The Email Design Conference 2015
Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending Litmus's Email Design Conference for the second time. TEDC14 was my first time attending a proper industry conference, and this year was my first time attending one where I had a speaking role.
So, once again, I was terrified heading into it. But once again, it was a great experience and tons of fun hanging out with a smart, welcoming group of folks who care deeply about email.
The Conference
The Litmus team put so much attention and professionalism into the organization and details of the entire conference. The hotel, the sessions, after parties... every aspect was great. I remember thinking the same thing last year; this might be a trend with Litmus.
The People
Litmus did a great job creating a friendly vibe that encouraged everyone to chat, regardless of discipline or experience. I had a wonderful time talking with passionate folks working on all sorts of interesting problems. In fact I’ve been having trouble matching everyone up! If we chatted at some point and you'd like to connect, please ping me! Twitter is best.
The Main Theme (For Me)
As a designer, my plan this year is to build up a strong foundation and create a design workflow to support it. Wrapping my head around responsive emails without media queries was a must. Seeing how others use shared code, build systems, and task runners to minimize the manual labor aspect of email was also an important goal.
In this regard, the development tracks did not disappoint. I came away thinking… well Dan Denney put it well:
Rob Berinti's typography talk solves so many simple, yet frequently annoying email typography issues. Dan Denney, Brian Graves, Lee Munroe, and Aaron Ladage all have me thinking about what parts of my workflow are outdated and no longer appropriate. The TEDCNTACC in my head is full.
Attendee Turned Speaker
A theme within the conference was people who attended last year's conference as attendees and came back this year as speakers. Well, add me to that list. TEDC14 was my first time attending a design conference and TEDC15 was my first time in a speaking role.
If this was your first TEDC, you can do this! #TedCruz16
Ooooooohhh... On the Litmus Tip
At the Litmus product booth, the staff show off some great things coming to Litmus Builder. I still look to Sublime as my go to editor, but these Builder updates are making me think there’s room for both. I’m also really excited about the overhaul Checklist got. No matter what editor or ESP you’re using, Checklist looks super useful. Keep an eye out for when it launches!
Thank You Litmus
Big thank you to Litmus not only for putting this event together, but for letting me be a part of it. I was honored to be part of the closing panel about Jurassic Park using web design strategy in email. I really enjoyed the speed dating sessions, helping people think through problems they’re tackling in their work.
Thank You Everyone
Big thank you to all of the attendees and speakers for making this a special event. I hope to keep in touch and see everyone next year!
Thank You Narragansett
