I found out about the Design Nation Conference at the beginning of the year from my professor at Seattle Pacific University, where I’m in my third year of undergrad studying Visual Communications and 3D Media. I applied on a whim, thinking it doesn’t hurt to put my name in the hat. Like most designers, I’m consumed with my work and am obsessed with good design, so I love going to hear designers talk. The conference sounded like the perfect way to obsess about design with other designers and a free trip to NYC; what’s there to lose? I found out I was accepted into the conference! But, before I could plan for anything, the coronavirus started to get worse in the US, and the conference announced that it was going to become digital.

I think we’re all pretty used to Zoom culture by now; the ability to connect to people across the world is pretty incredible (kudos to the DN Team, I’m sure it wasn’t easy to replan a virtual conference). Leading up to the conference, I had classes over Zoom four days a week and was growing a little tired of it, so I wasn’t that excited at the prospects of additional time staring at a screen.  But we kicked off the conference introducing ourselves to other students from all walks of life and design, and I started to realize how immensely valuable this experience was going to be.

I was originally disappointed about not being able to go to New York; I’ve never been and was looking forward to meeting new people and seeing the Statue of Liberty, of course. But, after the first Key Note Zoom presentation with Phil Ruppanner, CEO of Upperquad, I saw the value of this conference for me as a student who will soon be entering the workforce. This is the new normal, the working world is changing, and as Annie Rosen, Creative Director of Vice Media said in the Females in Leadership panel, “We can’t design in a vacuum.” This experience of web interfacing and working remotely is happening across the world. We have a choice: we can wallow in the disappointment of how our lives have been interrupted, or we can capitalize on this moment with working professionals and ask questions that will better prepare us and give invaluable insight into the industry we are about to join. The latter insight is what the students of Design Nation 2020 were able to gain. We heard from designers and leaders of the field about how they are approaching and preparing for success in this new economy. Businesses are going to need creatives, now more than ever, to rethink their approach and message in this post-COVID-19, social-distancing-defined world. 

Currently, I’m working on some freelance branding and building a website. After listening to the “Building a Brand” panel and Gabor Schreier (CCO of Saffron) speak about strategy and branding, I’m approaching my work so much more critically. My biggest takeaway, which I wasn’t expecting, was the vitality to think past the visual aspect of design. Aesthetics are important, but strategy and impact are the backsides of the good design coin. I feel like I have a leg up because of this conference; we got a look inside the thought process of some of the most successful designers and creatives in the world. I feel more ready than ever to think strategically and design for our new world.

Alyssa Sheeres ‘21 is a third-year undergraduate studying Visual Communications and 3D Media at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, WA. Alyssa was an attendee of Design Nation 2020, the first-ever virtual conference hosted by Business Today.

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Thumbnail Credits: Eric Lin ‘23, AD of Design for the 2020 Design Nation Conference