A smaller-scale offshoot of the Hopscotch Music Festival, the Hopscotch Design Festival brings the same walkabout experience to the world of engineering and entrepreneurship, spotlighting people who are designing the near-future. The festival has just announced the initial speaker lineup you’ll see when it returns Sept. 9–10.
In its inaugural run last September, Hopscotch Design drew a modest 800 attendees to Raleigh for two days of talks, workshops and parties in various downtown venues. This year, it brings another mix of local and national presenters, from small start-ups and huge corporations, who work across the fields of graphic design, architecture, urban planning, technology, the arts and more.
“We’re ensuring attendees can network more broadly and come away with inspiration and ideas to use in their own work,” Hopscotch Design cofounder Matthew Muñoz said in a press release. (Read our interview about last year’s festival with Muñoz and cofounder Greg Lowenhagen to learn more.)
This year’s first round of speakers (more will be announced as the festival approaches) represent the White House, TED, Apple, Microsoft, Herman Miller, GE, The New York Times and more. On the local side, guests include Raleigh urban design visionary Dan Douglas, Garland co-owner Cheetie Kumar and New Raleigh Editor-in-Chief Jedidiah Gant.
The full initial lineup is as follows:
Kate Johnson, CEO of Intelligent Platforms, GE
Graham Roberts, senior graphics editor at The New York Times
Ashleigh Axios, creative director for the Office of Digital Strategy at the White House
Christopher Simmons, principal/creative director of San Francisco design office MINE™
Matt Curtis, director of global partnerships at TED and a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate
Linda Stone, writer, speaker and consultant who has worked with Apple and Microsoft
Mitchell Joachim, Terreform One
Steve Frykholm, vice president of creative design at Herman Miller
Maria Fabrizio, designer, illustrator and creator of Wordless News
Silas Munro, poly:mode
Antionette Carroll, executive director of Creative Reaction Lab
David Burris, a Raleigh native, former executive producer of Survivor and director of The World Made Straight
Josh Goldblum, CEO of Blue Cadet
Dan Douglas, Raleigh urban designer
Sarah Smith, program director at the Sawhorse Revolution
Helena Price, photographer
Cheetie Kumar, co-owner and head chef of Garland
Jedidiah Gant, New Raleigh editor-in-chief
“Each of these initial Hopscotch Design presenters brings something different and inspiring to the event, from creating big ideas for a global community to becoming a local entrepreneurial leader. This conference is about engaging in ways one might not have considered before—being inspired by seeing what’s next in design thinking,” Marie Schacht, Hopscotch Design Festival director, said in a press release.
The full lineup of speakers will be announced soon. Two-day passes for the festival ($175) and student passes ($80) are now on sale.
