the 20th and 21st centuries. In its fifteen years the fair has become an international institution, combining a selection of the world's leading galleries with an exceptional program of arts events and exhibitions throughout New York during the celebrated Armory Arts Week.”
Discovered 1-14-2014

ARTIFACT – “…an intimate two-day, single-track conference that helps WEB DESIGNERS and DEVELOPERS adapt their tools and processes to the challenges of designing for a MULTI-DEVICE world.”

Atmosphere – “…a conference dedicated to companies which rapidly develop their services on the Web.”
Discovered 1-8-2014

---

beyond tellerrand – “The affordable 3-day event with intensive workshops and high quality talks for web enthusiasts: design, tech, inspiration and networking.”
Discovered 1-10-2014

Beyond The Desktop – “…focuses on new, emerging techniques for web development and design for mobile devices. Our speakers are hand-picked to make sure you get challenging, well-delivered talks from a variety of different perspectives.”

The Big Ears Festival – “…brings together musicians and artists who span generations and transcend genres for dozens of concerts along with installations, exhibitions, film screenings, interactive workshops, informative talks, surprise collaborations, and unexpected connections.”
Discovered 1-18-2014

Big Omaha – “Every spring Big Omaha brings together the nation's most passionate members of the entrepreneurial community including founders, investors, designers, and emerging leaders to build community, start conversation, and provide inspiration.”

Blend – “A generalist conference featuring 50 diverse speakers sharing ideas and conversations about user experience, design, and web development.”

BlogHer conferences – “BlogHer is a platform for sharing great voices, stories and ideas.”

Brand New Conference – “…organized by UnderConsideration on corporate and brand identity with today’s most active and influential practitioners from around the world.”
Discovered 2-20-2014

Break – “…questions the edges of design, asking what design might become in a connected culture.”
Discovered 1-11-2014

Brooklyn Beta – “…an annual gathering of some of the friendliest folks on the Web. Join us for three days of fun away from your computer.”

Build Guild – “…a friendly, monthly gathering for all web folks that enjoy chatting over drinks.”

Business Innovation Factory conference – “From exciting workshops to our annual Collaborative Innovation Summit, BIF offer a set of experiences designed to help you master new techniques for creating innovation.”

Business of Software Conference – “…a peer learning conference for 400 of the world’s leading software entrepreneurs who are building great products and great software businesses.”

---

CAMP – “Business conference meets summer camp!”
Discovered 2-17-2015

Camp Mighty – “…an annual retreat for bloggers, Go Mighty members, online content creators, and life list enthusiasts who want to do good for themselves and for others.”

Circles – “…a two-day gathering of creatives from around the world. Learn from world-changing thinkers and innovators in both the non-profit and creative community. Mingle with others who share the same passions you do! Topics will encompass passion, creativity, processes and journeys. So if you are looking for the typical HOW-TO session, this is definitely not the place.”

CMS Expo – “…serves content management pros in businesses, non-profits, education and government units. Come for learning sessions, panels, real-world case studies and business networking.”
Discovered 1-8-2014

CMX Summit – “…a new event bringing together the world’s greatest community minds to share unique perspectives, experiences and ideas all around community building.”
Discovered 1-13-2014

The Combine – “…a display of talent, innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit in Bloomington, Indiana.”
Discovered 3-20-2014

Compostmodern – “Faced with a world in seemingly constant disruptive flux, Compostmodern, the biennial conference for sustainability and design, will gather visionaries from around the globe to explore design’s role in creating a more resilient world.”

Confab: Content Strategy Conference – “…brings together professionals everywhere who realize the value of content. User experience. Marketing. IT. Business management. This is one big party for content-loving folks who value smart thinking, voracious learning, and constant improvement in the workplace and beyond.”

The Conference – “For one week, every year, 1 000 participants and amazing speakers from all over the world gather in Malmö, Sweden, to share their insights on Human Behaviors, New Technologies and the Execution of Ideas.”
Discovered 1-21-2014

Content Marketing World – “…the one event where you can learn and network with the best and the brightest in the content marketing industry. You will leave with all the materials you need to take a content strategy back to your team—and—to implement a content marketing plan that will grow your business and engage your audience.”

ConvergeFL – “Three days of web design and development instruction, insight and inspiration.”

ConveyUX – “The Conference for Improving Communication in the Software UX”
Discovered 1-7-2014

Craft – “…is about software craftsmanship, which tools, methods, practices should be part of the toolbox of a modern developer and company, and it is a compass on new technologies, trends. You can learn from the best speakers and practitioners in our community.”
Discovered 1-21-2014

Craftcation – “…an indie business and DIY workshop conference.”

