informative + entertaining + inspiring: Pechu Kucha for Educators

Informative + entertaining + inspiring: this is the combination needed for a successful presentation. Speed it up a little and that is what you get with Pecha Kucha. When they were first developed in Tokyo, Pecha Kucha Nights were a way for designers to meet, share work and ideas, and network. The fast format was often set as 20 seconds per 20 slides per presenter. Seven years later, there are PKN in over 250 cities around the world.

And now, we have a Pechu Kucha afternoon event specifically for educators! With the help of Steven McCarthy of the University of Minneapolis' College of Design, we've planned a pre-conference Pechu Kucha on Friday, October 1. You'll spend the afternoon with design educators throughout the region, each presenting their work and their programs. Then share questions, feedback and discussion. Being able to interact with people "in your boat" is one of the biggest benefits of the UCDA conference. How often can you hear right from your peers about their challenges, ideas, methods, stories, inspirations, history? This is a chance to teach and inspire—to learn and to be inspired.

Steven will also conduct a breakout session later at the conference, "Twenty-five Years of Design Authorship: Expression, Communication and Activism." Over the years Steven has sought opportunities to expand the role of graphic design from a neutral client-oriented service to an integrated practice. His bio mentions that he's been published in Graphis Posters, AIGA annual, and Provocative Graphics. His work has been in numerous juried and invitational exhibitions across the country, and he has conducted scholarly presentations across the globe.

And, when you see him in October, be sure to ask about his recent travels to Birmingham, England, where he investigated the original artifacts designed and printed by John Baskerville!