UCDA Design Summit
The 2019 UCDA Design Summit in Savannah promises to be an exciting program, with a curriculum that features inspirational sessions as well as those addressing technologies and resources that can help your daily work flow so that you can focus more on design! Be prepared to learn from experienced speakers through intimate and focused sessions on key topics and issues that we all face as designers.
You’ll be able to explore the 22 historic city squares in this legendary southern city while getting your creativity refueled in the intimate setting of the UCDA Design Summit.
Join us in Savannah for a mild climate and exciting ideas!
SPONSORS
Interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact the UCDA Home Office at 615-459-4559 or info@ucda.com.
GOLD
Mohawk
SILVER
Matthew Lester Photography
BRONZE
RHB
United States Postal Service
GOODY BAG
4imprint
Peopledesign
Scout Books
LOCATION AND LODGING
Summit Location
The summit will be held in Savannah, Georgia, at the Hyatt Regency Savannah hotel. The Hyatt Regency is an elegant, contemporary waterfront hotel in Savannah with direct access to River Street and the Historic District. You are within walking distance of historic parks and squares, and is a great, central location ideal for exploring what Savannah has to offer.
Discounted Hotel Rates
You can make your reservations by going to tinyurl.com/ucda-hyatt-savannah or by calling the Hyatt Regency Savannah at 912-238-1234. Mention that you are attending the UCDA Design Summit to receive the discounted rate of $219 + tax (single or double). Room block is good until March 1, 2019, subject to availability.
Take advantage of this rate and extend your stay before or after the UCDA Design Summit. The reduced rate will be honored two days prior and three days after, subject to availability.
Hyatt Regency Savannah
2 W. Bay Street
Savannah, Georgia 31401
912-238-1234
The hotel stay is not included in the conference registration fees. You are responsible for making your own hotel reservations. Room blocks may fill before the hotel deadline. If the group rate is no longer available, prevailing rates may be offered for some or all of your dates, so please make your reservation immediately to ensure the discounted rate and availability.
REGISTRATION FEES
| REGULAR RATES (all prices in USD) |
Regular | Early Bird (by March 1) |
| Non-member/Subscriber | $995 | $895 |
| REDUCED MEMBER RATES |
||
| UCDA Partner Member Rate (e.g. RGC or GDC members) | $895 | $795 |
| UCDA Professional, Associate or Faculty Member Rate | $795 | $695 |
| Student Rate | $595 | $495 |
| UCDA Emeritus Member Rate | $400 | $300 |
| SINGLE DAY (Please use PDF registration form or call the UCDA office to register) |
||
| Thursday, April 11 | $450 | $400 |
| Friday, April 12 | $450 | $400 |
| OPTIONAL EVENTS | ||
| Publications Face-to-Face (with breakfast) (Friday, April 12 – 8 to 9:30 a.m.) |
$25 | $25 |
| Architectural Savannah, A Walking Tour (Saturday, April 13 – 9:30 a.m to 12 noon) |
$30 | $30 |
| SCAD Creative Spaces Tour (Saturday, April 13 – 9:30 a.m to 12 noon) |
$20 | $20 |
FOUR WAYS TO REGISTER
1. REGISTER ONLINE
2. CALL 615-459-4559 with your registration information and your credit card number.
3. FAX 615-459-5229 your completed registration form and payment information (purchase order or credit card numbers).
4. MAIL your completed registration form with payment to:
UCDA Design Summit
199 Enon Springs Road West, Suite 400
Smyrna, Tennessee 37167
REGISTRATION CONFIRMATION
A confirmation letter will be sent to you after registration is received and processed. Occasionally conferences fill to capacity before the registration cut-off date, so please register early.
REGISTRATION CANCELLATION
See UCDA Cancellation Policies
UCDA Design Summit photographs by Matthew Lester Photography.
SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, APRIL 11
8 a.m.
Onsite Registration
8:30 a.m. (on-going)
Literature Exchange
Share examples of your work with your colleagues and gather new ideas to bring back to your institution. Bring samples with you, or mail them to yourself at the hotel to arrive when you do.
8:30-10 a.m.
