Session 1

Design + Marketing = LOVE: Creating Collaborative and Dynamic Relationships that Strengthen your Teams and Products

It’s a common dynamic found in many, if not all organizations; The Marketers don’t feel like the Designers are “getting it” on a given project, and the Designers are frustrated because the Marketers aren’t “giving them what they need” so they can hit the enigmatic target. When this breakdown of communication happens, frustration can build, tempers can flair, and in the end, your projects and relationships suffer. But it can be different.

In this session, you will hear the story of an organization on the move from segmented to collaborative. We will discuss what has worked, what hasn’t, and how our customers (both internal and external) are benefiting from the process. We will also explore simple steps that Designers can take to improve communication and collaboration.

Session 2

7 tools to help you steer clear of color catastrophes

Have you ever been shocked by how your image looks online? Disappointed with a dull orange on press? Baffled between PMS, CMYK, RGB, and HEX? Or have you been given paint colors to match in print? Then this color talk is for you! No color experience is required, but we will equip you to communicate about color expectations with designers, printers, programmers, authors, marketers, and even the Sherwin Williams guy. (FYI, the 7 tools—subject to slight modification—are: lingo, psychology, reality, simplicity, equipping, trends, and science.)

Session 3

And so, we create

What responsibility do we carry as image bearers of a creative God? Learn about how the creative team at She Reads Truth, a ministry devoted to biblical literacy, approaches design, bridges the gap between pixel and product, and pursues a mission to lend aesthetic beauty to the inherently beautiful.

Session 4

SHIFT/OPTION/COMMAND: Keys to Design Success

We’ve all seen inspiring design portfolios from famous designers. But have you seen an inspiring portfolio from a designer who isn’t famous? Okay, let me try this again…a great portfolio is only part of the story. A lot of pain, struggle, failure and caffeine is behind each success. This session presents an unvarnished look at the journey from blank screen to victory lap. From idea to execution. From zero to hero and back to zero…every day since 2002.

Session 5

FONTS—the smallest (but most important) unit in Communication Design

This talk will equip you with the necessary knowledge to navigate the uproared sea of endless choices that became your everyday life, as you have chosen to work in the most chaotic (but also most satisfying) industry; publishing. The lecture will include a life jacket of practical instructions and sound advice, but will hardly teach you to calm the sea or walk on the water. Topics include:

• 5000 years of glyph history in 5 minutes?
• The creative selection of a typeface for a trade book!
• What does a Type Foundry anno 2017 do?
• How to make Bible fonts fly?
• What never to forget about typography!

Session 6

Integrating Design

Designers design book covers. When you tell people that you are a designer working for a Publisher the response is often "so you design book covers then." This is not only an outside perception, but is often the internal reality. Design may be either editorially or marketing driven, but is rarely "design driven." A disparate or narrow view of design limits the impact that design can make within a company and the marketplace. When design is properly defined and applied it is possible for design to be "design driven." This does not mean that design should be autonomous or should not work within a framework, rather when design is valued as an important member of the body and is working to meet the needs of a publisher, the publisher is able to produce integrated design solutions that solve real problems, make authors happy, and make an impact in the marketplace.

Drawing from 15 years of experience working in the area of design, this session will interact with several case studies that demonstrate an integrated approach to design and provide a glimpse into how Crossway approaches design in a holistic way.

Session 7

Roundtable Q&A with Design Leaders

Let’s take the knowledge we have gleaned from the last two days and talk about it. Let’s share how we’ve been INSPIRED & EDUCATED. This will be a round-table discussion session with the speakers from the design track this year. Join us for this informal exchange of ideas and bring your own to share.

Speakers include: Tim Green, Josh Dennis, Amy Cerra, Klaus Krogh, Jade Novak, and Patti Brinks