MAR

2019

GROW: The AIGA Austin Conference for Emerging Designers

An interactive day of learning for designers starting their career or with up to 5 years of professional experience.

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Location:
St. Edward’s University

Drop us a line:
education@austin.aiga.org

— 2019

Indhira Rojas
Founder, Anxy Magazine
Photo credit: Michelle Le

Keynote by

Indhira Rojas

Indhira Rojas is the founder of Anxy Magazine and creative director and principal at Anagraph. For over a decade she has worked in the intersection of branding, editorial, and interaction design in the tech and publishing sector. Throughout her career she has collaborated with businesses and organizations large and small, such as The Bold Italic, Once, Modern Farmer, Atlas Obscura and the online platform Medium.

See our SCHEDULE

GROW

CONFERENCE OVERVIEW

GROW encourages emerging designers to think holistically about their career and provides a forum for individuals to learn the tools and mindsets that build a fulfilling professional path.

Saturday, March 30th

Schedule

8:30 am

Registration

Collect your swag bag, mingle for a bit, grab caffeine at Jo’s Coffee.

9:00 am

5:00 pm

Welcome

Opening remarks.

Closing

Thanks for coming out!

9:30 am

Lightning Talks

Choose a group of curated presentations from inspiring emerging designers:

Group 1

Esther Amaku

Musings from a Black Girl in Design
In this talk Esther shares her perspective on current racial and cultural issues, and looks at mechanisms through which she addresses them with illustration.

Flor Barajas

Data Speaks, Public Art in East vs. the West of Austin.
Data tells a story. This talk explores and visualizes the geographic differences the Public Artworks funding has created in the city by comparing West and East Austin.

Justin Reyna

Seeing What Sticks
As a self-taught designer, this talk explores Justin's journey into product design and the important lessons, in both career and life, that he's learned a long the way.

Edith Valle

Promoting Positive Change Through Design
‍The non-profit world is quickly realizing the value of having designers on their team. In this talk, Edith traces her journey from graduation to landing her current job as the only designer on her team at Deeds Not Words, a young women-focused non-profit led by Wendy Davis.

Group 2

Jamaal Tribune

Modular Fashion and the Benefits of Freeing Yourself within the Design Process‍
How we can liberate ourselves from over-designing? Jamaal explores how we create products that are responsive to not only our own needs, but the needs of the most affected stakeholders.

Kristin Taylor

Design & Open Source: It’s alright!
Learn how contributing to open source can make you a better designer, help you stand out from the crowd and make an big impact in the community.

Ryan Hicks

Designing "Why"
A recounting of all the "!!!" and "???" during the creation of an experimental typeface, a self-initiated project that prompted a motivational shift from speculation to action.

Group 3

Daniel Seong

Five for Five Years
A glimpse into Daniel's life five years after graduation as he explores the challenges that he faced and the practices that helped him move his career forward.

Victoria Valadez

Built to Error: Bias in Everyday Design and How to Avoid it in Your Work
What are the implications of the designs we create? Informed by design thinking and a greater need for ethics in design, this presentation investigates the biases "baked" into the products we use.

Yocelyn Riojas

To Hell With Good Intentions
The easiest thing in the world is to create a community project and convince yourself that you're making an impact. When working in social impact, you have to ask yourself, am I here for my benefit or others?

11:00 am

Keynote Speaker: Indhira Rojas

Learn about the Anxy origin story and behind-the-scenes lessons of starting a publication from scratch with our mainstage presentation by Indhira Rojas, the founder of Anxy Magazine and creative director & principal at Anagraph.

12:30 pm

Lunch

Winner, winner, chicken dinner - choose a full-day ticket and this one’s on us.

2:00 pm

Afternoon Tracks

Choose an afternoon track that makes sense for you. Each track features career-building activities specific to experience level, including an interactive panel and immersive workshop.

Track 1

Getting Started
Seniors in school and designers with 1-2 years professional experience

This track is a curated lineup of content aimed at the design professional 2 years or less into their career, including seniors and recent graduates. In this track, expect to focus on early career launch, explore your options in the industry, and learn how to differentiate yourself in the market.

Panelists:

• Ivan Alonso
• Kelly Cromack
• Kenzie Haynes (moderator)
• John Norton
• M.C. Altman

Track 2

Navigating Your Career
Designers with 3-5 years professional experience

Are you a designer with a couple of years of work experience under your belt wondering, “OK, where do I go from here?” As the role of the designer gets subdivided into new roles and specializations, it’s hard to know which discipline or job opportunity is a good match for your skills and interests. This track leverages proven design thinking methods and a panel of industry experts to help you chart a career track filled with work that is personally and creatively rewarding.

Panelists:

• RM Harrison
• AJ Joplin
• Bryan Keplesky
• Steven Smith (moderator)
• Zac Taylor

5:30 pm

After Party

Join us at Cosmic Coffee + Beer Garden for a celebratory happy hour sponsored by Handsome.

GROW WITH US

Learn from our nationally-recognized keynote speaker, get inspired by lightning talks from local & diverse emerging designers, and immerse yourself in focused workshops and panels led by industry professionals.
‍
Whether you’re a student about to graduate or a professional with a few years of experience, our programming is hand-selected to help you shape your passions & skills into a successful career.

🎉

Speakers

Ivan Alonso

Brand Designer,
Handsome

Professionals & Non-AIGA Members

Full Day Ticket

Which afternoon session would you like to attend?

Students & AIGA Members

Full Day Ticket

Which afternoon session would you like to attend?

Students & AIGA Members

Half Day Ticket

Are you a student or AIGA member?

GROW: The AIGA Austin Conference for Emerging Designers

An interactive day of learning for designers starting their career or with up to 5 years of professional experience.

Keynote by

Indhira Rojas

CONFERENCE OVERVIEW

GROW encourages emerging designers to think holistically about their career and provides a forum for individuals to learn the tools and mindsets that build a fulfilling professional path.

Schedule

8:30 am

Registration

Collect your swag bag, mingle for a bit, grab caffeine at Jo’s Coffee.

9:00 am

5:00 pm

Welcome

Opening remarks.

Closing

Thanks for coming out!

9:30 am

Lightning Talks

Choose a group of curated presentations from inspiring emerging designers:

11:00 am

Keynote Speaker: Indhira Rojas

Learn about the Anxy origin story and behind-the-scenes lessons of starting a publication from scratch with our mainstage presentation by Indhira Rojas, the founder of Anxy Magazine and creative director & principal at Anagraph.

12:30 pm

Lunch

Winner, winner, chicken dinner - choose a full-day ticket and this one’s on us.

2:00 pm

Afternoon Tracks

Choose an afternoon track that makes sense for you. Each track features career-building activities specific to experience level, including an interactive panel and immersive workshop.

5:30 pm

After Party

Join us at Cosmic Coffee + Beer Garden for a celebratory happy hour sponsored by Handsome.

GROW WITH US

Speakers

Ivan Alonso

Esther Amaku

M.C. Altman

Flor Barajas

Kelly Cromack

RM Harrison

Kenzie Haynes

Ryan Hicks

AJ Joplin

Bryan Keplesky

John Norton

Justin Reyna

Yocelyn Riojas

Indhira Rojas

Daniel Seong

Steven Smith

Kristin Taylor

Zac Taylor

Jamaal Tribune

Victoria Valadez

Edith Valle

Full Day Tickets

Half Day Tickets

GROW with AIGA

Why GROW?

If you find the conference valuable, consider continuing to grow as a member of AIGA.

Supporters

GROW: The AIGA Austin Conference for Emerging Designers