Our design conference is hosted by AIGA, the professional association for design, as a means of connecting the design community through rich conversation, inspiration, networking, and education. As conference chair, I work with AIGA to define a theme for the conference that reflects the current state of the design profession and frames the important, future-facing issues we’ll address.

We chose this year’s conference theme, “culture,” because we are bound by the way we think, behave, and work — here and now. Our efforts have the power to impact many other cultures, whether those are workplaces, like clients, industries, communities, a nation, or an international population. But for us to be in culture with one another, and to maximize the positive impact we can make on others, we need to spend time, share space, relay stories, and dare to dream big with one another.

It’s when we come together that we are most prepared to move the needle forward. Join us in Pasadena, California to explore:

How culture affects our work
Today’s design culture and how can it be improved
How design cultures influence us and the world around us
Building positive culture with our careers and our work
The kinds of culture are we foster in our workplaces and ways to improve them
How our work might help influence national or global culture
I look forward to exploring these themes with you in April. See you then!

– Ashleigh Axios, 2019 Conference Chair