Sharing my story and learning yours
Let’s get together!
I’d be delighted to share my story and learn about yours. From guest lectures or critiques to workshop hosting or facilitating, even jurying – you name it. Smash the button below to complete a form with as many details as you have, and I’ll be in touch.
Upcoming engagements
Flatiron School, April 10, 2019, Chicago, IL
Joint Futures, September 3–5, Helsinki, Finland
Design Thinkers, October 2019, Toronto, Canada
Brand is Product is Marketing is Operations
South Dakota Advertising Federation
Sioux Falls, SD
March 21, 2019
In the beginning… teams start out aligned. Startups with design leaders or design co-founders have more impact than those who don’t. So how can we keep that alignment during a business’s growth phase? By taking an integrated, holistic approach to our work and ourselves. And by being X-shaped humans, not T-shaped. There is no difference between brand, product, marketing, operations, or other teams.
People Persist
Global Innovation Forum (GIF) London
London, UK
November 15, 2018
Continuing on the People Layer journey, I presented 15 lenses through which we can all Be More Human – the theme of this year’s Forum. Below is a live-sketched capture of my talk, enmeshed with others.
Then, Now, Next: The Evolution of the Design Business
Bucharest Tech Week
Bucharest, Romania
May 15, 2018
I looked at three distinct eras of the practice of design, talked about how teams have organized or (re)configured in each era, and unpacked the benefits and opportunities within each. It was fun to be the sole designer (and American!) in a day of technology-focused talks, including one that featured robots.
What Persists: People, Process, and Performance
HOW Design Live
Boston, MA
April 30, 2018
It was so great to be back in Boston, the home town of my first business, Schwadesign. I shared an updated People Layer framework, diagnosed why “process” is resisted in the world of startups, and shared half a dozen resources to optimize individual, team, and organizational performance.
Get Shit Done Club
Designers + Geeks
San Francisco, CA
April 5, 2018
I love to get shit done and help teams do the same. I’ve been a member of the GSD club since I was a kid. But these days, there’s so much demand on getting things out the door and so much focus on the numbers (not to mention quality control) that it can feel, well, shitty. This talk shared proven methods of shipping without the shit.
14 Lessons x 22 Years
Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
Arizona State University
Phoenix, AZ
October 25–26, 2017
I shared with students some 14 lessons I’ve learned over 22 years of work, with a bonus 15th lesson on a few commonly overlooked (and fundamental) professional practices, such as writing thank you notes. The next morning, I met separately with faculty from various departments and shared with them some lessons from the field. Kudos to my pal Jason for taking on the challenge of redesigning the largest design school in the country.
The People Layer 1.0
Clarity: A Design Systems Conference
San Francisco, CA
November 28–30, 2017
A design systems conference is a great place to talk about the o.g. atomic units of the design practice: people.
The People Layer (beta)
Hopscotch Design Festival
Raleigh, NC
September 6–9, 2017
The People Layer is the deepest, most complex layer of any organization. It persists beyond changes in aesthetics, code, UX, UI, operating systems, devices, tools, and trends. Diagnosing and identifying problems on this layer will make you more empathic, a better collaborator, and will ground you with skills that persist.
