Blog

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Dear ADW community,

Last year, we announced that we were putting Austin Design Week on hold as we sought out an institution that could take on this budding nonprofit to make sure it could sustain and grow long into the future.

We spent the past year having in-depth conversations with universities, non-profit funders, the City of Austin, and other private...

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To our ADW community,

We want to thank all of you for your incredible support and excitement in building, participating in, shaping, and growing Austin Design Week. The last six years have been transformative for us, for the city, for the many disciplines of design, and for everyone who built relationships in this community along the way. In case you’re missing the magic of ADW already,...

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Earlier this year, The Zebra announced that the company would become a remote-first workplace, meaning it would open up hiring opportunities to candidates outside the Austin area and even allow for employees in Austin to stay fully remote.

With this shift in our workplace landscape, it became critical for our design team to adapt in how we collaborate. By...

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Not to be weird about it or anything, but we freakin’ love Austin Design Week. It’s among the highlights of our year, every year, and we’re really excited that this year we’re back in-person for an event or two. We’ve missed seeing you all, even if it may be through a mask now.

Perhaps we should introduce ourselves: we are M+P, a boutique creative staffing agency for creatives by creatives....

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We’re two weeks away from our sixth annual ADW21! And there’s no better time to start planning your week.

To help you navigate all that this year’s festivities have to offer, we’ve put together a handful of topics to explore along with related talks, workshops, and tours.

All of our events are free to attend — all you need to do is RSVP. Explore...

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We are thrilled to announce the schedule for this year’s Austin Design Week is now LIVE! Explore the full schedule here to see what’s in store for ADW21 and start saving dates on your calendar. All of our events are completely free to attend — all you need to do is RSVP.

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Curious what it’s like to host an event during Austin Design Week?

Whether you want to share a fresh perspective, build your public speaking skills, or connect with designers across different disciplines, hosting an event is your chance to be creative and engage Austin designers, community members and visitors in an event led by you!

To give you more insight into what it’s like to host an event with ADW, here’s...

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Proposals for Austin Design Week 2021 are due in less than two weeks! We can’t wait for everything ADW21 has in store. But we need your input to make it happen!

The entire week of events is powered by the community — from workshops to panels to studio tours. Everything is put together by community members like you, and it’s all centered around our...

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Our Call for Event Proposals for Austin Design Week 2021 is officially open! We can’t wait to see the ideas and events the community brings forward for the sixth annual Austin Design Week happening November 8-12th.

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The sixth annual Austin Design Week is November 8-12! After an incredible #ADW20, we’re so excited to bring the community together once again for a week of inspiring events and conversations.

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Founded by Erin Pitts and Kristin Waddington, The Label Collective is a creative partnership that specializes in branding, design, strategy, and marketing. Their mission is to provide best-in-class creative services to clients of multiple sizes, while also prioritizing collaboration, problem-solving, and thoughtful partnerships with those they work with.

TLC has been an integral part of Austin Design Week since the beginning. As ADW's...

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That’s a wrap! Austin Design Week 2020 was an incredible coming together of the design community and we couldn't be more thankful for everyone who made this year’s festivities happen.

Thank you to our amazing sponsors, partners, hosts, panelists and volunteers who dedicated their time, efforts, and insights.

We plan on sharing recordings of some of this year’s sessions (sign up for our email list to be notified...

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The fifth annual Austin Design Week kicks off tomorrow, Monday November 9th! We can’t wait for you to join us for the fun week of events.

One of the best parts about ADW is the incredible community that comes together to have important conversations around design and learn from one another.

To help you make the most of your experience and...

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Before joining The Zebra, I worked on a team as the youngest and only female designer. In that role, I often hesitated to speak up and felt my point of view was not sought after by my peers. I felt isolated and I vowed to be an advocate for myself and design moving forward. My next role at The Zebra allowed me the chance to reflect on how my own actions as well as a team’s culture contribute to an inclusive workplace. Every manager I’ve had...

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Whether you want to get hired in the creative industry or are hiring for your creative team, there are a few things to keep in mind. Luckily, the folks at creative staffing agency, The Creative Party (Mathys+Potestio) know a thing or two about hiring.

