Design Conferences to Attend During 2019
Designers thrive when they have a constant source of inspiration. There are lots of things and places that can inspire us, but there isn’t anything quite like a design conference. When you go to a design conference, you not only meet amazing people, you also learn things from them. It’s really the best way to stay ahead in trends and new practices.
In a design conference, you can meet other designers to collaborate with, start new projects, and make lasting connections. Design conferences come in all shapes and sizes for all sorts of designers; graphic, web, and UI / UX. We’ve put together a short list of some of the best design conferences you should try attending around the world during 2019.
Digital Conference by Awwwards
If you want to get an idea about the creative quality of a design conference just by their website, this one wins the cake. The Digital Conferences by Awwwards are for digital designers and creative thinkers alike. This year they are taking place in Amsterdam and San Francisco.
San Francisco, California, USA
May 8-10, 2019
Epicurrence
Epicurrence events are bit different than the regular design conference. They are more intimate and include tons of outdoor activities. The organizers, Invision App, like to call the event an “epic occurrence.” This year the conference will take place on the snowy hills of Breckenridge, Colorado and there will be plenty of skiing and snowboarding going on.
March 21-22, 2019
Breckenridge, Colorado, USA
AIGA Design Conference
Previously called the American Institute of Graphic Arts, AIGA is the oldest and largest membership organization for design. AIGA has 70 chapters and over 25,000 members throughout the US. Their annual conference is one of the most important in the nation. Names like Chris Do are key speakers.
Pasadena, California, USA
April 4-6, 2019
Creativity Festival at Singapore Design Week
As part of Singapore Design Week, the Creativity Festival is a one-day event hosting speakers and workshops about Branding, Creativity, and Design. There are other events happening during Design Week but only one day full of speakers in one place.
Singapore
March 9, 2019
Smashing Conferences
The Smashing Conferences are about Front-End and UX design and some other web related topics but mostly the first two. The speakers do hands-on workshops and they all have a personalized approach. This year there are four international dates and they offer a “convince the boss” PDF so you can get your boss to send you!
San Francisco, California, USA
April 16-17, 2019
Toronto, Canada
June 25-26, 2019
Freiburg, Germany
September 9-10, 2019
New York, New York, USA
October 15-16, 2019
Running with Scissors
The European Academy of Design is holding its 13th Annual Design Conference in Dundee, Scotland. They titled it “Running with Scissors” to imply risk-taking and creative disruption. This is a 4-day conference and is one of the most influential not only in Europe but also the world.
Dundee, Scotland
April 9-12, 2019
The Design Conference
The Design Conference is the biggest conference on design in Australia. The speakers are big names in the international design world with famous keynotes scheduled in. The event is promoted as an adventure in itself. There are events during the day and the nighttime is also full of fun activities. Sleep is underrated during TDC!
Brisbane, Australia
May 30 – June 1, 2019
Creative Pro Week
Creative Pro Week is a group of four conferences with a How-To approach. The conferences are directed at creative professionals in the realm of design, illustration, retouching, and digital to print design. The main topics are; InDesign, Photoshop + Illustrator, Bridging Print and Digital, and Presentation Design.
Seattle, Washington, USA
June 10-14,2019
Creatiff at Rise Hong Kong
Rise is the largest Tech Conference in Asia. Creatiff is one of 13 complete conferences in different fields. Rise will take part in Hong Kong this year and if you can visit all the different conferences with one ticket.
Hong Kong
July 8-11, 2019
Leading Design
Every year, the design consultancy company Clearleft hosts an influential design conference. The speakers are all industry leaders who will inspire designers to learn more. It’s a great place to meet peers in your field and to get to see some of New York city.
New York, New York, USA
June 19-20, 2019
Design Matters
This is another conference with a website that really sends the message home. Their website design is so irreverent that it really starts the conversation before the conference even starts. This is a conference about digital design, created by designers and for designers.
Copenhagen, Denmark
September 18-19, 2019
Over to you
Have you been to any design conferences? Are you planning to go to one this year? Tell us about your experience in the comments!
