Web Afternoon

Celebrate the Process of Getting Things Done

with Becky Simpson

We live in a world of information overload. We’re constantly forced to curate our lives, because we know that if we don’t, someone else will. Those of us who have found our home in creative industries are also learning how to hone our skills, manage our time and coddle the vision that got us here in the first place.

So with all of these distractions and opportunities, how do you force yourself to stay focused and just get the work done? Becky will talk about how she wrote and illustrated two books, created a backlog of art for 100 days and how she's building a product company based on her illustrations. She will share her six game-changing lessons that anyone can use to prioritize focus, hunker down and get started creating.

Once Upon a Drop Cap (When Words Were the Experience & Letters Were Your Voice)

with Jason Pamental

What we have to say has always been intimately intertwined with how we say it. Design is about communicating those ideas and influencing users’ behavior, so it follows that influence is imparted largely by how we design. For all our intellectual complexity, our brains are still wired to make near-instant judgements about the value and importance of the message we are receiving based on how that message appears.

Thankfully, most of us are still familiar enough with actual books to remember the feel of paper under our fingers, the smell of the ink, the elegant transitions from one idea to the next -- all in service of the story. While pixels remain odorless, there’s much more we can do than just deliver a digital message. Practiced typography transforms that message into a compelling experience. Let’s take a journey forward through time and see where typography can take us.

Remember Why You Started

with Tara Victoria

To remain authentic in a world of social media popularity, rapidly growing businesses and viral fame, it is imperative that we constantly reflect on our beginnings - our where, our why, and and our how. True passion holds story at it's core and the very expression of our stories can become the reason clients relate and gravitate towards working with us. As our creative journey unfolds and we grow from where we started, our why constantly evolves. When our why's take new shapes, our process can be directly affected. This talk sheds light on the idea of looking inward at the fire for a creative life, why we should never settle, and most importantly the great significance of our stories.

Souls & Machines: Designing the Future of Content

with Hannah Donovan

Not too long ago, it seemed like big data and collaborative filtering were going to solve our desires for discovery and inspiration. At the same time, platforms dedicated to new methods of self expression – music, writing, video etc. – have matured, and their new forms of content have become mainstays of our culture.

Today, content companies are adapting to become digital products, and tech companies are learning to make content. How does a product designer navigate this changing landscape? What are the answers to questions like “humans vs. computers”; “pro vs. user-generated content”; and “opinion vs. democracy”? This and more will be answered through case studies, experiments and of course, stories. Come to learn, stay for the fun :)

Designing for Happy Companies

with Meg Lewis

Or… How Getting Weird and Finding a Purpose Created a Design Mission — Meg Lewis, the world’s happiest person, shares her hilarious life journey and how it led to finding her purpose. Meg will discuss the benefits of leveraging your quirks to create a career mission. You’ll laugh and cry your way to a happy ending during this unconventional, fun talk!