Below, they share a few tips for those who are building a team or looking for a job in the creative industry.

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Our fourth annual Design-a-thon is just around the corner! Austin Design Week is packed full with free events that explore many design disciplines and topics, but Design-a-thon (which is also free) is your chance to apply design thinking to real-time issues, collaborate with fellow designers, and get involved with actionable change.

To kick off Design-a-thon, you will be...

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Every year, Austin’s creative community puts forward event proposals for Austin Design Week that blow us away. And it’s not just that they’re thoughtful, timely, interesting, and inspiring, but that they represent a broad cross-section of disciplines, topics, issues, and formats.

We want to help you get the most out of this opportunity, so we’ve made a list of five topics to help you kick off your plan for ADW20, or inspire you to...

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Every year, we invite Austin’s creative community to come together and discuss how design-thinking can affect positive change in our communities. We realize that ADW’s events are often the start of a conversation, the inspiration that spurs action, but it takes local organizations advocating year-round for equity to make real change in our communities. That’s why this year, as part of our commitment to build an inclusive, anti-racist...

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Every year, creatives around the city and beyond come to Austin Design Week to learn, connect, and be inspired by the local design community. And while this year may look a little different, ADW20 is going to deliver the same experience Austin has grown to know and love—a new shape, same great (not to mention, free) events.

Whether you’ve been attending ADW since our early days (you know who you are—thank you!) or are considering...

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It's no secret that small businesses in Austin had to quickly adapt to the changes brought on by the global pandemic. But those who embraced change, specifically through design, have found new ways to serve the community during these unprecedented times.

Below, we've highlighted three local small businesses that are embracing change through design, collaboration, and more.

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As a design community, there’s no better way to share, learn, and grow than by having conversations with and sharing the work of fellow designers — which is what our latest series set out to do. For our Designer Spotlight series, we talked to designers who are using their creative talents for good and bringing the community together.

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“The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment, not the reverse.” - Herman Daly

With everyone traveling much less and eating more at home, this year’s virtual format will make #ADW20 the most sustainable Design Week yet!

But our passion for environmental stewardship doesn’t stop with Design Week itself—last year we had a half-dozen events that explored the intersection of...

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  • Now that our Call for Proposals for ADW20 is officially open, we can't wait to see all of the ideas the community comes up with around this year's theme, "Embrace______".

  • If you're looking for some guidance for your submission, our Advisory Board is here to help. We asked a few of our Advisory Board...

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As a design community, there’s no better way to share, learn, and grow than by having conversations with and sharing the work of fellow designers — which is what our latest series set out to do. For our Designer Spotlight series, we talked to designers who are using their creative talents for good and bringing the community together.

...

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Our call for event proposals for Austin Design Week 2020 is officially open! #ADW20 marks our fifth annual Austin Design Week and we cannot wait for another year of creative programming that celebrates, challenges, and inspires Austin’s design community.

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Austin Design Week’s Commitment to Building an Inclusive, Anti-racist Community

Our values have always been based on the need for inclusion, to hear from diverse voices, and design for a better tomorrow. We are a platform for community dialogue and so we are also a reflection of our community’s values. As our community responds to the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd,...

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At Austin Design Week, our community values have always been based on the need for inclusion; to hear from diverse voices, advocate for organizations committed to change, and design for a better tomorrow. But we have to do much better than that. The recent murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many other Black people at the hands of the police has called upon all of us to be vocal in what we believe, to...

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Austin Design Week Theme Announcement 2020

Austin Design Week is November 9th - 13th! We’re excited to once again be bringing the community together for a week of inspiring (and free) events.

Every year the Austin Design Week advisory board decides on a theme that challenges us all to consider the role of design in improving our communities and ourselves. We aim for something that is...

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In an effort to provide the ADW community with thoughtful resources for navigating the current reality, we asked #ADW19 hosts to share their insight on life and work at home. Below, Jannis Hegenwald, staff designer at Atlassian and Trello and host of last year's event "Beyond Being There: How Remote Design Can Make Space for the Best Ideas" shares six tips on how to improve your team's remote collaboration.

Over the last couple...

