Convince Your Boss to Send You to HOW Design Live


Anyone who’s been to a HOW Design Live conference will tell you it’s one of the most inspiring, creativity-boosting and even life-changing experiences in graphic design.

But chances are your boss is more interested in changing the bottom line than changing your life.

So here’s the best strategy we know for getting the boss on your side: don’t focus on the cost or the time you’ll be away from the office. Instead, talk up all the great benefits she’ll get as a return on her investment (translation: “how this will save or make $$$ for the company”).

The more you can highlight specific and tangible ways a HOW Design conference will pay the company back by making you a more productive, efficient and effective designer bee, the more likely you’ll get budget approval.

Ready to build your case? Here we go...

I’ll become a stronger asset to the company right away.

This conference isn’t just about sparking creativity; it’s professional development focused on the business of design. I’ll learn solutions for recruiting, managing workflow, controlling costs, increasing productivity and other skills that will help me manage projects more efficiently.

I’ll help our company stay current and build our customer base.

With sessions on building conversion-focused websites, leveraging social media and interactive design, I’ll get insights into the latest trends, find out what’s likely to motivate our buyers today and learn new skills from the smartest and most creative minds in the industry. 

I’ll pick up ideas we can apply to our own business.

The presenters at HOW share real-world case studies from a broad spectrum of companies who’ve proven that good design = good business. Their insights will help our company understand where we can best allocate our design budget by highlighting what’s really working in today’s marketplece.

I'll save the company money by discovering new skills, vendors and resources.

Sponsored technology sessions by the makers of design products and services will help us use our tools more efficiently and cost-effectively. And in the Exhibit Hall, I'll meet new vendors with new solutions (and maybe even better pricing), including innovative suppliers of printing, paper, stock imagery, software and other tools of the design trade. This is all information I can put to use when we negotiate the purchase of new products, services or printing. As a bonus, I'll head home with armfuls of free samples—information to fuel future projects or inspire more efficient production methods.

I can share what I learn with officemates after the conference.

Combining my own notes and ideas with the session handouts provided by HOW, I’ll have plenty of inspiration and information to share when I return. While I’m there, I can even place an order for audio MP3s of most of the sessions, ensuring that I hear and retain as many valuable insights as possible and giving others in our company the chance to listen in.

The bottom line: HOW Design Live is an investment in our company.

I'll learn skills that will have a lasting effect on my work, from using design to accelerate our market success to integrating design with good business. I'll pick up plenty of tips and techniques that will provide instant gratification, but I'll also learn to be a stronger, smarter, and more business-savvy designer.
From creativity to business to the latest technology, the HOW Design Live program covers every facet of graphic design in one four-day event. I'll get real-world information and processes I can put into practice as soon I get home, balanced by inspirational work from industry stars and up-and-coming designers.