Design, Branding, and Marketing are inevitably becoming the most sought-after skills in the market, and if you’re heading that way, here’s a design conference that you should totally be checking out!
The National Digital Design Conference (ND2C) is an annual workshop conference, featuring the top minds of the industry in an ever interactive environment.
Started in 2017 by Sana Khalid and Nida Salman, the conference received rave reviews, with most of the participants saying that they would definitely want to come back next year for the immense inspiration that the event offered. With 700 representatives from 6 different countries, and over 12.6 million impressions tracked on Twitter, ND2C became Pakistan’s largest gathering of creative minds.
This year’s National Design Conference 2018 powered by graana.com aims to be the best in its field and the speaker lineup is proof of that.
This year, the program is featuring two very unique design showcasing opportunities: Creative Flair and Live Design Challenges alongside talks and workshops!
The ND2C Live Design Challenge is a design face-off between 5 talented designers, streamed live across the country and beyond. These designers will pitch in front of hundreds of design giants and enthusiasts, as well as potential recruiters and buyers. It takes its inspiration from the AIGA’s Command X – which is described as the “Hunger Games” of the Design World.
Creative Fair is a showcase of some of the best design work. It is a place of opportunity, collaboration, and learning.
But that’s not it! The speaker lineup is also pretty damn powerful, featuring Hasan Habib, Farhan Javed, Shafiq Akbar, Miroslav Jaya Azis, Salma Navaid Jafri, Omar Gilani, Sana Nasir, Alia Chughtai, Uzair Zaheer Khan among others. Here’s a look at some of the amazing speakers:
Laraib Atta
Laraib is a VFX artist, hailing from Isakhel, Pakistan, now based in London. She began her career at the age of 19 and almost right away got the chance to work on projects like Chronicles of Narnia, Sweeney Todd, and 10.000 BC. She also worked on Disney commercials, album promos for George Michael, Rolling Stone and later X-Men – Days of the Future Past and Godzilla.
She has worked for some of the best VFX and media companies including Framestore, MPC, Aardman Animation, BBC and Sky TV. Recently her organization won an Oscar for Blade Runner 2049 and a Bafta for Black Mirror.
Ali Rez
Ranked amongst the Top 15 Creative Directors in the world, Rez has won more than 200 international awards in his career, including Gold Cannes Lions, Gold Clios, Gold Effie, D&AD pencils, and a UN Peace award. He spent most of his career in the USA, where he worked on global brands such as ChevronTexaco, HP, 7Up, Adobe, and the band INXS, before moving to the Middle East and becoming one of the most prolific award winners in the region.
Ali has led BBDO Pakistan to be named Agency of the Year twice in 3 years and has contributed to BBDO Worldwide as Network of the Year at Cannes Lions.
Jessica Walsh
Jessica Walsh is a designer and art director living in NYC working for clients such as Jay-Z, Barneys, The New York Times, Levi’s, and The Museum of Modern Art, among many others. Her work has won most major design awards and has been featured in numerous books, galleries, museums, and magazines worldwide.
She has received numerous distinctions such as Forbes Magazine “30 under 30 top creatives designing the future”. Her book “40 Days of Dating” is being turned into a movie.
Valentina D’Efilippo
Recently named one of Campaign’s “30 creative female leaders defining creativity today and tomorrow”, Valentina D’Efilippo is an information designer, illustrator, and creative director based in London.
Her work spans sectors and formats – from intelligence tools and infographics, to live-theatre projections and illustrated books.
Hira Mohibullah
Hira Mohibullah is the most awarded female Creative Director in Pakistan. In 2017 alone, she has won more than 50 International Advertising Awards, including Clios, Spikes Asia, Dubai Lynx, MENA Cristals, Ad Stars, Tambuli Awards, and shortlists at Effies and Cannes Lions.
With a 7-year experience in advertising, Hira is currently working at BBDO Pakistan as Creative Director on PepsiCo, after having worked for companies like Leo Burnett and Ogilvy & Mather. Her most notable work is UN Women’s #BeatMe campaign, which picked up the coveted Gold Clio, amongst other accolades. She has also won multiple Marketing Excellence Awards for Coca-Cola and has been on the 2017 jury for Mobius Awards, a Los-Angeles based show.
And we think we should save some info now so you actually go to the conference and check the awesomeness out for yourself! The conference is held at Islamabad Serena, from the 29th to 30th of September, 2018! For more details, check their website here.
18 Times Muslim Scholar Shaykh Azhar Nasser Was Hilariously Relatable For Pakistanis
Fierce Brides And A Gulabi Gang: Here’s Everything You Missed On The First Day Of FPW18