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We are so excited to announce this year's date! Mark your calendar for November 9th - 13th to join us for the 5th annual Austin Design Week. We cannot wait for another year of workshops, studio tours, events, panels, and all of you, together celebrating Austin's design community.

We're gathering this year's Advisory Board and will be announcing our theme and opening our call for proposal early May. Be sure to...

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Reposted from The Creative Party

Austin Design Week is running from November 4-8 this year, and it promises to be better than ever. We’re always eager for a week’s worth of events that educate and bring the design community together, and that is precisely what...

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Looking for some recommendations for a fun, informative and impactful itinerary? Take a look at our top picks, and find out what Praxent designers Andy, Debra and Doug are most looking forward to at each event.

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As we get ready for #ADW19, we asked our community partners to share with us how they #MakeSpace. Here's a post by Devon Bieniawski, former Director of IIDA (The Commercial Interior Design Association) in Austin, about the role of an interior designer and how to make designs that last.

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Block your calendar Monday - Friday, morning until night, November 4th - 8th because, oh, do we have a schedule for you!

We hate to keep you waiting, but we're still confirming details. Our programming team has been hard at work confirming the schedule of over 120 workshops, panels, studio tours, talks, installations, and special events. We were very fortunate to see our largest batch of event proposals come through...

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We are so excited to host our Call for Proposals for Austin Design Week 2019. Help us showcase the best of design in Austin, start provoking conversations, teach attendees a new skill and bring together designers and the design curious from near and far.

Our mission is to bring together designers across disciplines and invite the larger Austin...

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We are thrilled to announce that the 4th annual Austin Design Week will take place November 4 - 8th, 2019.

This year we will be curating programming around the theme "Make Space".

In 2017, we uncovered how we “Find Place,” and in 2018 we began to “Open Doors.” As we move into our fourth year of Austin Design Week, we invite everyone to “Make Space.” These themes build on one another, and bring us to a pressing yet simple question...

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William Coombes is kind of a big deal at Visa.

As the VP of Core Design and Austin Site Leader, it’s safe to assume he’s got a lot on his plate, and a lot of people eager to work with him. This year, Austin Design Week was lucky enough to win him over, and by extension partner with Visa.

We asked William a few questions to better understand his vision as a design leader, and how that plays out in the context of Visa, the city of...

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I’ve spent most of my career building design capabilities and communities within organizations as a recruiter and team builder and when I think about corporate design architecture my mind immediately goes to a defined space with doors, walls, windows, desks, too many displays, and probably fairly empty on any given Tuesday afternoon. However, after a geek out session with our friends over at PDR Corp (a local architecture and design...

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We knew early into planning that an event with a packed schedule in a packed city like Austin needed to help its attendees get around. So, we were lucky enough to find Austin B-cycle, a public bike share system owned by the City of Austin and operated by the local 501c3 non-profit Bike Share of Austin.

“If we can provide a solution to a problem for local Austinites looking to increase Austin’s ranking in the design world, then yeah,...

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A week of learning, exploring, and creating certainly breeds growth, but it might also breed fatigue. As tempting as it might be to head home early and cuddle with your dog, we’ve got just the thing to help keep you going: the Hub.

What’s the Hub, exactly?

It’s our dedicated chill space...

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In her novel White Fur, Austin-based writer Jardine Libaire said of the transition from day to night, “Even a city that’s broken and dirty can, in that time, be divine and intimate.”

Not to call Austin broken and dirty, but the sentiment rings true. We trade squint-inducing light for orange and purple hues, have-to’s for want-to’s, hustle for tranquility.

The Austin Design Week programming reflects the pace of our lives. During...

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If you’re anything like me, you probably hyped yourself up about Austin Design Week, only to remember that you also have a job, and boss that expects you there when all of the ADW fun’s going down.

We get it: Bosses care about things like outputs and deadlines, and we might distract you from that for a little bit. But we believe ADW is time well-invested, not wasted. Read on to see what you can take back to work...

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When we asked for proposals that centered around the theme “Open Doors,” we emphasized that designers take as broad of an interpretation as they see fit. We had no clue what would come to us from the other side of that submission portal.

One reason for this: Part of learning new things is discovering new things to learn. Asking designers to conform their proposals to our motivations behind “Open Doors” would’ve not only contradicted...

