The Talks

Talks from Designers

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Tim Brown speaking on the 99U Conference main stage

Tim Brown: Engage With the Unknown

The IDEO leader discusses how creative industries have evolved, from the early socialization of design thinking to the urgent challenge of design ethics.

Giorgia Lupi speaking on the 99U Conference main stage

Giorgia Lupi: Finding Humanity in Data

Harness data as a design tool, while respecting human privacy and experience.

Kat Holmes speaking on the 99U main stage

Kat Holmes: Rethink What Inclusive Design Means

Rethink inclusive design not as a remedy for “personal health conditions” but as solutions for everyday “mismatches”.

John Maeda: Designing Inclusive Teams and Products

The prolific John Maeda in conversation with Adobe VP of Design Jamie Myrold, shares his insights on the history and current state of diversity and inclusion in the design industry.

Audrey Liu: Incentivize Creative Teams with Meaning, Not Perks

Audrey Liu, Director of Product Design at Lyft, calls on companies to stop dangling perks and connect designers with the fulfillment of solving real problems.

Ashleigh Axios: How Selfish Design Can Save the World

Former White House creative director, Ashleigh Axios asks creatives to create social change by embracing the good feeling that comes from helping others.

Jason Mayden: Designing for the Next Generation of Superheroes

The CEO behind Super Heroic and former Senior Global Design Director at Nike, Jason Mayden’s true purpose is play and designing products that make the most vulnerable among us—children—embrace their inner hero.

Liz Jackson: Designing for Inclusivity

“We are disabled not by our bodies, but by the world around us. Disability is nothing more than a brand.”

Ian Spalter: Why Designers Should Work Like Comedians

Contextualize, iterate, and understand the difference between “good laughs” and “bad laughs”.

Debbie Millman: Anything Worthwhile Takes Time

Overnight success is rare, and often comes at the expense of valuable learnings.

Natasha Jen: Design Thinking Is Bullsh*t

If Google Image search is your sole barometer, “design thinking uses just one tool: 3M Post-Its.”

Steve Selzer: Designing for Friction

Avoiding friction means removing “opportunities for serendipity, confrontation, and personal growth.”

Irene Au: The Architecture of Creative Collaboration

Mindfulness and intention rule when it comes to fruitful creative collaborations.

Cap Watkins: Treat Your Life Like a User Experience Problem

Buzzfeed’s VP of Design on how he collaborates with other teams when working on the same project.

Jennifer Daniel: Stop Trying to Design Everything

When failure happens, and it will, the important part is to not let it destroy you.

Kristy Tillman: Inviting Yourself to the Table

The moment you decide to create opportunities without asking for permission is when its time to invite yourself to new possibilities.

Tobias Frere-Jones: Break Things Deliberately

Break things down and then walk into the mess with all of your senses turned up. Then, and only then, will you find something amazing in all of the wreckage.

Clive Wilkinson: Designing the Theater of Work

Our coworkers are the humans that that we spend most of our time with and, damn it, it should be fun.

Rochelle King: Your Biggest Rival is Your Best Asset

How to fight, the right way.

Robert Brunner: What All Great Design Companies Know

The former director of industrial design at Apple shares what separates the great design-focused companies from the rest of the pack.

Marc Ecko: Embrace the Mess

“Don’t round out your edges and don’t assign power to third party gatekeepers.”

John Maeda: Fall in Love with Technology Through Great Design

Drawing on wisdom from Paul Rand, John Maeda shows us why both startups and “end-ups” need great design to succeed. But getting there requires a focus on designers, ambitious leadership, and lots of experimentation.

Tina Roth Eisenberg: Don’t Complain, Create.

Tina Roth Eisenberg, also known as Swissmiss, shares how she turned several side projects into full time labors of love.

Tina Roth Eisenberg: Leading with Joy

CEO of CreativeMornings, Tattly, and the newly launched Creative Guild, Tina Roth Eisenberg prioritizes joy, generosity, and confetti. In this inspiring talk, Eisenberg explains how she’s building a workplace her employees are excited to go to every day.