1. Using Social Listening Insights to Understand Your Audience (with Breakfast)
Liz Gross

It seems that everyone has an opinion on their interactions with businesses and organizations, and they don’t hesitate to share them (or rant!) on social media. Savvy marketers and experienced designers find and analyze these online conversations to better understand their audience and design content and experiences that meet their needs and even delight them. This session will describe how social listening works, share case studies of audience research and conversation analysis impacting design, and provide resources for you to do your own social listening—no matter what budget you have available.
10:15-11:15 a.m.
2. On Schedule, on Budget, and on Target: Managing Creative Projects
Shel Perkins
You’re a good designer, but producing good design is only half of the battle. The work that you do also has to be on schedule, on budget, and meet client expectations. A good system for planning and tracking projects can make all of this easier. In this session, we’ll discuss best practices and tools for successfully managing design projects.
Immediately following the session, Shel will have a book signing. Copies of his best-selling book, Talent is Not Enough: Business Secrets for Designers, will be available for purchase.
11:15-1:30 p.m.
Lunch on Own
Savannah’s cuisine is world-famous and extremely diverse. Explore the city and sink your teeth into extra-crispy fried chicken, authentic shrimp and grits, finger-licking-good barbecue, and so much more.
1:30-2:30 p.m.
3. Tipping Over the Toolbox
Todd Sanders
Todd will offer a hands-on look at the tools that power the social web. This session will give a brief overview of the popular social media platforms and how those in higher education are currently using them. We'll also explore the ways higher ed is not using them, and discuss opportunities to change that.
2:30-2:45 p.m.
Refreshment Break
2:45-3:45 p.m.
4. Successful Mailpiece Design
Fernando Benitez, Emanuel “Manny” Murphy, Jermaine Person
In the dark about what will mail well through the USPS, what will take extra time and postage, and how to best work with your friendly neighborhood postmaster? The USPS team will cover design requirements, best practices, and the ins and outs of mailpiece design. Learn about how you can stand out in a field of postal mail while staying on budget and in compliance. USPS representatives will also be available following this session during the Networking Mixer to continue the dialogue and answer your questions.
3:45-5:45 p.m.
Networking Mixer
Enjoy light appetizers and a cash bar as you meet and greet your fellow UCDA Design Summit attendees and visit with sponsors.
6 p.m.
Dinner on Your Own
Savannah’s cuisine is world-famous and extremely diverse. Explore the city and sink your teeth into extra-crispy fried chicken, authentic shrimp and grits, finger-licking-good barbecue, and so much more.
FRIDAY, APRIL 12
8 a.m.
Breakfast on Own
8-9:30 a.m.
Optional Event (Add-on): Publications Face-to-Face (with Breakfast)
Limited space available. Pre-registration required. $25 per person.
Your intended audience and reader may take just a few seconds to form an opinion when looking at your publication for the first time. Bring a single publication and have the opportunity to have it speed-reviewed by peers, speakers, and others during this fast-paced, interactive session.
9:45-10:45 a.m.
5. Using Design Thinking In Higher Education (Part 1)
Holly Morris
Designers know that empathy for the audience is the first step in every effort, whether you’re designing a whole new degree program or creating a marketing campaign to promote that new degree program. Every audience, indeed every student is different! How can you ensure you’re reaching them in a meaningful way? How do you know if your plans merit scaling?
Design Thinking, a set of principles and process steps that start with the user at the center, can help you build on that core knowledge regarding empathy in a disciplined way. Using the steps outlined by the Stanford D-School, you ensure that you’re focused on the right problem to solve, engage right brain oriented designers in the problem solving process, and build a case that helps left-brain oriented deciders green light those creative efforts with confidence.
Several higher education institutions have engaged Design Thinking to create everything from award-winning student success apps to marketing campaigns to academic programs. Learn the tools used by other higher education professionals to build true empathy with students and internal customers, how the process works as a whole, and how other higher education institutions have used the process to support student and institutional success.
11 a.m.-12 noon
6. Using Design Thinking In Higher Education (Part 2)
Holly Morris
A continuation of the previous session.
12 noon-1:45 p.m.
7. Ask the Experts (with Lunch)
The speakers invite you to bring up issues you would like to explore further. Get fresh feedback, suggestions, and ask the questions that have been on your mind throughout the summit.
