Popping my cherry at the Future of Web Design

So, I was at my first Future of Web Design (FOWD) conference this week. In fact, it my first web design conference, ever.

Now the dust has settled and I’ve had some decent kip, I wanted to write about the experience. I wanted to try to convey the impact it had on me.

Last week I realised that FOWD was on &, as I’d been keen to attend for a few years, I dropped a quick e-mail to my boss asking if there was any chance I could go. Luckily work were happy to fund it & I suddenly found myself with a ticket.

I have to admit I was kind of nervous, once I realised I was going to be surrounded by lots of top web designers. Self doubt raised its ugly head, am I worthy? What if I look like an amateur? Surely everyone else will know one another & I’ll feel like a spare part!

Even so, I was looking forward too it…a step outside your comfort zone is a good thing, even if it is a little daunting.

Anyway, the week passed pretty quickly & the day of the conference arrived. I woke at about 4.30am & couldn’t get back to sleep as my kept mind running through the day ahead. I got to the venue in plenty of time (after facing the commute from Reading to London – how do people do that on a daily basis?), grabbed a coffee & had a mooch about.

The venue was great, the staff were friendly & the organisation was top draw – a testament to all the hard work that the people at Carsonified had put in. Cat was apparently the person who co-ordinated things & she’s clearly a very talented person…either that or very flukey because the whole event went off without a hitch.

My concerns about feeling like an odd one out were soon allayed. There were lots of people on their own – mostly buried in laptops or iPhones. I hadn’t considered that for many people web design can be quiet a solitary occupation. Of course, there were groups of people who knew each other: old friends catching up; new friends meeting for the first time & there was a friendly buzz.

We settled in for the start. Ryan Carson welcomed us all & introduced the first speaker, Brendan Dawes. I’m not going to review each & every speaker, but what I would like to mention are some of the highlights for me.

• Brendan was encouraging us to capture all sorts of influences & play with them to create new stuff. But it was his quote: “Talk – Action = Shit” that I really liked. You have to actually execute your ideas.

• Dan Cedarholm encouraging us to “surprise & delight” with the experience layer that sits like a cherry on the top of the cake.

• Aaron Walter with a polished delivery of his talk about emotional design. Design that engages – an enriching layer. A “delight” that takes our designs from usable (the equivalent of edible food) to pleasurable (a taste sensation).

• The Web Standardistas encouraging us to start with ourselves. Explaining how it’s “you” that leads to the “why”, the “how” & the “what” you create. Wanting us to be 10 times better. Wanting us to create “talkaboutability” (patent pending, I believe).

• Paul Boag explaining his 5 new skills for Web Designers, encouraging us to widen our horizons & breadth of knowledge. How we need to have an understanding of marketing, copywriting, context, strategy & psychology to act as the one-stop-shop our clients’ desire: “If not you, then who?”As an aside, I have to admit I was really looking forward to Paul’s talk. I’ve recently discovered his work/podcasts over at Boagworld & he’s already had a massive impact on my work & process. It was great to get the chance to shake his hand at the end & say thanks. FOWD gives you the chance to meet the people you admire, the people at the top of their game.

• Elliot Jay Stocks – the “Accidental Business Man” – talking about how to be more successful without selling your soul. Encouraging us to do stuff, have pet projects for the fun & freedom it allows us to enjoy. Explaining the need to promote yourself: to write, to speak to comment. The power of getting involved. Well here you are Elliot; I’m taking your advice.

However, great as all of these were, the high point of the conference for me was Gavin Strange. His talk entitled “Jack of All Trades, Master of None, Lover of Many” was sensational. His passion was palpable. His joy fuelled energy hit me like a wave.

Gavin’s obviously a talented guy but it was his contagious enthusiasm that really struck me. I have to admit, I was feeling pretty tired by the time we got to this the last session of the day, but Gavin was totally refreshing, like a breath of fresh air.

He stunned me time & again with the genuine love he has for what he does. He encouraged us to tinker, to play, to try lots of things. To just do stuff because you want to, for the fun of it, for the love of it! It really struck a chord.

The diversity of his work was impressive: web design, graphic design, photography, painting, film making, tee-shirt printing, toy design! He doesn’t wait to be asked to do things; he simply does them.

He does them because he wants to, because he wants to try things, to learn from the process of creating things. The things he learns from each discipline add to one another – strengthen one another.

…and where has all his passion, enthusiasm & energy got him? He’s now the Senior Online Designer at Aardman Animations. In his own words, his “dream job”.

I have to admit, I was blown away. I had to go & thank him at the end but I couldn’t really convey how inspirational I’d found him. When the conference had finished, I wandered to the tube feeling a little shell shocked, still reeling from Gavin’s talk.

I’d mentioned to Ryan at the after party the night before, that I’d found the first day very inspiring but little did I know what was around the corner. It was like an epiphany. Gavin is truly inspirational and – at the risk of sounding like a sycophant – my new hero!

In conclusion I’d just like to say a big thanks to my boss for sending me, to everyone at Carsonified for organising it, to all the speakers for sharing their thoughts, the staff at the Brewery & all the other delegates. It was totally awesome!

So there you have it, my heart, my soul…be gentle with me, it’s my first time!