Schedule: Monday, October 1

SCHEDULE: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
SCHEDULE: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
SCHEDULE: MONDAY, OCTOBER 1
SCHEDULE: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2

7:30-11 a.m.
UCDA Resource Center, Breakfast, and Pop-Up Shops
The UCDA Resource Center includes an exhibition by companies and resources of interest to college designers. Visit with company representatives, get answers to your most pressing questions, and see the latest techniques, products, and services. Contact UCDA to become an exhibitor or sponsor. Space is limited.

New for 2018, UCDA be hosting a pop-up shop area within the UCDA Resource Center for conference speakers or area merchants. Be sure to check them out as they will only be available for a limited time.

11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. (Concurrent Breakout Sessions)
13. Creating Buy-in for a University Marketing Campaign Designed In-house on a Decentralized Campus
Kim Nelson, Western Michigan University
Developing an award-winning marketing campaign that is unique, on trend, and well-received can be expensive and hard. Getting buy-in from leadership and other campus units can be even harder. This session will walk through the steps taken by WMU to create the institution’s latest marketing campaign. Led by directors from University Relations, the steps include: marketing research, in-house ideation, creative development, copy testing with key audiences, and implementation both on and off campus. Learn the importance of internal buy-in and how to best utilize on-campus talent to affordably create a concept that people will get behind.

14. Putting Stock in Authentic Photography
Liz Chrisman, Arkansas Tech University
Photography has become a key component in university and college collateral to attract prospective students, solidify culture, and coerce alumni back to campus. The impact these images can have, however, is hinged upon their authenticity. Liz Chrisman will discuss ways to utilize images differently on a variety of platforms, while still staying genuine to your message and brand. This session is a must to help you get the most out of your campus photographer.

15. Nice to Meet You
Joshua Morey, Michigan State University
Now that you’ve landed that plush position (or even if you’ve been there a while) you can sit back and relax, right? Wrong. Learn how continuing development of your personal brand can help you stay innovative, network harder, and create opportunity.

16. Stop Staring at the Path
Jason Frostholm, Creative South Podcast/Frostiki
We often seek happiness and fulfillment at the hands of others and we’re convinced we must follow a certain path to find these things. What happens when you come across bumps and roadblocks that hold you back? Do you follow that same path and keep running into obstacles, or do you stop looking at the path and find your own way? Join Jason as he talks about the roadblocks he’s encountered while trying to follow a certain path to happiness, and how he stopped staring at the path and started to forge his own way.

12:15-1:45 p.m.
Lunch on Your Own

1:45-2:45 p.m. (Concurrent Breakout Sessions)
17. Creating Buy-in for a University Marketing Campaign Designed In-house on a Decentralized Campus
Kim Nelson, Western Michigan University
Developing an award-winning marketing campaign that is unique, on trend, and well-received can be expensive and hard. Getting buy-in from leadership and other campus units can be even harder. This session will walk through the steps taken by WMU to create the institution’s latest marketing campaign. Led by directors from University Relations, the steps include: marketing research, in-house ideation, creative development, copy testing with key audiences, and implementation both on and off campus. Learn the importance of internal buy-in and how to best utilize on-campus talent to affordably create a concept that people will get behind.

18.  Putting Stock in Authentic Photography
Liz Chrisman, Arkansas Tech University
Photography has become a key component in university and college collateral to attract prospective students, solidify culture, and coerce alumni back to campus. The impact these images can have, however, is hinged upon their authenticity. Liz Chrisman will discuss ways to utilize images differently on a variety of platforms, while still staying genuine to your message and brand. This session is a must to help you get the most out of your campus photographer.

19. Kill Your PDF: Bringing Hope College’s Print Magazines Online
Craig Tommola, Hope College
The time invested in designing a magazine deserves a better online presence than a PDF. It deserves a comparable experience—a translation of the content and design to a new medium. This was the perspective adopted in redesigning News from Hope College in 2016 and the launch of Spera a year ago. Craig will explore the process of creating the online magazines (and subsequent issues) as engaging yet cohesive user experiences. The concepts covered are transferrable to most content management systems. In his own words,
“I won’t get overly technical, but I’ll give you enough ideas to get your gears turning so you can have a productive brainstorm session with your resident ‘web folks’ and move away from the uploaded PDF.”

20. Bumbling Through Life With a Big Stupid Grin
Tim Pangburn, Art Machine Productions
Everyone knows that one person who is seemingly unshakable. Didn’t get the job? Wasn’t meant to be! Cat threw up on their canvas? It’s art now! Rush hour traffic? Time for a dance party! Everyone has the ability to tap into that positive mindset. Good and bad come and go, but circumstance does not define us. It’s not what happens to you, it’s what happens in you. Learn to cultivate positivity through hardship and become that person with the stupid grin.

3-4:15 p.m. (General Session)
21. Things That Don’t Have a Thing to Do With Graphic Design
Aaron James Draplin, Draplin Design Company
As a graphic designer, Aaron is lucky to make things for all kinds of things. But more and more, he is realizing the profound impact it has on the things in the rest of his life. Things in his backyard. Things that hold things. Things for his nephew. And things on one of the saddest days of his life. That’s a lot of things. Plus, he’ll update you on all the things he has been up to, aside from all those other things. Tons of new things!

4:15-5 p.m.
Draplin Design Co. Pop-up
Following Aaron James Draplin's general session, stop by this pop-up shop to visit with Aaron and see what Draplin Design Co. has been up to.

4:30-5:30 p.m.
Silent Auction Closing Reception
Stop by the Silent Auction for some last minute bidding wars. This will be your final opportunity to bid on items before the auction closes at 5:30 p.m. Items can then be picked-up starting at 5:30 p.m. or on Tuesday morning.

5:30-6 p.m.
Silent Auction Pick-up

6 p.m.
Dinner on Your Own