Krista Donaldson: Designing Products That Change the World

Krista Donaldson and her team design products that change the world — cheaply. How? By leveraging partners, listening to users, and tons of grit.

Ben Shaffer: Innovation Means Building a Safe Space for Failure

Ben Shaffer, designer of the Nike Flyknit, has three rules: incubate, instigate, and build, build, build.

Jane ni Dhulchaointigh: The Magic Is in The Process

How do you get from “what if?” to “eureka”? Sugru creator Jane ni Dhulchaointigh describes her six-year journey from design student to inventor.

Joshua Davis: Never Let Success Get In The Way of Creativity

Artist and technologist Joshua Davis on his multi-year dry spell and how he smashed through with a mix of help from friends and a return to tackling projects outside of his comfort zone.

Jonathan Adler: Keep Other People’s Opinions Out Of Your Creative Process

“I wanted to follow my heart and not be strategic and throw all preconceived ideas away,” says Jonathan Adler in this talk about ignoring other people’s opinions and charting your own path to creative fulfillment.

James Victore and Ben Barry: How to Build Your Own Career

“There is no answer. This isn’t math, it doesn’t always add up.”

Rilla Alexander: Without the Doing, Dreaming Is Useless

Ever get distracted by a new idea and have trouble seeing the original one through? Illustrator Rilla Alexander shares her idea execution struggle through an all-ages story.

Paula Scher: Do What You’ve Never Done Before

“Once you know what you’re doing, it’s not as good,” says legendary designer Paula Scher in this talk about ignoring the brief & charting your own course.

Tony Fadell: On Setting Constraints, Ignoring Experts & Embracing Self-Doubt

iPod godfather and ALVA Award-winner Tony Fadell shares incredible insights on how to design, build, and ship disruptive products.

Yves Béhar : Why Designers Should Be In Love With The Process

“Start with questions, not answers,” says visionary designer Yves Béhar in this in-depth 99% talk on his seven principles for “holistic making.”

John Maeda: Looking for Superman

How do you lead a creative enterprise through crisis while trying to stay true to your core as an artist and a designer?

Scott Thomas: Designing the Obama Campaign

Obama’s successful 2008 campaign marked the first time that branding and design played a pivotal role in a presidential bid. Design Director Scott Thomas talks about how it unfolded behind the scenes.

Ji Lee: The Transformative Power of Personal Projects

How can personal projects feed our professional development? Ji Lee changed his career trajectory with 30,000 stickers and a guerrilla art approach.

Michael Bierut: 5 Secrets from 86 Notebooks

Pulling from his collected notes and sketches from over three decades, renowned graphic designer Michael Bierut shares five simple secrets for doing great creative work.

Talks from Artists

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Kyle Webster speaking on the 99U Conference main stage

Kyle T. Webster: Make Time for Boredom

We’ve lost the art of boredom, and the levels of creativity that it can nurture.

Zach Lieberman speaking on the 99U Conference main stage

Zach Lieberman: What Could the Creative Career of the Future Look Like?

Zach Lieberman’s work seamlessly merges technology and creativity in fascinating new ways.

Adam J. Kurtz: Perfect Isn’t Better

The prolific artist Adam J. Kurtz offers some useful panaceas to the pressures of creative perfection.

Mona Chalabi: Sequence, Sequence… Surprise! Designing Data for Maximum Impact

Data editor for the Guardian US, Mona Chalabi explains that her end goal isn’t just a shareable image; it’s to make sure readers understand the big picture.

Christine Sun Kim: Your Work Is a Product of Your Experience

The artist Christine Sun Kim asks all creatives to consider how their outputs are colored by their own experiences, abilities, and empathy.

Mike Perry: Stop Censoring Your Work

A case for allowing your work to provoke, titillate, and show respect for your audience.

Yuko Shimizu: Money or Control – Pick One.

