The AIGA St. Louis Student Design Conference was a huge success this year! Over 80 students from St. Louis and adjacent midwestern states attended the seamless online event, which took place on March 5 and 6.

Attendees shared innovative work at portfolio reviews and engaged in roundtable conversations about branding, UI/UX, and motion design, which attracted anywhere from 15 to 30 people at a time.

Billy Frazier taught a big turnout of workshop attendees how to promote themselves without feeling icky. Other exciting workshops included lessons on hand lettering with Sydnie Russian and how to get better at working remotely with Drew Crowley.

Our keynote speakers infused the room with positive energy and offered intelligent advice on understanding your worth, supporting other creatives, and creating great work.

Hayley Barry, the founder, owner, and artist behind Type Affiliated, spoke to students about how to advertise yourself as a professional, the necessity of not working for free unless it’s entirely on your terms, and how to find work as a student. In a nutshell, Barry declared emphatically that “nobody cares if you have a degree,” regardless of your age, education level, history, or discipline. “They only care if you do good work.”

Aaron Draplin, a designer, speaker, and founder of Draplin Design Co., spoke about the impact of Covid-19 and how he passed projects on to those that needed them and spent his energy on making things that would directly aid those impacted by the pandemic.

Draplin is always the first to acknowledge how fortunate he is to be able to create fascinating things, such as his new ribbon start postal stamps. He described how thrilling and patriotic it is to be able to contribute to the country.

All of the board members, volunteers, panelists, reviewers, workshop leaders, and our keynote speakers Hayley and Aaron deserve a great thank you from AIGA St. Louis. Without you, this event would not be possible!

If you were unable to attend this year’s event, please join us in 2023!