Advanced Design

Last week, Advanced Design hosted the most memorable Square One design conference yet. While previous conferences were exceptional, this one felt uniquely special—immersive, intimate, engaging, emotional, and full of hope. It was inspiring to see such unity, not only among the speakers but also among the attendees. The energy was different; there was a shared sense of optimism and determination for the future. Despite the challenges of securing a role in this competitive field, everyone remained motivated and committed to changing the odds. This conference reminded me to focus on what truly propels us forward and to recognize that movement doesn’t always mean progress. There are countless people to thank for making this event a success, and I hope everyone left with a meaningful experience—a memory or a moment that will be a turning point in your design journey. See you in 2025. ??? Much love to our friends at Gantri, Ammunition, WHIPSAW, Academy of Art University, level, PA Consulting, fuseproject, Box Clever, frog, Vizcom, KeyShot, and Final Aim, Inc. #design #designeducation #industrialdesign #squareone

Think we were done posting about Square One? Not quite! Our final Square One-related announcement is an exciting collaboration with our sponsor KeyShot and our friend Quinn Fitzgerald for a new rendering challenge. Introducing Composition: A KeyShot Competition. After a decade of using KeyShot, Quinn Fitzgerald, Director of Industrial Design at NewDealDesign, revisited his 2016 LineWorks Chair project, using KeyShot 11’s enhanced tools to resolve previous fabric rendering challenges. This sparked a collaborative design challenge between Advanced Design and KeyShot. For this challenge, participants will receive a KeyShot file inspired by Quinn’s LineWorks Chair project. Your task: elevate the design through your own rendering, focusing on lighting, materials, textures, and composition to showcase your mastery and creativity with KeyShot. Find full details on the collaboration, challenge, and how to participate by going to: https://lnkd.in/gACnkrtp. #design #designeducation #SquareOne #industrialdesign #keyshot

Working in Industrial Design can be a weird place. It's competitive, in a way that has at times left me feeling burnt out, and niche enough that it can be an isolating, especially while freelancing. Last week I hopped on a plane to attend Advanced Design's SQ1 conference in San Francisco - a gathering of many of the industries best and brightest, students, and professionals alike. A conference centered around touring some of the world's top design studios, like Ammunition, Gantri, level and frog. The value of getting face-to-face time with so many peers was immediate. Talking shop was superb; remembering that, behind all of the shiny renders that are shared around online, are people all facing similar difficulties (and successes) to you was even better. A huge thanks to Hector Silva at Advanced Design for organizing an action packed 3 days of events, as well as to the studios and speakers that opened their doors to us. A special shout to Lonnie Tapia who's talk on balancing work responsibilities with all the other unique parts of our lives and identities particularly resonated.

Huge thanks to the Advanced Design team for hosting such an inspiring and memorable event! I had a blast catching up with old friends and making new ones. One of my biggest takeaways was witnessing the genuine effort being made to build community and uplift the next generation of designers. It’s not every day that studios open their doors to foster connections, share stories, and create authentic networking opportunities. The event was a rare chance to gain insights from designers with rich, diverse experiences—both in design and in life. Here’s to more spaces like this—where design, mentorship, and community come together! #DesignCommunity #NextGenDesigners #Mentorship #AdvancedDesign #DesignNetworking

Had an excellent time at Advanced Design's SQ1 Conference in San Francisco connecting with old friends and making new ones. Especially meeting my Offsite students in person. We cracked open the behind-the-scenes of some of SF's (and the world's) most prominent design studios and learned more about what they do and how they think. This year's conference was also a bit more personal, as the theme of identity allowed designers to open up more about who they were as an individual rather than designer. We hope to see you at next year's event!

I had such a blast at Advanced Design's SQ1 Conference in San Francisco! - I hung out at studios like Ammunition, Gantri, Level, and frog. It was amazing experiencing first-hand the design culture of San Francisco! - I listened to amazing speakers talk about their work, such as Baillie Mishler at Prowl for their talk on regenerative design, and Lonnie Tapia at Frog for their talk on identity as a Latinx & indigenous designer! - I got to connect with the amazing ID community, meet my online friends from Offsite, and make some wonderful new connections in the industry & beyond. What an amazing time-- can't wait for the next one! Thank you so much to everyone on the Offsite team who worked on this--I'll be bringing the lessons I learned with me into the next year of design. (and as always, if you want to leverage those insights for your company/project, I'm available for consultation & hire!)