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Jane Hervey, founder of #bossbabesatx, headed a show-stopping event during last year’s Austin Design Week.

Working alongside &Feminist, #bossbabesatx organized a panel and art installation that explored the place where our personal/political narratives intersect with our social/built environment. Hosted at Lewis Carnegie Design Studio, the...

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Members of our Advisory Board share why they’re excited for this year’s theme, along with advice for submissions.

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TGIF!!!!!! This Inspiration Friday welcomes us into the month of November and is the very last one (sniffles) before the 2017 AUSTIN DESIGN WEEK!

In this Inspiration Friday, discover designer/artist Jessica Fontenot and architect...

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Hellooooo Austinites!! Guess what?! Only FOUR more days until our annual Austin Design Week! I hope you’re prepared for everything to come, and if you want to learn more about what to expect read of our features on our blog page!

This wonderful fall Friday welcomes Principal Architect Mark Odom and Project Architect Mari Russ from...

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It's Inspiration Friday, a weekly series where Austin designers talk about the things that spark their creativity.

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Happy Best Day of The Week!!!!!!!!!!! Hopefully you checked out our most recent, and very first ever, Inspiration Friday from just a few Fridays ago. If not, check it out so you know what we’re up to on some random Fridays.

This week we got an inside scoop on the...

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Last week, I enjoyed a cup of coffee and the, unfortunately temporary, nice and cool weather at Cenote with local street artist Liza Fishbone. Liza, originally from St, Louis, has recently found her home here in the colorful city of Austin— locals, don’t kick this one out, she’s really cool, I promise.

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Every Friday morning our agency holds a team-wide roundup called Inspiration Friday. This is a time when we all share with each other things that we’ve seen during the week that we personally applauded or found particular inspiring to our practice.

With Austin Design Week approaching, I thought this format would be an exciting way to get primed for the conference, as well as learn a little more about the hosts of the many workshops,...

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By now, you’ve hopefully glanced over the schedule for this year's Austin Design Week! And, if you’re like me, you have been tediously reading every single event, organizing and creating your very own schedule. And let me tell ya, it is a difficult task to select which events out of the 60 you want the attend.

From a tour at...

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The time has come. It's... here!! dun dun duuuun

The announcement that you, the creatives, have been oh-so patiently waiting for is finally here. And, I get the honor to amp up the anticipation for the 2017 Austin Design Week!

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Over the summer, I conducted an interview series “Design Phase Zero”, where I met with local Austin designers, including interior design, fashion design, and entrepreneurs. This week, we’re kickin’ it back up again with our final designer of the series! Last, but certainly not least, architect Beau Frail shares his design processes covering the community-based and sustainability realm of architectural design.

Beau Frail earned his...

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Hurricane Harvey is the most destructive hurricane since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, resulting in up to $125 billion in damages. The eye of the storm rolled over Rockport, completely demolishing the town. Other areas, such as Port Aransas, Port Arthur, and Lake Conroe are severely affected as well; and, unfortunately, many areas in Harris County experienced the most damage.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),...

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#DesignWeLove is a trending hashtag on our Instagram page, where we share the most creative Austin designers as well as snippets of inspiring art that we come across. In my most recent...

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In our latest blog post, we explored Isabella Rose Taylor’s successful career in the fast-paced fashion industry. Recently, I got to speak with the lovely Denise Roberts, an interior designer who started her very own home staging and interiors company called...

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Last week, we began our interview series: Design Phase Zero with entrepreneur Hayley Swindell from The Refinery. This week, I had the pleasure to meet with the extremely creative and very intelligent...

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Get excited, because our interview series Design Phase Zero is in full swing! In the upcoming weeks, we will be featuring various Austin designers and reveal their stories working in the design world. Design Phase Zero uncovers the steps and early processes that creative professionals endure as they venture on to their next project.

Our series starts with entrepreneur and business owner...

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"Creative" is no longer a dirty word, and if you are labeled as one, you can bet you're right at home in Austin. Austin is a wonderful community of artists, designers, and makers of all kinds, and these groups are convening in some amazing formal and informal gatherings all over town.