Crafting Type – “…an intense 3-day workshop where absolute beginners learn how to design typefaces, and intermediate designers boost their skills.”
Discovered 2-11-2014

CreativeMornings – “…a breakfast lecture series for the creative community.”

Creative South – “…one of the premier art and design events in the Southeast. Unlike any other conference, Creative South prides itself in nurturing personal design conversations with the creative community at all levels. It’s far more than just a networking event. Creative South exposes creative and marketing professionals, business people, and students to key speakers on the subject of branding and design in the digital era. It’s a showcase of cutting-edge design and arts trends, but served up on a Southern tablecloth.”

C2MTL – “A business conference somewhere between genius and insanity”
Discovered 1-18-2014

Cusp Conference – “…a conference about the design of everything.”

---

dConstruct – “…a veritable smörgåsbord of clever clogs gathered together to twist our perceptions of technology and culture.”

Dare – “People skills for digital workers”

Delight – “…a two-day conference in Portland, Oregon for brands and professionals who care about making experiences people love.”
Discovered 1-8-2014

Design Indaba – “With a focus on international thought leadership, the Design Indaba Conference has become one of the world’s leading design events. Independently curated with a focus on case studies and ingenious problem solving, rather than simply eye-catching portfolios, conference alumni are contemporary industry pacesetters.”

Design It: Build It – “…a thought leadership conference for web designers and developers”
Discovered 1-18-2014

designjunction – “…showcases the very best in furniture, lighting and product design from around the world, presenting world-class brands against stunning industrial backdrops. designjunction strikes a balance between creative and commercial, offering a much-needed alternative to the traditional trade show.”
Discovered 1-13-2014

Design Principles and Practices conference – “…is built upon four key features: Internationalism, Interdisciplinarity, Inclusiveness, and Interaction. Conference delegates include leaders in the field as well as emerging artists and scholars, who travel to the conference from all corners of the globe and represent a broad range of disciplines and perspectives. A variety of presentation options and session types offer delegates multiple opportunities to engage, to discuss key issues in the field, and to build relationships with scholars from other cultures and disciplines.”

Design Week Portland – “…explores the process, craft, and practice of design across disciplines as seen through the lens of our city’s most vibrant independent programming. Design Week Portland stitches together the events and happenings that will connect, educate, and inspire. These independently-organized events aim to engage individuals, agencies, studios, museums, businesses, universities, and policy-makers. They are the focus. Design Week Portland is but a platform.”

Designer Vaca – “We are gathering together female graphic and web designers from all over the country to dream, relax, collaborate, share experiences, and learn from each other. This intimate environment has a relaxed anti-conference feel creating space for amazing connections and beautiful relationships to take place.”

DIG SOUTH – “…the Southeast’s interactive festival celebrating innovation and the digital economy.”
Discovered 1-7-2014

Detroit Design Festival – “North America’s Festival of Independent Design. The Detroit Creative Corridor Center (‘DC3’) established DDF to connect Detroit’s fiercely independent creatives with one another, introduce them to new markets and consumers, and expose Detroit’s creative talent and collective design aesthetic to national and global audiences.”
Discovered 5-16-2014

Digital PM Summit – “Two days of engaging presentations and conversations exploring how digital projects are managed.”

Distill – “…a two-day conference for people who create and build web and mobile technology.”
Discovered 6-20-2014

Do Lectures – “Inspiring talks from people who are changing the world. GO DO.”

Draft and Draw – “Doodling. Thinking. Drawing. Drinking.”

---

EG – “…is the premiere gathering of and for innovators in media, technology, entertainment and education. The conference explores our most creative enterprises, by engaging a gifted mix of people—from rising stars to living national treasures, the people who attend EG are among the most industrious and iconoclastic talents of our time.”
Discovered 1-21-2014

EPIC Conference – “…promotes the use of ethnographic investigations and principles in the study of human behavior as they are applied in business settings.”

Everywhere Else – “The only conference series focused entirely on startups”

Evolve – “Symposiums tackling the most critical, relevant, and timely business issues for principals of graphic design firms.”
Discovered 1-17-2014

Eyeo – “…assembles an incredible set of creative coders, data designers and artists, and attendees—expect enthralling talks, unique workshops and interactions with open source instigators and super fascinating practitioners.”
Discovered 1-14-2014

---

Feast Conference – “Focused on sparking lasting partnerships, The Feast Conference unleashes our collective creativity on addressing some of society’s most pressing challenges. Through hands-on workshopping and presentations from the forefront of innovation, participants engage each other in creating partnerships that lead to lasting change.”

