UCDA Design Conference

Kevin Budelmann is the president and co-owner of Peopledesign, a design innovation firm and a strategic partner to a variety of organizations. Kevin is interested in design theory and practice in the context of business, technology, and society. He holds a BA in design from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Design Methods from IIT Institute of Design. He is the IxDA Global vice president and an adjunct professor at Northwestern University. His book, Brand Identity Essentials, is available in six languages.

Kevin Buist is a writer, curator, and critic, and the artistic director of ArtPrize, where he oversees artists, operations, and design. Kevin writes and speaks on behalf of ArtPrize to arts-focused audiences around the country, and co-hosts ArtPrize panel programming for live audiences, web video, and live TV. His independent writing has been featured in numerous print and online publications including the Art:21 Blog, where he was a Blogger in Residence, as well as MNartists.org, Michigan Quarterly Review, and kevinbuist.com/blog .

With a background in house framing, graphic design, and cabinetry work, William Campbell, owner of Anvil, moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2009 to design and build the interior of Bartertown Diner, a collective farm-to-table restaurant, putting his creativity to the test in order to stay within the Bartertown team’s shoestring budget. In the following years, Will continued to refine his style and build his skills, taking commissions from local folks for a wide array of projects: furniture, light fixtures, countertops, camper interiors, even a kids’ play fort (for which he worked closely with an 8-year-old designer to get the whimsical aesthetic just right).

Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, David Dodde has successfully created products for Fortune 500 companies and start-ups alike. Artist, designer, and printmaker at House Industries, David's credits include packaging for Kellogg’s, apparel for Disney, and as the creator of the 90s skate brand Stink Brand Skateboards. His skills as a master printmaker and his sensitivity to craft have made him the choice of professional artists and designers, including House Industries. David is a key member of the House Industries creative and production teams, having touched nearly everything House has made.

Aaron James Draplin is a graphic designer at Draplin Design Company. Located in the mighty Pacific Northwest, the Draplin Design Co. proudly rolls up its sleeves on a number of projects related to the print, identity, and illustration categories. Aaron James Draplin makes stuff for Coal Headwear, Union Binding Co., Richmond Fontaine, Esquire, Nike, Wired, Dinosaur Jr., Timberline, Chunklet, Eaux Claires Music Festival, Poler, Incase, Sub Pop, Cobra Dogs, Jill Soloway, Sasquatch Music Festival, Rhett Miller, Old 97s, Nixon Watches, Patagonia, Target, Megafaun, Ford Motor Company, Woolrich, and even the Obama Administration, if you can believe that. Aaron has traveled the world telling their story, with over 360 speaking fiascos under his belt and counting! He co-created Field Notes with his older brother Jim Coudal, and the memo books are sold in over 2,500 stores worldwide, with limited-edition special editions shipped quarterly to a booming subscriber list. Their first book titled Pretty Much Everything came out in 2016, which incredibly, is in its seventh printing. Draplin Design Co. pride itself on a high level of craftsmanship and quality that keeps them up late into the wet Portland night.

Jason is a dad, husband, designer, beer lover, and occasional brewer. By day, he is the creative director for Hargrove Engineers + Constructors, based in Mobile, Alabama. By night, he is co-creative director with his remarkably more talented wife, Tina, of Frostiki, a branding and design firm with a love for mid-century Polynesian kitsch. He is also the host of the Creative South Podcast, a podcast that focuses on conversations with designers, illustrators, photographers, and other creatives.

Mike Jones is the Head of Design at Aflac, co-founder of Creative South, and the founder of Serve Studios, and to all of this work he brings a spirit of southern hospitality and humble service to the people around him. Mike treats every design project like an opportunity to make the world more positive and beautiful for the people who encounter it. He has been drawing since he could eat crayons, and this passion led him to The University of West Georgia’s graphic design program, and a professional design career that has spanned 17-plus years and included work for brands like Alfac, ESPN, WWE, Realtree, and the Atlanta Falcons. Although his taste in art and food have diverged since his crayon-eating days, the same spirit of creativity that fuels his work is also evident in his love of food (especially good southern barbecue) as an outlet for nourishing relationships with family, friends, and strangers alike.

Yang Kim is the creative director and co-owner of Peopledesign. Yang draws on her experiences from Seoul to Washington, D.C., Carnegie Mellon to Herman Miller. Yang’s work has been recognized by her peers for its clarity, distinctiveness, humanity, and charm. Her no-nonsense style, her wit, and her devotion to her work have earned her long-standing relationships with clients. She is an AAF Silver Medal Award recipient, an AIGA Fellow, and was voted as one of the “50 Most Influential Designers Working Today” in a GD:USA reader survey.

Nate Lau is the design director at Tegu, a toy company that sells simple magnetic wooden blocks and toys.

Nate’s interest in design began at an early age with countless doodles and sketches. This passion blossomed into an education in Architecture and Product Design - the perfect combination to join a startup toy company with visions of changing the world through play.

From its humble beginnings, Tegu has since grown into an industry-recognized leader in design, with sales in over 80 countries around the world. Today, Nate is responsible for new product development, and oversees the look and feel of all things Tegu, including graphics, packaging, and visual branding.

Currently, Nate resides in Mountain View, California with his wife and two little girls.

Sabine Lenz is the founder of PaperSpecs.com, THE online source for paper and print inspiration, information, and insights. An award-winning graphic designer with more than 20 years of experience in the U.S., Germany, and Australia, Sabine writes frequently for several industry publications and is also a speaker on the subject of paper and related topics.

Lovingly referred to as the “Paper Queen” by many of her followers, she combines a passion for paper and print with a hands-on approach to sharing her knowledge.

Josh Morey is a senior graphic designer at Michigan State University. He is a designer, an illustrator, a creative thinker, and craft beer snob. Josh pairs logical, strategic planning with fresh ideation to turn any problem into a creative solution. You can usually find him obsessing over the perfect paper choice, experimenting with a new style, doodling during a meeting, visiting a brewery, arguing why double spacing after a period is wrong, or starting random conversations with someone at the grocery store.

Kyle Van Strien is the co-owner and co-founder of Grand Rapids’ first distillery, Long Road Distillers. Kyle is a graduate of both Calvin College and Grand Valley State University with degrees in Business, International Development, and Public Administration. In November of 2014, Kyle and business partner Jon O’Connor began planning Long Road Distillers with the goal of crafting world-class spirits from local ingredients in the city they call home. Since opening their doors in May 2015, Long Road Distillers has been recognized as “The Best Specialty Craft Spirits Distillery in the U.S.” (USA Today) and received numerous “Best in Show” and “Best in Class” awards from International Spirits competitions (San Francisco, New York, Berlin, etc.) Kyle serves as the Chair of the Grand Rapids Planning Commission and as a mentor for the Cook Leadership Academy at Grand Valley State University. He lives on the West Side, not far from Long Road, with his wife, Jennifer, and two children, Addilynn (5) and Austin (3).