From collaborative workshops to guest speakers, creative people all over Austin are coming together to explore innovation and participate in conversations...

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Oh, how fortunate we are to live in a city that sparks creativity. A city that welcomes a variety of unique personalities, all of which contribute to the wonderful world of design that surrounds Austin, TX. Whether we come across snippets of inspirational art or bump into magnificent architectural and technological masterpieces, we are opened to an entire and never-ending world of creativity. And for that, we thank you,...

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Austin Design Week announces its theme for 2017 (drum roll please)... Finding Place!

Finding Place… no, we’re not wondering how you find your way home after a late night on Rainey Street - unless it’s in a creative and inspiring way that relates to design (then definitely let us know). Rather, we are diving into the designer’s mind and discovering how local designers “find place”.

Whether you find place within your home,...

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At last year's inaugural Austin Design Week, many designers, artists, and creatives were welcomed to participate in various events, where they showcased their talent and shared their minds with each other and the community. Due to the event’s success, this year we are extremely excited to hold our second annual design week and give designers of all disciplines another opportunity to experience everything that is ADW.

So what is ADW?...

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I've been a digital designer for 20 years. There, I said it!

Since moving to Austin from NYC a year ago, I've actually been shy talking about my career in public creative settings. For me, it's kind of like talking about my age. I've been around since the Dotcom boom doing print, web, app and mobile design. I've consulted, held full-time jobs and worked in many industries. I thought I did and saw just about everything. However, it...

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Austin’s inaugural design week was a success; bringing together over a thousand designers over five action-packed days. We're all a little more connected and a lot more in-the-know about what’s happening across Austin design.

Check out a few highlights from all five days of Austin Design Week where we toured some amazing design studios, got hands on with...

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How did you get involved with Austin Design Week?

I was recommended by friends at SXSW. Since they are the real cool kids I tend to follow where they lead me.

What is DesignThinking?

The top of mind concept as we approach the mentorship of Gensler designers: DesignThinking. What is it, how do we cultivate it, how is it part of the unique perspective of each of our...

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Austin Design Week is just one week away. Our team has been busy getting ready for all of the incredible events happening.

Next week the best creative minds in Austin will come together to share their work, ideas and spaces with us. Each day we’re inviting the community to participate in riveting design talks from local leaders, hands-on...

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Though hard to believe, when I graduated from SCAD there was no formal UX program offered there or at any other design school like it. Similarly, when I was applying for jobs most were a mix of research, visual design, and business with ambiguous titles (ones that rarely included the word “experience”) and a long list of desired skills. We learned about User-Centered Design in school through whatever skill or craft we were majoring in at the...

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As Austin continues to rapidly transform from it’s former alternative college town persona into a highly populated, world-recognized urban destination, the role and culture of our downtown has shifted. We are growing denser by the minute and the cranes in the skyline and renderings of fancy towers in the news indicate we are not slowing down anytime soon. With new office buildings, hotels and residential destinations springing up constantly,...

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Design is something my parents don’t get. Twenty years after I started my first design job at IDEO (and where I spent a dozen years in total, in three stints), they still struggle to explain to their friends just exactly what their son does. But not to worry - a year after co-founding the Design Institute for Health, a joint collaboration between the new Dell Medical School and...

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Design is a broad and nebulous term. I have to admit that my definition of design changes as often as buildings rise and fall in Austin. My work at SXSW has given me the opportunity to meet with and work with an incredible and diverse set of designers who never fail to introduce me to new ideas, methodologies and design philosophies. This constant discovery of new approaches to problem-solving through design is at the root of my ambiguity,...

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I started my career in design in 1997 for frog, the iconic design firm known for their work with Apple. We had opened our first digital office the year before I started after acquiring Virtual Studios, a digital design company started by Collin Cole and Mark Rolston. frog was interested in adding digital interfaces to their products and Collin and Mark were local pioneers in that...

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When I first moved to Austin and asked a UX designer about the design community, I was surprised by his response: “There isn't really a community.” There are a lot of talented designers, and some great organizations, but not one community.

Design can be found in our living rooms, at the office, in our cities, and in our pockets; Innovation in design has radically changed the world we know. With this has come a shift in what...

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