We were all super inspired by the speakers at #BDF2023 Conference, so we thought we would share some of our key takeaways from our favourites. If you like what you read/see, give them a follow on socials.
Marta Cerda Alimbau @martacerda
Marta is a Spanish graphic designer and illustrator. She is best known for her colourful, eclectic designs. Her work lives in the spaces between illustration and typography.
In her talk at #BDF2023 she spoke about how she finds inspiration in everyday things to help her create the truly inspirational typography designs that she does – take the bouncy castle inspired numbering for Spain’s no.1 lifestyle magazine as a great example.
Marta has worked with some huge brands including Vogue and Nike and we were all so intrigued by where she takes inspiration from. For her, the movement, or type in motion, of what she creates is just as important as how it looks when static.
Oliver Jeffers @oliverjeffers
A favourite of a lot of the team at Kingel, Oliver Jeffers is a visual artist and storyteller.
His career spans 20 years and he has an extensive list of awards and critical acclaim as well as his art being featured in art galleries and museums around the World. His much-loved books have been translated into over 50 languages and he has sold a staggering 14+ million copies globally!
Why did his talk resonate with us? Perhaps it’s the sheer volume and breadth of work he has created, delivering design and books enjoyed by adults and children alike. Or maybe it was his motto ‘don’t worry about anything, you will be dead soon’ that spoke to us!!
Sonal Jhuj – Director of Brand Concepts at Lego
Sonal’s talk focussed on how things connect, how we connect through stories, how design, product and marketing connect, and with Lego, how play connects with culture, branding and of course children.
She encouraged us all to be more childlike, be creative, play on the grass! Take life less seriously and see what you can create.
Sonal had wonderful enthusiasm and reminded us of how important (and neglected) play is in our lives. It certainly got us thinking about letting our inner child take the creative reins from time to time.
Gemma O’Brien @MrsEaves101
Perhaps our teams’ favourite talk of the day! Australia based Gemma is world renowned for her large intricate murals and ability to elevate type to an illustrative centre-piece. She has worked with global brands including Tiffany & Co, Apple, Google, Heinz and Adobe.
Some of us had a bit of a fan-girl moment as Gemma has consistently appeared on our teams Pinterest boards as inspiration for years now. During the talk she took time to flick through her sketchbooks, showing her process. It was refreshing to hear someone talk about the importance of getting away from a computer and starting on paper.
Gemma is an incredible talent and as such has landed some big clients to work with, she makes it sound like she won those client projects so easily but in reality it isn’t that easy. Gemma is a great advocate for her own work, she produces what she loves and shares that through her various platforms to inspire a worldwide audience. She never stops trying to learn, grow and improve what she does. A lesson to all creatives out there.
Brian Collins @thisiscollins
And last but not least; co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of COLLINS the legendary New York design firm behind brand rebuilds of household names in the US and around the world, including Spotify, Nike, Microsoft and Ford.
In his talk Brian walked us through COLLINS’ rebrand of Spotify and San Francisco Symphony Hall – where they took inspiration from how they chop up the ‘rule book’ of marketing and focus less on strategy, target audience, KPIs etc. and instead focus on creating brands that set companies apart, inspire the users and really stand out.
A couple of things Brian said that we have been mulling over:
What is better: Intentional Inspiration or Unintentional Inspiration? Finding inspiration in unusual places, being less formulaic and allowing yourself to create for the sake of creating and see what happens! This is definitely a message that has resonated with all of us.
Brian encouraged the audience not to be scared of AI, it’s here, it’s been here for a while – we should use it as second brain. We like this idea, and will keep experimenting to see how it helps us.
