Just returned from Dusseldorf where I was talking at the Beyond Tellerrand conference. From event to event I go to there is always a different feel and pace overall and Beyond Tellerrand was no exception. After I spoke at the Reasonsto conference in London last year I was introduced to Marc who, little did I know at the time was the owner of Beyond Tellerand and when I finally arrived in Dusseldorf it became obvious why the event is so successful and how much passion Marc injects into his event. See below for Marc on stage (and my graphics!)
The event itself had sold out weeks before and had a waiting list of over 200 people and when I saw the line up, adding to my nerves I noticed a pivotal figure in my graphic design career - David Carson. As a University student studying Visual Communication in the mid 1990’s David’s work completely changed my mindset. Suddenly type could be image and Davids approach was fresh, new, brimming with vitality and completely influenced my work when I became a magazine designer. (See below for my work in the Design Museum London, 1996). David was great to meet and discuss his work and was great to still see him relentlessly pushing that style, making his work creative and unique.
My talk went well (I think!), the crowd were so warm and receptive, I love speaking to people after and hearing about their situations, outlook and creativity and the overall conference went great, you really do get the feeling that Beyond Tellerrand has been built and built over the years to become this welcoming family of creatives in the organisers, the speakers and the audience. It was also a great opportunity to watch the rest of the speakers over the conference and spend lots of time with them and make some new friends - Mike Hill, David Delgado, Stephen Hay, Red Hongh Yi, Doro Ottermann, Shirley Wu, Zach Leatherman and many more - There are some very talented people out there…
It was also a real privilege to get asked to design the shirt for the show along with the staff shirts and digital graphics through the day.
So pulling it all together, can completely see now why the event was so popular, Marcs passion is everywhere and its not hard to see why the event is such a success, I now feel like one of that family and I'll definitely be back…