Feast Worldwide – “You’re invited to bring your awesome to the dinner table to make the world work better.”
Discovered 9-29-2014

Female Founders Conference – “…Y Combinator’s Female Founders Conference, where female founders we’ve funded, along with some distinguished guests, will share practical advice from their own experience.”
Discovered 2-19-2014 via @heatherpayne

FinishUp Weekend – “Join writers, designers, developers, photographers, engineers and other awesome people to finish what you’ve already started.”
Discovered 2-10-2014 via @alwaysunday

FITC – “Future. Innovation. Technology. Creativity.”
Discovered 8-28-2014

Founding Moms Conference – “Tailored and focused to the mom entrepreneur community.”
Discovered 9-29-2014

Front-End design conference – “A web design conference focused on content, presentation and behavior.”

Front End Operations Conference – “…a 2-day conference dedicated to Front End Operations, an emerging discipline in web application development and engineering.”
Discovered 2-18-2014

Future of Storytelling – “…a special two-day gathering of technology, media, and communications visionaries. The experience is fully immersive, designed to put participants in direct contact with the most vital ideas, people, and technologies that are shaping the way we tell stories.”

Future of Web Design – “…for Web Designers and Front-end Developers. To unite, inspire and equip web designers around the world.”
Discovered 1-18-2014

---

Geek Girl Camp – “To educate/empower every woman/girl at every age, every skill level, at every income level on computer technology with fun and provide a legacy by giving back.”
Discovered 1-14-2014

GEL – “A conference for leaders and innovators who care about the customer experience.”

Generate conferences – “…presented by ‘net’ magazine—the world’s leading print and digital publication for web designers.”

GIANT – “A Conference For People Who Create Rad Experiences”

Global Coworking Unconference Conference – “We’re coasting on a wave of accelerated serendipity, making the future of work happen in a whole new way.”
Discovered 1-22-2014

Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing – “…the World’s Largest Gathering of Women Technologists”
Discovered 2-17-2015

GROW – “…a technology conference that brings together entrepreneurs, thinkers, influencers and investors to inspire innovation.”

---

Handheld Conference – “Big ideas for small devices”

Hay Festival – “…gathers people together to think about the world as it is and to imagine how it might be. It's a big conversation about discovery and intellectual adventure. Hay is, in Bill Clinton's phrase, ‘the Woodstock of the mind’.”
Discovered 1-19-2014

Healthcare Experience Design – “…you’ll join designers, technologists, product managers, researchers, entrepreneurs, visionaries, and dreamers representing a broad spectrum of companies and organizations in the healthcare space. Through this inspired mix of presenters and attendees, HxD will explore the overlap of healthcare and design. Speakers will discuss how human-centered design and design thinking can improve the quality of health service delivery and digital interactions, helping all of us achieve better health.”

High Five Conference – “Where marketing and creativity meet”
Discovered 2-22-2014

Hike – “A conference for designers looking for insight, honest answers, and solid solutions to go pro. Held in two cities—San Francisco in April and Chicago in October—with speakers as well as workshops/small group sessions for actual help.”

HOW Design Live – “…the biggest annual gathering of creative professionals, anywhere. HOW Design Live’s programming is divided into five conferences: HOW Design Conference, The Dieline Conference, In-House Management Conference, Creative Freelancer Business Conference”

HxRefactored – “Bringing designers and developers together to improve the health experience.”
Discovered 4-2-2014

HybridConf – “…a celebration of the people of our industry. Those bound by a love of creation.”
Discovered 2-18-2014

---

IA Summit – “…is the premier gathering place for people and ideas in information architecture + user experience.”

ICON – “The Illustration Conference”
Discovered 8-28-2014

!deation Conference

IdeaFestival – “…a celebration for the intellectually curious. It’s an eclectic network of global thinkers and one-of-a-kind innovators bound together by an intense curiosity about what is impacting and shaping the future of the arts, business, technology, design,  science,  philosophy and education.”
Discovered 1-12-2014

IndieWebCamp – “…a 2-day creator camp focused on growing the independent web.”
Discovered 2-18-2014

Impact Conference by Computer Arts magazine – “The focus of the conference is how to achieve—and celebrate—excellence and consistency in branding wherever it is manifest.”