2-3 p.m.
8. Not Quite Big Data: Social Media Data Workshop
Liz Gross

The promise of big data insights can seem like a mystical fairy land for individuals working in small departments or with few resources. Don’t fret—you can access social media data that leads to actionable insights without using expensive software. This hands-on session will explore ways to use Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics, and other data free social media data sources to learn more about your audience, what content is resonating with them, and how to design publishing strategies that will help you reach your goals. Bring your laptop and be ready to nerd out!
3:00-3:15 p.m.
Refreshment Break
3:15-4:15 p.m.
9. Choosing the Right Digital Asset Management System
Shel Perkins
On a daily basis, are you creating, updating, organizing, storing, and retrieving creative work in multiple file formats, versions, and sizes? Are you responsible for legal rights and permissions, and managing access levels for a wide range of stakeholders? Are you also going gray and developing an ulcer? Help has arrived. Many digital asset management solutions are available — you just need to select the one that is the best match for your organization. No more lost content, wrong files, and wasted time!
4:30-5:30 p.m.
10. Storytime: How to Stay Fresh in an Ever-Changing World
Todd Sanders
A look back at the past 10 years of social media in higher education. And a look forward at what's to come. From a time before images and videos, to the new world of private social networks and locked-down accounts. This session will provide tips on how to reimagine the content calendar and ensure that your campus community is equipped with quality assets to help tell your stories.
5:30 p.m.
Dinner on Own
Savannah’s cuisine is world-famous and extremely diverse. Explore the city and sink your teeth into extra-crispy fried chicken, authentic shrimp and grits, finger-licking-good barbecue, and so much more.
SATURDAY, APRIL 13
8-9:15 a.m.
Networking Topic Breakfast
Join UCDA Design Summit attendees for a networking breakfast where you can brainstorm ideas, ask questions, or share stories or publications with those at your table in an informal setting.
9:30 a.m. - 12 noon
Optional Event (Add-on): Architectural Savannah, A Walking Tour
Limited space available. Pre-registration required. $30 per person.
Savannah's Historic District is one of the largest in the U.S. with thousands of architecturally significant buildings, including examples of Federal, Victorian Regency, Greek and Gothic Revival, and Italianate architecture. Take a private walking tour of Savannah led by Jonathan Stalcup while he shares Savannah’s history by describing the city’s built environment. Oglethorpe’s original plan, today’s desire to balance preservation with a living city, and almost 300 years in between are presented as a narrative timeline.
Jonathan Stalcup grew up in Madison County, Iowa, site of many covered bridges and limestone structures. From an early age he was interested in Savannah, architecture, and history. Jonathan moved to Savannah and attended the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) from 1999 until 2004, earning both a BFA and a Master of Architecture degree from SCAD. During college, Jonathan gave tours through Savannah’s top house museums. After graduating, he founded Architectural Tours of Savannah, LLC. Aside from giving tours, Jonathan also has a book out about Savannah architecture. When he isn’t giving tours or writing, you can usually find him renovating his Savannah home.
Optional Event (Add-on): SCAD Creative Spaces Tour
Limited space available. Pre-registration required. $20 per person.
Join us on a tour of Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Stops include Gulfstream Center for Design, The Shed, Alexander Hall, and Adler Hall. Lining up with one of the largest SCAD Days (SCAD Open House) we will be able to see some really great things and meet with some of their amazing faculty along the way.
SPEAKERS
Fernando Benitez, Sales Lead, Gulf Atlantic District, United States Postal Service
Liz Gross, Director, Campus Sonar
Holly Morris, Director of School Incubation, Washington State Charter Schools Association (Speaker Highlight)
Emanuel “Manny” Murphy, Senior Marketing Executive, Gulf Atlantic District, United States Postal Service
Shel Perkins, President, Shel Perkins & Associates (Speaker Highlight)
Jermaine Person, Mailpiece Design Analyst (MDA), United States Postal Service
Todd Sanders, Director of Digital Communications and Social Media, University of Florida
See bios below.
Location:
Hyatt Regency Savannah
2 W. Bay Street
Savannah
,
GA 31401