Three Config talks to enjoy
Cool strategies for doing your best work
Last week I went to SF for Config for the first time. In case you don’t know what’s that, Config is a conference by Figma, the collaborative design tool, and it is known as the Coachella for (mostly product) designers. I had a great time, met amazing internet friends, and learned a ton. From the talks I attended, I noticed they could be classified in two: the talk that is trying to convince you of doing something through frameworks and acronyms that you will never remember and the talk that is sharing actually helpful and actionable advice that you can apply right away in your next work day. And by my phrasing you can already tell which one I prefer. Today I want to share three talks of the second type that I hope you enjoy.
1 — The Wild West of collaborative brand design — Smith & Diction
I have to warn you that they’re suggest extremely upsetting and wild stuff like working side by side with your boss on the same figma file. If you can stomach that, then this is a great one. Not only the slides they present stands out amongst a sea of really good slides, but they also offer so many strategies for working alongside people, that no matter if you do brand design or not, there’s something you can take away and apply immediately.
They share a bunch of great hot takes like your first idea is never your best idea, progress is a process, be ready for everything, failure is a part of the design process, there’s magic in the mess and much much more.
Their last slide was the one that resonated the most with me, they encourage us to be less scared and, in my experience, there’s so much you can learn when you face any tiny or big fear you may have or when you do things despite being afraid. And this is something I’ve never heard being addressed as a part of the design process. By the end of it, I was suddenly really excited to get a boss so we can work on a figma file together.
2 — Pitch perfect: how to present ideas and cut through the noise — Wojtek Dziedzic
Don’t let the somehow stiff title mislead you, this was one of the most entertaining talks I attended. It was very meta, presenting about presenting, and he made sure to let us know how meta it was. He said that design was complex and boring, and in order to make other people (usually non designers) care, you need to make it less boring and less complex. So simple, right? This made me think of diagrams, of course, and how they can make complexity digestible through really good visuals.
Ironically, this one also showcased frameworks and acronyms, but with a twist, he presented TLA, three letter acronyms, and the point was: make your own. Creating your own acronyms will make more sense in this type of setting because you will remember and you will know what is it that you’re trying to do. The talk is really fun and I learned a lot, which in itself is a testament to how good he is at presenting, makes complete sense that he is giving the talk.
3 – Design at the speed of startups — Gabriel Valdivia
This one I liked because it had a simple approach and was very straightforward, with advice oriented towards how to share work, how to lead meetings, how to communicate and the differences between early and late stage designers. This difference is key in how to do work, and he expands and shares a good amount of tips and tricks. There’s a chance you know a few of them already, and an even bigger chance of learning something new.
Besides this, I always enjoy learning about the nitty gritty of how early-stage designers work. Because it’s rarely super polished, perfect and linear, more about embracing the process and showing not telling, and surfing chaotic surfaces through clear communication, understanding of shared goals and flexibility.
That’s all! If you went or watched config, please share which ones were your favorites, I’d love to know.
Until next week,
L