Against the tide. Element Talks conference afterthoughts

Photo by Patrycja Mic

Last weekend, I took part in a conference called Element Talks, dedicated to practical aspects of working as a designer. The event, this year in its 3rd edition (though the first one to be held in Warsaw, the previous two were in Poznań), attracted hundreds of people, including students, professionals, as well as commercial and non-profit companies who came to hear talks, take part in workshops, portfolio consultations, to network and also purchase some lovely books and accessories from brands such as Pan Tu Nie Stał, Papierowy Dizajn, SHOF, or Bookoff.

As a two-day event of continuous talks and workshops, with barely any breaks except for a lunch break, it was an incredibly intense experience. Needless to say, even those short breaks were spent either exercising one’s patience in the bathroom queue, or networking and chatting with people, so there was virtually no time to be with one’s own thoughts. On Sunday night, as I was stepping out of the vast warehouse on Mińska Street, I felt dizzy and overwhelmed with the amount of information my brain was processing. But it was all good. I left the event feeling motivated and inspired, my mind and eyes nourished with captivating stories and gorgeous images. And, even though the theme of this year’s event was “cooperation”, a different message resonated much more strongly with me. That message was: there are absolutely no rules to run a successful design business.

Young designers (myself included), are often hungry for books, articles and talks that can guide us in the meanders of working in the design industry as a freelancer or an independent entrepreneur. Hundreds of books on the topic have been published, with established design gurus giving advice on how to “make it” and how to brand yourself (which Hans Wolbers of Lava once referred to as “incredible amount of bullshit”).

The truth is, with an increasing competition, a growing number of schools and courses, and access to more and more soph