Welcoming Emerging Professionals
Read Time: 3 minutes
*On March 1, 2023, SEGD YDS rebranded to SEGD Emerging Experiential Professionals (EXP).
SEGD’s Young Designers Series (YDS) provides a great forum for student designers and emerging professionals in the field of EGD/XGD to connect, be inspired, and have a voice within our global, multidisciplinary community. The following recaps YDS’s recent “Present Yourself” event and takes a sneak-peek at what the upcoming 2022 Annual Conference Experience has in store for young designers.
On April 27, SEGD hosted its third-annual “Present Yourself” workshop. Part of SEGD’s Young Designers Series (YDS), this virtual event connected design students with SEGD professionals to review resumes and portfolios in one-on-one sessions. The 12 student participants met with at least four unique design leaders from across the country and around the world.
The portfolio reviews at “Present Yourself” served to link design students to their future careers while providing mentorship opportunities for SEGD professional members and opening channels to the next wave of design talent. After the workshop, students were invited to upload their resumes to SEGD JOBS, where potential employers can post positions to find a candidate.
This year, YDS Committee members Hannah Anderson of Kolar Design (Cincinnati, OH) and Elizabeth Griswold of Ewing Cole (Raleigh, NC) proudly hosted the virtual event.
“The range of talent and depth of perspective shared between a mentor and student from completely opposite ends of the country, or world, is inspiring to witness,” says Hannah. “By providing this virtual experience to the young designers in our communities, we are saying ‘We’re excited to welcome you, we value the work that you’ve accomplished as a student, and we see you as the future of the design industries.’”
In addition to ”Present Yourself” the YDS Committee plans to host a series of curated activities at the 2022 SEGD Conference Experience in Portland, Oregon (June 16 –18).
By registering for the full conference and selecting the Young Designer Series designation, attendees can experience their own YD Lounge space inside the conference hotel, the Hyatt Regency Portland,* available to them throughout the entire three-day event. Here young designers and emerging professionals will meet one another during breaks, sign-up for an in-person, one-on-one mentor meet-up with a design professional, and engage in various fun activities. There will also be a private, YDS speaker session and roundtable event provided with food, presentation, and open conversation between peers and mentors. Young Designers interested in sharing their story and experiences during the early stages of their career through a short, 10-minute presentation at the conference are welcome to submit a one-page PDF summary to yds-committee@segd.org.
*Don’t forget to book your room! The Hyatt Regency Portland is the venue for the 2022 SEGD Conference! We have reserved a block of rooms at the Hyatt Regency Portland for US$229 plus tax and fees per night. This rate is in effect through May 24, 2022; after that date, unsold rooms will be released. Reserve with code “G-SEG1” by calling 971-222-1234 or the online link.
Mentors:
Here are SEGD mentors who you will get to meet and interact with in Portland, to name a few:
· Natalie Zanecchia
Events:
We recommend that participants take advantage of all sessions and keynote speakers offered throughout the conference. Events that are ideal for emerging professionals are:
· Young Designer Lounge Thursday through Saturday
· Young Designers Lunch on Thursday
· Design Improv on Thursday
· NEXPO on Friday
· NEXPO talks on Friday
· Young Designer Mentor Meet Up on Friday
· Content Tracks on Saturday
· All awards ceremonies
· All receptions/parties
Tours:
All tours will be a fantastic experience. For educational and insightful behind-the-scenes stories, we recommend checking out the wayfinding projects
· Tour 2: Columbia River Gorge Wayfinding
· Tour 6: Oregon Zoo Wayfinding + Education Center
· Tour 11: Vancouver Waterfront Wayfinding
· Tour 12: Portland International Airport, PDXNext Expansion
Register for the 2022 SEGD Conference Experience in Portland TODAY!