Speakers

Johnny Cupcakes

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Johnny Cupcakes turned a simple joke into a multi-million dollar business using very non-traditional methods starting at the age of 19 without any business plan, start up loans, investors, wholesaling, or advertising. Read More ›

  • Talk Title: Coming soon!
  • Description: Johnny's lecture focuses on starting a brand + business (both web based & retail) with little to no start up money, entrepreneurship, the importance of branding, small business management, product development and marketing as well as communication and graphic design.
  • Venue: Reinberger Auditorium

Chuck Anderson

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Chuck Anderson is an illustrator and designer most known for his work with Fall Out Boy, Computer Arts Magazine, and Windows 7. Read More ›

  • Talk Title: No Pattern & Consistent Inconsistence
  • Description: I've always been someone whose interests, passions, and hobbies change on what seem like a near-daily basis. This obviously affects who I am as a person but especially affects who I am as an artist and designer and what I create. I'll be talking about where I started and how I've evolved as an artist over the years, what it's like to be a creative person who feels like their brain is constantly moving at a million miles an hour, and how we can all learn to embrace that as more of a gift than a curse.
  • Venue: Reinberger Auditorium

James White

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James White is a Canadian visual artist and designer who has built his impressive career on avoiding the ordinary and never forgetting the passion that has motivated him since he was old enough to hold a pencil. Read More ›

  • Talk Title: Design Renegade
  • Description: In order to reach our goals in the upside-down world of graphic design, you need to be a rogue. A misfit. A renegade. James White from the Signalnoise Studio has based his career on doing things outside of the ordinary, turning his back on boardrooms and creative briefs in order to chase his design dreams with vengeance and rock n’ roll. He will be telling his story while discussing personal projects built from love and ambition in his small home office in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. These led to him working with respected people all over the world, from his favourite metal band to film juggernaut Kevin Smith. James will talk about chasing your creative path, building your personal body of work, the value of supporting friends, and never forgetting the artist inside. Being “different” isn’t enough anymore. You need to be a renegade!
  • Venue: Reinberger Auditorium

Jeff Finley

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Jeff Finley is an artist, designer, and partner at Go Media. His creative drive led him to write Thread’s Not Dead and found the Weapons of Mass Communication Fest. Read More ›

  • Talk Title: What Makes a Designer Popular?
  • Description: I've always been fascinated by why people like what they like and the concept of being popular or famous. How is it that one designer can post something terrible on Dribbble and get hundreds of likes where another spends hours crafting a masterpiece only to see it launch to cricket chirps and a handful of likes? In this talk, I will explore what makes designers popular, why it matters, and how you can boost your own popularity while still being yourself.
  • Venue: Reinberger Auditorium

Jennifer Daniel

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Jennifer Daniel is an award-winning designer and illustrator who delivers a remarkable amount of witty, informative work for media powerhouses like Bloomberg Businessweek and, before that, The New York Times. Read More ›

  • Talk Title: Untitled
  • Description: What the fuck does “I'm an illustrator” mean? I have no idea, but people tell me I am one, so I'll be talking for 30 minutes about how I feel like a fraud. Part designer, part art director, part illustrator, part writer, part journalist, part editor and whatever is left of me is very confused. I'll talk about not being in the present of illustration but in the future of post-illustration, and pulling that future into the present. Please note: There is also a 15% chance I'll just talk about my dog for 30 minutes.
  • Venue: Reinberger Auditorium

Rachael Novak

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Rachael Novak is a native Clevelander who draws inspiration for her design and illustration from living along Lake Erie and the artisan community that surrounds it. Read More ›

  • Talk Title: Side Hustle
  • Description: You can't count on the right opportunities to come to you, so sometimes you have to get creative and make them yourself. I've built a niche for myself in the design/handmade community that I wouldn't have without pushing myself beyond the 9-to-5, and I've never looked back. You just have to be hungry, bold, and a little impatient — so that nothing seems like it can wait for tomorrow.
  • Venue: Reinberger Auditorium

Friends of Type

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The Friends of Type are a collective of letterform-loving creative souls whose killer work is as much a testament to the members’ skill as it is their respect for craft. Read More ›

  • Talk Title: Good, Bad & Ugly
  • Description: We're taught at a young age the difference between a "good" and "bad" habit. At Friends of Type, we believe all habits are important in the quest to reach the next level. From starting a project over at the 11th hour to dropping everything for a diversion to the flea market, embracing what others may deem "wrong" is the best way to create something while breaking through mediocrity.
  • Venue: Reinberger Auditorium

Nate Utesch

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Nate Utesch is an artist, musician, and independent publisher who consistently delivers high-quality work from his Indiana home. Read More ›

  • Talk Title: Let's be more of who we are. Together. All at once.
  • Description: Some ranting about curation and collaboration. How I found Jesus at the back of a gutted tattoo parlor — except he looked a little like Jack Kirby and taught me how to use India ink.
  • Venue: Reinberger Auditorium

Jen Myers

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Jen Myers is an interaction designer who speaks passionately about design, development, programming education, and diversity in technology. Read More ›

  • Talk Title: How to Change the World with a Girl and a Computer
  • Description: After hearing the question, “Why aren’t there more women in technology?” one time too many, a group of women in technology decided to do something about it. In Columbus, Ohio, I started a chapter of a program called Girl Develop It, and we created beginner-level programming classes aimed at female students. While our students learned to program, we learned about education, communication, growth, identity, and the potential of diverse ideas and experiences to make a community stronger. Here’s how to change the world with nothing more than a girl and a computer.
  • Venue: Reinberger Auditorium

Matt Stevens

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Matt Stevens is a creative tinkerer armed with the belief that you have to find ways to pursue your passions, even if it means creating it for yourself. Read More ›

  • Talk Title: *subject to change without notice
  • Description: A personal account of the past few years of my design life. Pursuing personal projects, trusting ridiculous ideas, and finding myself in places I never expected.
  • Venue: Reinberger Auditorium

Austin Kleon

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Austin Kleon is a writer, artist, bestselling author, and speaker obsessed with the art of communicating with pictures and words, together. Read More ›

  • Talk Title: Writing: The Secret Weapon of Any Career
  • Description: No matter what your discipline, it's hard to get any good work done without clear, straightforward communication. Simply put, being a good writer makes you better at your job. Using a few school supplies, a little visual thinking, and a whole lot of creative theft, this talk will help get you started on the way towards becoming a wordsmith.
  • Venue: Reinberger Auditorium

Jackie Bebenroth

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Jackie Bebenroth is a Swiss Army Knife of creativity who works with entrepreneurs, agencies, and executives to reach new heights through the power of storytelling. Read More ›

  • Talk Title: The Art of the Story
  • Description: Storytelling is an art and a skill — one that can be quite useful when it comes to gaining approval on that last logo design, selling your next gallery show, or growing your following online. Jackie Bebenroth will feature examples from past agency pitches and WMC speaker blogs to show you how the story behind your creative process — from inspiration through end result — can increase the value of your work and bolster your badass reputation.
  • Venue: Reinberger Auditorium