Two hours, 100+ faces, and many heartfelt moments—meeting all of you through the Square One Design Conference has made a difference for me. Sharing parts of my inner self and the bigger messages was unexpectedly healing—and just what I needed, too. Thank you to everyone who attended my talk at fuseproject and those who shared your thoughts and reflections with me afterward, both in person and on LinkedIn. Your presence, energy, and curiosity reminded me of our shared humanity. I feel energized by a sense of possibility. I hope you channel your inner voice on your journey to navigate change, overcome adversity, and find the power within your identities. The answers to who you are becoming will be ever-changing, but that’s the beauty of how you can shape your design futures and the futures we design as a collective. Remember, “what you need from the world also lives within you” (in Jezz Chung’s words) ——— A big shout-out to the team behind Advanced Design for your incredible work in leveling the playing field in design education. A special thank you to Hector Silva for setting a clear mission and intention—your commitment to building diversity in design has paved the way for new generations of designers and thinkers. I’m honored to be part of SQ1 2024, alongside fellow speakers and hosts from Ammunition, PROWL Studio, WHIPSAW, Gantri, level, PA Consulting, Box Clever, and frog. Thank you everyone at fuseproject for all your love and support.

?? Reflecting on an inspiring week at the SQ1 in San Francisco! ?? A huge thank you to Hector Silva and the Advanced Design team for organizing such an impactful event, and for the chance to connect with so many incredible studios and designers. It was an unforgettable experience exploring the spaces and insights of Gantri, PROWL Studio, WHIPSAW, fuseproject, level, Box Clever, Ammunition, PA Consulting, and frog. Though each of these studios has its unique vision and focus, they all share a deep commitment to crafting meaningful user experiences that truly moved me. This year’s theme, "Identity," was especially powerful. I especially enjoyed Snow Xue Zhou’s powerful talk on self-acceptance and growth through her zine "Work in Progress." Her quote, “Everyone is your mirror,” has stuck with me. Her perspective on how each interaction serves as an opportunity for self-inquiry resonates deeply. As someone who has relocated and adopted across cultures —from Taipei to Shanghai, Fremont, back to Taipei, Atlanta, and now Chicago—her journey of self-acceptance felt incredibly relatable. Snow’s insights, along with Lonnie Tapia’s, sparked a lot of personal reflection on how I can bring my own cultural background into my design practice, not simply as an influence but as an integrated part of my approach. Their words reminded me of the value in accepting oneself and how our identities continuously evolve through these “mirrors” of interaction. Thank you to everyone who made this event possible! It reinforced why I chose to pursue design and reminded me of the profound power our identities hold in shaping the work we create. Here’s to the journey ahead and to continuing to learn from this inspiring community. #SquareOneDesignConference #AdvancedDesign #DesignJourney #IdentityInDesign #UserExperience #Reflection #DesignCommunity #CulturalIdentity #FutureOfDesign

A huge thank you to everyone who came to the Square One Design Conference! ?? It was so special giving a talk on identity and sharing mine with all of you. Your presence, the questions you asked, and the heartfelt moments of vulnerability afterwards made it truly special. ?? To the 150+ attendees, speakers, and guests who brought their whole selves to the space: you made it incredible. And a big shoutout to the legends from Ammunition, PROWL Studio, WHIPSAW, level, PA Consulting, fuseproject, Box Clever, Gantri—and to ?? frog for hosting my keynote and providing the perfect spot to relax and connect at the end of the conference. And a massive THANK YOU to Hector Silva and the entire Advanced Design team of volunteers for everything, and for crafting SQ1 2024 to be an experience we’ll never forget. It meant a lot to hear that the line that stayed with people was, “Learn your ancestral stories and listen to them.” ?? I wish you the best on your journey and cultural regeneration. Cheers, everyone!

What a rush of excitement I have felt in the last week. I was fortunate enough to spend three full days hopping from one design studio to the next learning about the identities of each one and the individuals that work there. First and foremost thank you so much to Hector Silva and the teams at Advanced Design and Offsite for organizing this event. Throughout the three days I found myself continually inspired and driven to meet more people and hear their stories. Starting at WHIPSAW we got to see their portfolio of projects and learn about how they balance internal and client projects. At Gantri I got to meet so many people that I would see in the following days and over those days got to learn about what brought them to the design conference. The following day we heard from PROWL Studio and learned about their five design principles which changed the way I see design. At level I learned how powerful a small team can be and met some great people that I would chat with later on. Just around the corner we went to PA Consulting and met some big name industry professionals. I made some connections that I hope to continue through out my career. On the last day we heard from Snow Xue Zhou at fuseproject and learned the importance of balancing design with your personal life. We left and quickly had lunch then headed to Box Clever where I was immensely inspired. I wish I had an hour to ask questions about their most recent project. Finally we arrived at frog and heard from Lonnie Tapia about their view on identity and how it influences their design. Thank you to all the studios that hosted and to all the people that showed up and made this event one to remember!