Design Week 2017 took Portland by storm. From amazing panels to inspiring talks and beautiful open houses, we enjoyed taking in the sights, getting our party on and learning more about what others in our community are doing.

Mad Fish had an open house of our own and got to meet neighbors and interested parties while showing off our space and hosting a great photo booth. We were happy to welcome our community in and have conversations ranging from designing for good to our puppies. Thanks to all who came!

Our design team weighed in, letting us know what they found the most meaningful from design week and what they got out of the experience:

  • Stuck in a rut? Get another opinion. It’s important for large in-house companies to compliment with agencies – getting new creative ideas and perspectives is essential.
  • Sometimes remote isn’t good enough. Communication can be hard, especially long distance. Make sure you know when to make the move to ditch video chat and see each other face to face.
  • Designers can make real change. Find something you care deeply about and ask how you can help.
  • Animation is incredible. Next time, bring popcorn. Watching motion graphic artists’ work from a variety of skill levels showed how much work outside productions can give Portland based designers. Thanks Grimm!
  • Community impact. Mathias Burton created an app for developers and the community to record and come together to work through problems – taking design to the next level and inspiring us to get local and think outside the box.
  • Video is still growing. Video has been big for years, but understanding how it is produced step by step, from writing content to bringing the team together was meaningful.
  • Data is everything. Getting behind why designs work and how users interact is helpful for future projects and modifications.
  • Bring back the art! Design isn’t just about work, it’s about your journey. Aaron Blaise reminded us how design can impact everyone, from UX for communities to your favorite childhood Disney movie.

All in all, we had a blast and can’t wait for next year to nerd out over whatever’s next. Cheers, Portland!