In Control Conference – “The AIGA Orlando Web + Mobile Design Conference”
Discovered 4-14-2014

Industry – “A practical knowledge sharing web conference with different speakers in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.”
Discovered 1-11-2014

Interaction – “…an initiative of the Interaction Design Association (IxDA), a global network of over 55,000 members worldwide dedicated to the professional practice of Interaction Design.”

Internet of Things Un-Conference – “…designing, making and bringing IoT [Internet of Things] products to market.”
Discovered 6-23-2014

Internet Summit – “…a premier digital strategies forum with a goal of educating and promoting forward thinking and thought leadership on topics related to internet business and marketing.”

I/OWA – “…is the conference for the Iowa Startup Community. Entrepreneurs, technologists, and leaders unite.”
Discovered 1-18-2014

---

Journalism Interactive – “The conference on journalism education and digital media”
Discovered 2-27-2014

---

Kerning Conference – “The First Italian Conference On Typography and Web Typography”

---

London Design Festival – “…is one of the world's most important annual design events. The Festival programme is made up of over 300 events and exhibitions staged by hundreds of partner organisations across the design spectrum and from around the world.”
Discovered 1-13-2014

Lost Lectures – “…is an underground series that’s re-imagining the lecture concept, pushing it’s boundaries to their creative edges by creating immersive worlds and unforgettable experiences with World-class speakers across an eclectic host of fields.”
Discovered 1-19-2014

---

Made by Few – “A conference for people who make beautiful things on the web.”

Maker Faire – “Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. All of these “makers” come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and to share what they have learned.”

Makerland – “…organized for everyone interested in getting to know world of makers and hardware, taking place in Warsaw, Poland.”
Discovered 2-20-2014

Meaning – “…exists to help connect and inspire the people who believe in better business. Be part of the change. Our speakers are international thinkers and doers from business, academia and activism, each bringing their view of the challenges and opportunities available to us.”

The Meat – “…a gathering of world acclaimed creatives inviting you to come in and challenge your perception of the day job and to redefine what it means to be a creative person in this new era of design.”
Discovered 1-7-2014

Midwest UX Conference – “…a unique three-day event that combines inspiring talks with hands-on activities presented by a mix of regional professionals and international experts.”

Misfit – “…an artisan and handcrafted event produced by AJ Leon and his band of remarkable Misfits. A tiny conference about making a huge dent in the universe.”
Discovered 6-30-2014

MoxieCon – “…a day–long crash course on the business side of design and technology. Practical talks and workshops on how to be more assertive, how to self-promote, how to sell your ideas, and how to protect yourself legally. In short, how to make that cheddar and look good doing it.”

---

Nearly Impossible – “…an event for people who make and sell physical products. The two-day conference will focus on the stories of how companies have tackled their biggest hurdles and the tools we can all use to make even the biggest challenges seem more possible.” Featured by Swissmiss.

99U Conference – “The goal of the 99U is to shift the focus from idea generation to idea execution. To accomplish this, we bring together some of the world’s most productive creative visionaries and leading researchers to share pragmatic insights on how ideas are brought to life.”

---

OFFF Festival – “…is a way of understanding art. A way of life. Evolving and transforming.”
Discovered 1-18-2014

OpenCo – “…occurs inside the world’s most innovative startups and high-growth companies. Executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and future influencers get an up close and personal experience of each company in its native habitat.”
Discovered 1-21-2014

Oppi Festival – “…brings together global teachers, academics, education leaders, businesses, entrepreneurs, young people and more. In fact, anyone with an interest in education will get real value from this exciting festival.”
Discovered 4-29-2014

---

Peers – “…a tech conference for web designers, PHP developers and web business owners. An event focused on people, not plugins, and solutions, not software. Whether you’re a pixel-pusher, an artisan or a maker, Peers is for you.”

PePcon: The Print + ePublishing Conference – “…features the top speakers and experts in the field of print and ePublishing, including best-selling authors, internationally-known trainers, and consultants on the front lines of the publishing industry. We have built a reputation as the premier Adobe InDesign-oriented event in North America, and our speakers are the heart and soul of what makes this the print + epublishing conference.”
Discovered 2-27-2014

Pioneer Nation – “We don’t believe most conferences serve independent entrepreneurs well. We want to bring together like-minded people and help them excel at their businesses, learning new skills and applying what they learn. Pioneer Nation is designed for people who already have some experience with independent work. If you’re just getting started, that’s OK. (But if you’re not interested in entrepreneurship at all, this isn’t for you.)”

