Phoenix Design Week kicks off on Thursday, October 16, and there are more than enough events to go around.
Actually, with more than 15 different talks, meetups, parties, and conferences happening over the course of nine days, knowing when and where to go can be a bit overwhelming. Which is why we're going to streamline your experience with our Phoenix Design Week breakdown.
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Design Week begins at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 16, with IdeaSelling with Sam Harrison at the University Club. This luncheon, hosted by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), will teach guests how to turn their ideas into something real. Admission for this is event is $35 for IABC Phoenix members, $25 for IABC Phoenix student members, and $50 for non-members.
Later that same day, Arizona Interactive Marketing Association (AZIMA) will host a discussion with HubSpot sales director Dan Tyre at 6 p.m. inside the Scottsdale Hilton Resort. Tyre will talk about 2015 market trends an the buyer behavior we can expect. This event is $40 and can be registered for online.
Friday, October 17's schedule starts with a Design Week edition of Creative Mornings Phoenix at 8:30 a.m. inside bluemedia led by Qualia account manager Salvador Bravo, who will discuss meditation and making yourself more mentally efficient. This event is free.
Editor's note: Full disclosure, Bravo is in a relationship with the author of this post.
Unfortunately, the activity following that, the O'Neil Printing Shop Tour at 11 a.m., is already sold out. However registration is still open for the free Lumi Screen-Printing Meetup with Melissa Balkon at 1 p.m. at Gangplank Chandler.
Another 1 p.m. happening on Friday, October 17, is the Letterpress Workshop with Letterpress Central and Pumpkin Patch Press at Hazel and Violet Ink. Tickets are $49 and spots are limited.
If neither one of those events appeal to you, you can also use your 1 p.m. slot to attend Playing (with Type + Lines) in the Street at Design RePublic Studio. This community workshop led by designer Lindsay Kinkade explores urban typography and costs $49.
Finally at 6 p.m., Phoenix Design Week will host its annual kick-off party at 6 p.m. at the Arizona Opera featuring Shutterstock's Pixels of Fury, a live tournament where designers compete to create inspiring posters. This event is $15 for AIGA Members, $20 for non-members, $30 at the door, and free for anyone attending the Method + Madness Conference.
The Method + Madness Conference will run from Saturday, October 18, through Sunday, October 19, at the Phoenix Convention Center covering everything from aesthetics to applied business tools with talks led by prominent figures in the design industry. The schedule has yet to be finalized, but the conference will begin at 9 a.m. on each day. Registration is $99 for AIGA member students, $149 for general students, $279 for AIGA members, and $329 for general admission. If you would only like to attend the break session portion of the conference, offered on Sunday afternoon, you can do so by paying $50 if you're an AIGA member or $75 if you're a non-member.
During the two-day conference, AIGA Arizona will hold its "25-Year Legacy Exhibition" including an opening reception at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 19, inside the Phoenix Convention Center. This reception is free for conference attendees and $10 for the general public.
Following the conference, Phoenix Design Week will slow down, offering a free Digital Project Management Meetup at 6 p.m. on Monday, October 20, at Moses; then a talk by acclaimed designer Matthew Manos presented by ASU AIGA Student Group and the CO+HOOTS Foundation at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21, at Neeb Hall. This event is free for students and $5 for the general public.
On Wednesday, October 22, IxDA Phoenix will host a free Design Thinking Workshop lead by Tamara Christensen of IdeaFarm, Kevin Goldman of tallwave and ethology, Jonathan Mann of PayPal, Wayne Neale of Kydak, and Teresa Swingler of IBM. This free event will be held at 5:30 p.m. inside the desarollo Tech Center and Incubator.
Coinciding with that workshop will be a a lecture by Roger Sherman of the famed Los Angeles-based Roger Sherman Architecture and Urban Design on the topic of "Battery Power." This free lecture, presented by the ASU Design School, starts at 6 p.m. inside the ASU College of Design North Building.
On Thursday, October 23, the Phoenix InDesign User Group will host its usual gathering of local designers at 6 p.m. at McMurry. There will also be a free PHX Content Strategy Meetup featuring Phoenix Design Week Lightning Talks that same day at 6 p.m. inside Changing Hands Bookstore. This new addition to Phoenix Design Week will act as a fast-paced collection of presentations by designers in the community.
Phoenix Design Week will conclude with a free party hosted by Phoenix Ad Club and Ad 2 Phoenix at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 24, at LaneTerralever. It will give participants of this year's Phoenix Design Week a chance to eat, drink and discuss new ways to make Phoenix even sleeker.
All details and ticketing information for Phoenix Design Week can be found at phxdw.com.
