Once again I found myself very impressed with the line-up of a student design conference. We never put one on while I was down in Champaign, but that has not stopped me from making the trip to Dekalb and NIU for the past three year.

The keynote and breakout speakers this year consisted of:

• Andre Andreev & Dan Covert of Dress Code
• Justin Ahrens of Rule29
• Chris Eichenseer of SomeOddPilot
• Sara Frisk of IDEO
• Mike Petersen of 50,000feet
• Jason Schwartz of Bright Bright Great
• and Katherine Walker of VSA Partners

Some quotes that highlighted the full day:

“Find a moment of wonder in the absurd.”

– Justing Ahrens, Rule29

“Your best work will not be created by just yourself.”

– Michael Petersen, 50,000feet

“Good design is not about having good clients, It’s about having good relationships.”

– Sara Frisk, IDEO

“Crush it, everyday.”

– Jason Schwartz, Bright Bright Great

Overall the day was great and I cannot wait to get inspired next year!