PLAY and MAKE – “Running for 13 years and for everybody who is interested in technology and design. Tinkerers, makers, web designers and developers, creative coders, designers … you name it.”
Discovered 1-10-2014

PopTech – “We bring innovators together from many different fields—science, technology, design, corporate and civic leadership, public health, social and ecological innovation, and the arts and humanities, among others—in a network that complements the silos.”
Discovered 1-12-2014

Printers Ball – “Chicago’s largest annual celebration of literary and print making culture.”

Products Are Hard – “…a one-day, one-track conference for product managers, designers, engineers, and anyone who cares about creating things. Come together for a cross-disciplinary discussion on the art, business, and science of bringing great products to life.”

PSFK – “A curated collection of creative thinkers will present new ideas in design, innovation and storytelling to an audience of peers.”

push.conference – “…unites creative coding and user experience design, by offering a platform for designers, developers and UX professionals.”
Discovered 1-18-2014

---

Reasons to be Creative – “…a conference for web designers, coders, and anyone with a creative mind.”
Discovered 1-10-2014

Reboot – “Why do so many people let fear and uncertainty prevent them from pursuing their goals?”

RE:DESIGN – “…a series of events. Some focus on a general aspect of design, like Inspiration. Others are geared towards a particular segment, such as UX design or interior design. At each event, there are inclusive, small-scale conversations led by design industry leaders. These are discussions where you will talk with inspiring thought leaders, trading ideas and creating connections.”

Refresh South – “…a week long celebration of all things startup, tech, education, arts, and music. If you work in government, non-profits, or business this is your opportunity to refresh your mind/contacts/ideas and change the world!”
Discovered 1-8-2014

RE.WORK – “…combines entrepreneurship, technology and science to solve some of the world's greatest challenges using emerging technology. We showcase the opportunities of exponentially accelerating technologies and their impact on business and society.”

---

Sass Conf – “A conference for front-end developers and designers that love Sass and are passionate about building a better, more beautiful web”

SecondConf – “An annual gathering of technologists passionate about creating great things”

SEEK – “…a one day design conference organized by students of Northern Illinois University’s Visual Communication Program.”

Semi-Permanent – “…is a creative platform spreading art and design inspiration. It consists of a conference and side events which include exhibitions, competitions, workshops and parties.”
Discovered 1-18-2014

Sketchcamp – “While other Sketchcamp events have focused on user experience, the goal for this event is to bring in a variation of techniques to reach a broader audience. This diverse group of industry professionals have the sketch chops and breadth of knowledge to share their techniques on an introductory level—allowing you to get your hands dirty and learn which techniques work best for you!”

Slow Art Day – “The annual event celebrating art. Slow Art Day is the global all-volunteer event with a simple mission: help more people discover for themselves the joy of looking at and loving art.”
Discovered 2-19-2014 via @philterry

Smashing Conference – “…an event for Web designers and developers. Organized by Vitaly Friedman and the Smashing Team [of Smashing Magazine].”
Discovered 1-10-2014

Social Fresh conference – “Our goal is to inspire people to create better businesses through social media.”

Spark Camp – “…spark projects and research together that would continue to pay dividends throughout the year and, hopefully, for many years to come.”
Discovered 2-17-2015

Story Chicago – “A Gathering of Creators, Dreamers and Entrepreneurs”

Summit Awesome – “…a meetup in the UK for a global collective of web makers.”

SXSW – “…original goal was to create an event that would act as a tool for creative people and the companies they work with to develop their careers, to bring together people from a wide area to meet and share ideas. That continues to be the goal today whether it is music, film or interactive technologies. And Austin continues to be the perfect location.”

---

TechfestNW – “…the little sister to MusicfestNW, the towering music festival (34,000 attendees), that has taken over the city of Portland for five days each year since 1995. In 2012, we added three days of tech programming, to honor and explore the technology, startups, and design culture that make Portland a digital hub.”

Techweek – “…to showcase, celebrate and enable emerging innovation ecosystems in the great cities. Techweek brings together a mixture of entrepreneurs, visionaries, and thought leaders for a week long celebration of all things tech. Our approach is to bring together an entire tech community under a single 7-day BIG TENT and then shine a global SPOT LIGHT on this ecosystem.”
Discovered 1-14-2014

10 Conference – “…brings together a community of global thought leaders and extraordinary innovators for a two-day conversation to explore the most important ideas shaping the future of business and society—and what they mean for our collective future.”