It’s okay to turn down a job, because there is always someone else who wants to take it.

Rob Forbes: How I Survived My Worst Failure

The found of Design Within Reach and PUBLIC Bikes on how to make (and thrive) in the face of a soul-crushing mistake.

Kelly Sue DeConnick: How To Make People Uncomfortable (And Still Make a Living)

Step one? Make yourself “open and vulnerable” and embrace your own “honest, incredibly uncool, messy humanity.”

Christoph Niemann: How to Overcome the 3 Fears Every Creative Faces

If you think your anxiety or grumpiness is distracting you from your creative process, think again. The very feelings that make creativity painful can enable your best work.

Shantanu Starick: How I Went Two Years Without Spending Any Money

One man’s quest to answer the question: What happens when you remove money from the creative equation?

Hank Willis Thomas: Artists Should Work in Society’s Subconscious

In this 99U talk, Thomas reveals his approach to his often-provocative work that recasts the iconography of advertising and our everyday to force us to rethink identity in popular culture.

Wendy MacNaughton: Listen to Strangers

Inspiration is all around you. But first, you’ll need to get out of your own head.

Jeff Sheng: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell & Creativity’s Role in Driving Social Change

Jeff Sheng spent a decade photographing closeted members of the military — and then “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was repealed.

Joshua Davis: Never Let Success Get In The Way of Creativity

Artist and technologist Joshua Davis on his multi-year dry spell and how he smashed through with a mix of help from friends and a return to tackling projects outside of his comfort zone.

James Victore and Ben Barry: How to Build Your Own Career

“There is no answer. This isn’t math, it doesn’t always add up.”

James Victore: Your Work Is A Gift

“When we think of our work as a gift, it radically changes what we create,” says rogue designer James Victore.

Rilla Alexander: Without the Doing, Dreaming Is Useless

Ever get distracted by a new idea and have trouble seeing the original one through? Illustrator Rilla Alexander shares her idea execution struggle through an all-ages story.

Andrew Zuckerman: On Curiosity, Rigor, and Learning As You Go

Curiosity is an essential part of the creative’s condition. But it’s even more powerful when combined with rigorous technique.

Jill Greenberg: How Much Should You Push the Envelope?

“What’s interesting about controversy is that it gets your pictures out there.” Photographer Jill Greenberg on the value of pushing the envelope.

Talks on Creativity for Social Good

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Giorgia Lupi: Finding Humanity in Data

Harness data as a design tool, while respecting human privacy and experience.

Vivienne Ming speaking on the 99U Conference main stage

Dr. Vivienne Ming: Share Your Vision With the World

AI can match a lot of human capabilities, but not vision and purpose.

Kat Holmes: Rethink What Inclusive Design Means

Rethink inclusive design not as a remedy for “personal health conditions” but as solutions for everyday “mismatches”.

John Maeda: Designing Inclusive Teams and Products

The prolific John Maeda in conversation with Adobe VP of Design Jamie Myrold, shares his insights on the history and current state of diversity and inclusion in the design industry.

Marcelino J. Alvarez: Be a Designer of Community

Uncorked Studios CEO and co-founder Marcelino J. Alvarez explains how designers and entrepreneurs can produce work that truly benefits communities.

Ashleigh Axios: How Selfish Design Can Save the World

Former White House creative director, Ashleigh Axios asks creatives to create social change by embracing the good feeling that comes from helping others.

Liz Jackson: Designing for Inclusivity

“We are disabled not by our bodies, but by the world around us. Disability is nothing more than a brand.”

Kimberly Bryant: Break Down Your Biases

Bias creeps up on us when we least expect it.

Anil Dash: Share Your Values and You’ll Share Success

What we make has a bigger impact on our culture than you think.

Rohan Gunatillake: You Are Not Your Work

The director of Mindfulness Everywhere on never forgetting to be human when in the trenches of creativity.

Casey Gerald: Purpose Is the New Bottom Line

MBAs Across America’s Casey Gerald on the 3 new rules for sparking social change.

