Founded in 2017, Design Nation aims to address the gap between the increasing awareness of design and the lack of design education in colleges across the U.S. and Canada. This unique, all-expenses-paid program brings together 100 students to highlight the role of design across various mediums and industries and equip them with the skills needed to drive innovation in design.
Diversity in Design
Attendees at Design Nation come from diverse backgrounds, from UX and graphic design majors to beginners. Whether artists, entrepreneurs, writers, or makers, all share a common passion for design with the potential to uplift each other.
Design Nation is one of the few conferences that provides a space for young designers with diverse interests and backgrounds to network amongst themselves.
For undergraduate creatives with limited design-related events at their disposal, Design Nation helps to forge long-lasting impactful relationships in design.
“As someone who has worked adjacent to design but is not a designer, I finally found my place in the design world. I met so many people who used design in their work even though their title was not a designer — entrepreneurs, product managers, creative technologists”
CREATIVE agendas
Design Nation is not just a conference. It’s an exploration of the versatility of a career in design, how design has different applications across industries, and what it looks like to be a design leader facing the business and social challenges of our world. Our conference is unique for its interdisciplinary angles and hands-on workshops.
After a workshop with Doug Melville, Chief Diversity Officer at TBWA, on idea disruption and 30-second stories, Jason Yuan speaks on his personal story of redesigning Apple Music.
WOrkshops
As one of the most interactive aspects of Design Nation, workshops encourage learning through collaboration, creativity, and critiquing design through the perspective of advertising, tech, and digital. An executive leads students through an exercise, leaving attendees with a newfound understanding of design.
NETWORKING
Design has not yet received greater recognition in higher education, making it difficult for students to connect with firms, not to mention with each other. With curated recruiting receptions, executive seminars, and networking sessions, Design Nation attendees are offered a chance to introduce themselves to potential future collaborators.
Students speak with design firms at the recruiting reception.
Tim Riley, Senior Director at Warby Parker, speaking on marketing.
Keynotes & Panels
Our keynote speakers include partners from major companies like McKinsey and owners of renowned design firms like Pentagram. These executives tackle the big-picture questions shaping the future of design. Past speakers include Rob Schwarz (CEO of TBWA), Sandra Campos (CEO of Diane Von Furstenberg), Jamie Myrold (VP of Design at Adobe), Dan Sormaz (VP of Design at Spotify)
“Design Nation is an experience unlike any other — it’s a place for students and design leaders to meet face to face and have candid conversations not just about design practices, but about career paths, personal growth, and lessons learned.”
Accessible Content
