Unlocking new creativity at OFFF festival 2023!

The design team of SQLI Belgium has visited OFFF festival 2023. Read the blogpost and discover their key learnings and upcoming trends.

Design festival

The world of design is constantly evolving and it's essential for us to keep ourselves up to date with the latest trends. This is where design festivals like OFFF come into play. OFFF Barcelona is a design festival that attracts designers, artists, and creative minds from all over the world. This festival provides a platform for multiple speakers and workshops to inspire and encourage designers to delve deeper into the true meaning of design.

Gaining new perspectives

Our first impression of OFFF Barcelona 

As a member of the design team, attending OFFF festival was an incredible experience. It was a chance for us to learn from industry experts, collaborate with other designers, and gain new perspectives on our craft. This blog post will provide an overview of our experience at the OFFF festival, including some speakers we saw, and the lessons we learned.  

Winning at OFFF Bingo: Insights and Inspiration from the speakers 

To start offf (pun intended), let's summarize the three inspiring days of the OFFF festival through a fun activity of OFFF bingo. Let's review some recurring key takeaways from various speaker talks and check them offf (here we go again) our list. 

OFFF bingo

The first lesson was the significance of stepping out of your comfort zone, being open to change, and continuously challenging yourself to grow. It’s also important to involve the client in the design process, challenge their perspectives, and encourage them to explore new ideas so we can create innovative and effective projects that meet the needs and exceed the expectations of both the designers and the clients. 

Several speakers collaborated with the famous brand Nike, with the iconic slogan "Just Do It." This catchphrase is not only one of the most well-known slogans, but also a recurring theme that we heard from multiple speakers throughout the festival. The speakers emphasized the importance of enjoying the design process, having fun, and simply starting the creative process, as oftentimes all that is required to make progress is taking that first step and just doing it.

During the festival, one quote in particular resonated with me: "Creativity is not a talent. It's a way of operating... If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play," said by John Cleese. This quote highlights the importance of playfulness and experimentation in the creative process. It's crucial to test new ideas and create freely without worrying about the end result. While this approach may lead to some missteps and failures, it's through these trial and error processes that true inspiration arises. So keep going, stay motivated, and continue to create things that truly inspire you. 

7 expert advices on how to improve the workflow 

Not only did we learn how to improve our own design process, but we also received several tips from top studios on how we can improve our workflow in our company. These studios shared their experiences and provided insights on how they manage their work and clients. Let's summarize some of the 7 best tips we received: 
 

  1. Personalize your workspace to create your own creative environment (Gavin Strange). 
  2. Be selective with your clients and ensure they align with your values (Rik Oostenbroek). 
  3. Have open communication with your clients and be proactive (Joshua Davis). 
  4. Make your own decisions and don't let software make them for you (David Carson). 
  5. Take breaks to increase team happiness and to be able to approach problems with a fresh perspective (Filmograph). 
  6. Create a comfortable work environment for your team (Carl Addy). 
  7. Build trust with your clients, lead them from the beginning, and take them along the journey (Studio Mals). 

Ending with gratitude! 

Attending the OFFF festival was an incredibly inspiring and enriching experience. We came back to our work with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and creativity, eager to tackle new projects and incorporate the valuable insights we learned from the speakers and studios. From learning to reinvent ourselves and building trust with clients to taking breaks and finding our own voice, we are confident that we can enhance our workflow and improve our design process. We are grateful for the opportunity to attend such an incredible event, and we can't wait to see how our newfound inspiration and creativity will shape our future projects. 

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