Franklin Leonard: The Realist’s Guide To Changing the World

Burdening yourself with trying to “change the world” can cause paralysis and disappointment. There’s a better way.

Hank Willis Thomas: Artists Should Work in Society’s Subconscious

In this 99U talk, Thomas reveals his approach to his often-provocative work that recasts the iconography of advertising and our everyday to force us to rethink identity in popular culture.

Andy Didorosi: What Detroit Taught Me About Getting Things Done

When your surroundings aren’t cooperating, there’s only one thing to do: change them.

Krista Donaldson: Designing Products That Change the World

Krista Donaldson and her team design products that change the world — cheaply. How? By leveraging partners, listening to users, and tons of grit.

Jeff Sheng: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell & Creativity’s Role in Driving Social Change

Jeff Sheng spent a decade photographing closeted members of the military — and then “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was repealed.

Nikhil Arora: Transparent Is the New Clever

How Back to the Roots used ugly mushrooms and a little honesty to propel its business and make the world a better place.

Tony Schwartz: To Solve Big Problems, Change Your Process

To get our best ideas, we need to understand what a successful creative process looks like. Step 1: Mark some time to “think aside.”

Alexis Madrigal: Why Startups Need To Solve Real Problems Again

Alexis Madrigal tells us how startups can up the ante by shifting away from free “viral” business models & by having more diverse founders.

Jared Cohen: Don’t Pursue Ideas With Obvious Conclusions

The best ideas raise more questions than answers. Google Ideas’ Jared Cohen urges us to be intellectually adventurous by pursuing ideas without obvious conclusions.

Leslie Koch: Think Big and Act Small

Get the little stuff done every day, and make sure what you’re doing maps to the strategy you laid out. According to Governors Island president Leslie Koch, it’s that simple.

Martin Ping: Transforming Society Begins With Transforming Yourself

Hawthorne Valley Farm’s Martin Ping talks about the value of “servant leadership” and how to align your inner vision with your outer work.

Eve Blossom: Create Containers for Collaboration

After witnessing the horrors of the sex trade in Southeast Asia, entrepreneur Eve Blossom set out to create a new breed of collaborative business.

Robert Hammond: Building the High Line

Robert Hammond, co-founder of Friends of the High Line, shares insights on executing large-scale community projects, culled from his 10-year battle to transform a disused rail structure into an iconic public park.

Scott Thomas: Designing the Obama Campaign

Cheryl Dorsey: Social Entrepreneurial Intelligence

What traits define a particularly successful social entrepreneur? Echoing Green president Cheryl Dorsey breaks down the concept of SEQ.

Talks on Leadership & Collaboration

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Tim Brown: Engage With the Unknown

The IDEO leader discusses how creative industries have evolved, from the early socialization of design thinking to the urgent challenge of design ethics.

Audrey Liu: Incentivize Creative Teams with Meaning, Not Perks

Audrey Liu, Director of Product Design at Lyft, calls on companies to stop dangling perks and connect designers with the fulfillment of solving real problems.

Todd Yellin: Create a Culture of Iconoclasts

VP of Product for Netflix and self-proclaimed “enabler of iconoclasts”, Todd Yellin explains his unique approach to leadership.

Tea Uglow: How to Lead When You Don’t Know What You’re Doing

Google Creative Lab’s Tea Uglow explains why her success as a leader is rooted not in what she knows, but in what she doesn’t know.

Ian Spalter: Why Designers Should Work Like Comedians

Contextualize, iterate, and understand the difference between “good laughs” and “bad laughs”.

Julia Kaganskiy: Navigating the Unknown

A framework to navigate the unknowns in a creative career, without losing confidence in your ideas.

Scott Belsky: The First Mile of Product

“Products can be powerful enough for professionals, but accessible to everyone.”

Steve Selzer: Designing for Friction

Avoiding friction means removing “opportunities for serendipity, confrontation, and personal growth.”

