About HOW Design Live


Coming 2012 -- HOW Design Live -- sponsored by HOW magazine, the creative and business resource for graphic designers.
HOW magazine is delighted to present HOW Design Live, a five-day intensive gathering of graphic design professionals (June 21 – 25, 2012) who are seeking inspiration, information and instruction from both industry leaders and creative peers in order to create outstanding work and build a successful career.

HOW Design Live encompasses HOW Design Conference (now in its 22nd year), InHOWse Managers Conference (in its 7th year), Creative Freelancer Conference (in its 5th year) and new this year, The Dieline Package Design Conference (in conjunction with the internationally-recognized web site TheDieline.com), (now in its 2nd year.)

HOW Design Live’s universal brand reflects the energy and excitement of bringing HOW magazine’s printed pages to life at four distinct events.  Yet each event is co-located in one venue (Hynes Convention Center in Boston) in order to offer you the opportunity to meet, mingle and network with a diverse mix of designers, speakers and sponsors.

Below is a quick breakdown of the individual conferences that fall under the HOW Design Live brand.  You can attend these as stand-alone conferences, or you can attend all four, giving you the opportunity to move from one conference to another.  It’s as easy as registering for The BIG Ticket, an all-access pass at a significantly reduced rate.

  • HOW Design Conference (June 22-25, 2012) offers in-house, agency, studio, and freelance designers a jam-packed educational program that you to balance the three key components of graphic design: creativity, business and technology.  You can choose from 35+ sessions on everything from interactive design to working with clients to igniting their creativity.  Plus, this event offers extensive networking opportunities and access to the HOW Design Conference’s Exhibit Hall, filled with the industry’s newest products and services.
  • InHOWse Managers Conference (June 21-23, 2012) is the only event specifically designed to provide in-house managers with the managerial, motivational and financial tools you need to build a respected and highly effective creative team.
  • Creative Freelancer Conference (June 21-22, 2012) is the only business conference where solopreneurs develop the business skills they need to maximize their freelance income. This event caters to designers, writers, photographers, illustrators and other creative professionals, and provides expert advice on marketing, contracts, finances, and more.
  • The Dieline Package Design Conference (June 22-25, 2012) is sponsored by HOW, and will feature an impressive roster of today’s leading package designers sharing their knowledge and expertise with attendees from around the world. This conference will also include the prestigious 2012 The Dieline Awards Ceremony.
What is constant throughout all HOW events is the feedback we receive from our attendees.  They leave energized and inspired – not only by the speakers, but also by the networking events and interaction they experience with other attendees.  You’ll find a plethora of opportunities to meet and mingle with top designers face to face after sessions, during breakfast roundtables and Happy Hours, at Opening and Closing Receptions, and at gatherings throughout the Conferences.

The HOW Conferences have welcomed designers from hundreds of design firms, as well as from some of the biggest corporations, non-profit organizations, and academic institutions in the country. No matter what city we're in or who's speaking on what subject, we hear the same thing over and over from attendees: How energizing it is to be with 2,500+ other creative people, sharing successes and frustrations, regaling each other with "I-can-top-that" client horror stories, passionately discussing the challenges of being a designer in the Information Age, meeting new friends, making great contacts, and—through it all—reaffirming their decision to become a graphic designer.
Thanks for visiting the HOW Design Live website, and we hope to see you at one (or all) of our June 2012 conferences. We know you won't be disappointed. Register today.