That Conference – “Spend 3 days, with 1000 of your fellow campers in 150 sessions geeking out on everything Mobile, Web and Cloud at a giant water park.”
Discovered 1-21-2014

ThingsCon – “…is a two-day conference about the future of the hardware business ranging from Internet of Things, wearables and connected devices to 3D printing and new manufacturing techniques.”
Discovered 1-21-2014

Third Coast International Audio Festival – “…curates sound-rich audio stories from around the world and shares them with as many ears as possible—on the radio, on the Internet, and at public listening events all over the place.”
Discovered 1-18-2014

3% Conference – “Women influence 80% of consumer spending yet only 3% of creative directors are women. Our mission is to support more female creative leadership in advertising agencies.”
Discovered 6-7-2014

Topcon – “…named after toponymy: the study of places and their names. For Chattanooga and other southern cities, this conference is an acknowledgement that good design should function as an investment in community.”

Tradeshow Bootcamp workshops – “…designed to give stationery manufacturers an open, honest and informative inside look at what goes into preparing for and exhibiting at large tradeshows.”

TypeCon – “…an annual conference presented by the non-profit Society of Typographic Aficionados (SOTA), an international organization dedicated to the promotion, study, and support of typography and related arts.”

TypeTalks – “…a collaborative activity designed to raise awareness of the power of typeface design and typography among both graphic design professionals and students.”
Discovered 1-8-2014

Typography Summer School – “…a meeting place for graduates of graphic design, wanting to bridge the gap between student and professional and learn more about typography. The school brings together leading practitioners and participants to study, exchange ideas, and investigate the discipline.”

2 Night Stand – “20 thinkers & makers dive into a weekend long creative bender.”
Discovered 2-15-2014

---

UX STRAT – “The UX Strategy Conference”

---

WantedDesign – “…is the meeting point for designers, manufacturers, industrials, craftsmen, students, design institutions, the press and all design lovers. WantedDesign is also playing a strong role, with our partners, to make NYCxDESIGN more dynamic and transform New York into a real design destination.”
Discovered 1-13-2014

Weapons of Mass Creation Fest – “…a grassroots event to inspire and enable the creative mind.”

Web Design Day – “…the best of Web Design to Pittsburgh in a fun, intimate and affordable event.”

WebVisions – “…an awesome conference that explores the future of web and mobile design, technology and digital media in NYC, Chicago, Portland and Barcelona.”

Women In Leadership and Business Conference – “Whether you are a CEO, senior or middle manager, entrepreneur or young emerging leader, WIL-B offers you dynamic presenters, refreshingly relevant topics and the chance to advance yourself while connecting with other inspiring business women.”

Work Revolution Summit – “What if work didn’t have to suck? We don’t think it does. We want to completely revolutionize work, and none of us can do it alone. Thus, the Summit.”

World Domination Summit – “…a gathering of creative, interesting people from all over the world. Every summer, thousands of people travel to Portland, Oregon, for an immersive experience in life, work, and travel.”

The World Science Festival – “…is an annual celebration and exploration of science that launched in 2008. A community informed by science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future.”
Discovered 2-19-2014

World IA Day – “…is about bringing the information architecture community together.”
Discovered 1-8-2014

---

XOXO Fest – “An experimental festival celebrating independently-produced art and technology”
Discovered 9-29-2014 via Daring Fireball

• • •

List of Female Entrepreneurs began by Tina Roth Eisenberg, of Swissmiss and inventor of CreativeMornings, for conference organizers who seek female speakers

“Women and conferences” by freelance web designer Laura and Kalbag

“Making ‘A Diverse Conference’” by software developer Nick Quaranto at 37signals

“The Awesomeness of Meet-Ups” by designer and consultant Val Head, who co-runs Web Design Day

“Non-Creepy Networking” by letterer and illustrator Jessica Hische

“Does Our Industry Have a Drinking Problem?” by web developer, writer, speaker Rachel Andrew

“The Unbalanced Line-Up” by Kai Brach of Offscreen magazine
Discovered 1-13-2014

“Ladies in Tech, Let’s Step It Up” by entrepreneur, blogger, traveler Yasmine Mustafa
Discovered 2-19-2014

---

Please consider supporting Design Feast
If you liked this lovingly-made collection, show your appreciation by helping to support my labor of love—Design Feast, which proudly includes this blog. Learn more.