Cap Watkins: Treat Your Life Like a User Experience Problem

Buzzfeed’s VP of Design on how he collaborates with other teams when working on the same project.

Effie Brown: The Identity Crisis – What Does It Mean to be a Leader?

Know thyself, know the what and why of all you’re doing, and most importantly DBAD.

Dan Mall: Replace the Internship with the Apprenticeship

Instead of throwing money at a person, you can throw a little bit of time and teaching to help them truly get better.

Wil Reynolds: The Hidden Danger of Confusing Outputs for Outcomes

Getting married = output. Staying married = outcome.

Susan Gregg Koger: Being a Rookie Is an Asset

Forget trying to “fake it until you make it.” Instead admit (and embrace) being a total newbie.

John Maeda: Fall in Love with Technology Through Great Design

Heather Payne: How to Turn Your Side Project Into a Full-Time Gig

How do we leverage our passion projects into something more? Ladies Learning Code founder Heather Payne demonstrates how unabashedly sharing her vision led to a team she loves and a rapidly-growing organization.

Joe Gebbia: Executing Your Idea Starts With a Small Single Step

Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia walks us through how to shake off our reservations and take the first small step to turning our ideas into an actual experience.

Josh Reich: People Say They Need Complexity, But What They Want Is Simplicity

Simple co-founder and CEO Josh Reich shows us how his team wrangles with banking bureaucracy to create a product people love.

Leah Busque: Have Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals And Take Baby Steps

“Share your idea with everyone” and 4 others lessons Leah Busque learned from building TaskRabbit.

Tony Schwartz: To Solve Big Problems, Change Your Process

To get our best ideas, we need to understand what a successful creative process looks like. Step 1: Mark some time to “think aside.”

Sebastian Thrun on the Universal Law of Innovation: Build It, Break It, Improve It

Google X mastermind and ALVA Award-winner Sebastian Thrun shares insights on how to build groundbreaking products that will change the world.

Simon Sinek: Why Leaders Eat Last

Ethnographer and leadership expert Simon Sinek on why leaders must sacrifice for the good of the group.

Keith Yamashita: The 3 Habits of Great Creative Teams

Great teams don’t happen by accident, they require a diligent and mindful effort to cultivate the specific habits that lead to success.

Neil Blumenthal: 3 Lessons Learned From Building Warby Parker

“If you’re doing stuff thats interesting that also has the customer in mind,” says Blumenthal, “positive unintended consequences occur.”

Tony Fadell: On Setting Constraints, Ignoring Experts & Embracing Self-Doubt

iPod godfather and ALVA Award-winner Tony Fadell shares incredible insights on how to design, build, and ship disruptive products.

Beth Comstock: Make Heroes Out of the Failures

Storytelling, experimentation, passion, and even failure – these are the ingredients that help great ideas make it to the finish line, says GE’s Beth Comstock.

Simon Sinek: If You Don’t Understand People, You Don’t Understand Business

“We’re not good at everything, we’re not good by ourselves,” says Simon Sinek. Our ability to build trust and relationships is the key to our survival as a race, and to thriving as ideamakers.

Leslie Koch: Think Big and Act Small

Get the little stuff done every day, and make sure what you’re doing maps to the strategy you laid out. According to Governors Island president Leslie Koch, it’s that simple.

John Maeda: Looking for Superman

How do you lead a creative enterprise through crisis while trying to stay true to your core as an artist and a designer?

Antenna Design: Why Two Minds Think Faster Than One

Are two minds really better than one? We sit down with the power duo behind Antenna Design to discuss the pros and cons of creative partnerships.

Baratunde Thurston: Getting Things Done Is Inspiration + Sheer Willpower

The bestselling author of How To Be Black talks about making things happen with a team, despite his natural inclination to fly solo.

Jack Dorsey: The 3 Keys to Twitter’s Success

Twitter creator Jack Dorsey outlines his simple approach to making amazing ideas happen: drawing out the idea, gauging the right timing, and iterating like mad.