Compared to other industry events, expectations are sky-high at design conferences. “Dentists, physicists, sociologists, taxidermists all meet to find out what’s new in their specialties. So do designers, but they are not happy about it,” Ralph Caplan former director of the Aspen International Design Conference once said to Eye Magazine, explaining the great challenge of creating extraordinary experiences with surprising and innovative details to satisfy design-savvy audiences.
Compared to other industry events, expectations are sky-high at design conferences. “Dentists, physicists, sociologists, taxidermists all meet to find out what’s new in their specialties. So do designers, but they are not happy about it,” Ralph Caplan former director of the Aspen International Design Conference once said to Eye Magazine, explaining the great challenge of creating extraordinary experiences with surprising and innovative details to satisfy design-savvy audiences.
The best conferences offer great value to multi-tasking designers. In a single event, one can find creative inspiration, learn about the latest gizmos, network with peers and vendors, broker new partnerships (or jobs), meet design luminaries, and experience the local hospitality of the host city along the way.
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Since the first dedicated design conference in 1949, a growing number of professional conferences around the world compete for audiences and choosing the right one is tricky. The decision is critical as attending any number of these mini creative retreats can run up to thousands of dollars after registration fees, travel expenses and the cost of time away from doing client work.
How to decide? Consider the speakers, the location, the event’s track record, and don’t forget the attendee list—after all, many of these annual meetings have become ersatz tribal gatherings for design professionals interested in distinct specializations.
Listed in chronological order, here’s a list of the design conferences we’re looking forward to this year.
TED
Design Indaba
Interaction 16
Offset
99U Conference
TYPO Berlin
SEGD Conference
Typographics
What Design Can Do
Mayo Clinic Transform Conference
Brand New Conference
AGI Open
PopTech
Adobe MAX
Web Summit
No time, no money? No worries. Many events listed above offer a livestream or a video recording of their event (often for free). But for a fuller experience, detach from the computer screen and show up at any number of worthwhile local events in person.
Check the events calendar of local universities, art schools, cultural institutes, museums, embassies, libraries, book stores, retail stores (like the local Apple store), vendors, or professional clubs that convene talks, symposia and festivals often at little or no cost for creative inspiration year round.
