Don't Miss These Events During 2018 Design Week Portland
Our Guide to Navigating This Year’s Design Week Portland
We’ve started our countdown to one of our favorite events in the city: Design Week Portland! Each year, leaders in Portland’s creative community, including Wieden+Kennedy, PNCA, Ziba, and Travel Portland, team up to sponsor hundreds of free or low-cost open houses, workshops, and events. Ready to make your own beer label? You can. Eager to tour your favorite creative agency? That’s an option too!
While there are dozens of events to sift through (and we recommend that you do!), we’ve done our research, and have handpicked a list of things to do – what we consider the events you definitely won’t want to miss for Portland’s 2018 Design Week.
Opening Party
As the most well attended event of Design Week, the Opening Party is a must. Hosted in the industrial-chic Custom Blocks, the party will be the first chance to view Portland’s newest creative space. The party is rumored to have “design activations, food trucks, and our famous live photo booth” — so we’ll expect to see you there. It’s a $15 cover to attend, with drinks included. RSVP here: https://www.designweekportland.com/events/opening-party-2018.
Wieden+Kennedy’s UnDesign Party
On Design Week Portland’s Tuesday, Wieden+Kennedy is hosting an interactive exhibition that is “one part conceptual art, one part systems design, and one part design scratch-and-win.” With a drink in hand, you can watch 30 local creatives participate in a challenge where they dive in deep with the design process.
Attendees will also be able to take part in a maker-space, so the event promises to be interactive and full of surprises. Sound like your thing? Check out the event details here: https://www.designweekportland.com/events/undesign-an-evening-of-unexpected-results.
Cat Cafe and Macramé
Nemo, a brand strategy and design firm, is hosting the ultimate PDX arts and crafts night: it’s a cat cafe and macramé party! Pop in to their sweet southeast Belmont location and enjoy a hands-on, three-hour session with modern macramé artist Emily Katz. At the end of the night, you’ll walk away with your own craft, and if you’re lucky, a sweet creature from Pixie Project too. More details on the event can be found here: https://www.designweekportland.com/events/hang-in-there-cat-cafe-macrame.
The Pressure Is Good for You, A Talk Show
Design Week Portland’s Friday evening event, “The Pressure is Good for You, A Talk Show,” promises to be the show-stopping event of the week. Back my popular demand, Instrument is once again hosting the “talk show-meets-variety show…that explore[s] themes around fear, insight, humor, and the creative process.” According to Design Week Portland, “This year will build on these themes in a new space with an entirely new guest list that you’ll (probably) love.” It’s Friday night, so why not? Further event details can be found here: https://www.designweekportland.com/events/the-pressure-is-good-for-you-a-talk-show-3b24bc4b-dfe6-4d4c-ad06-95fed20e5c01
Start Planning Your 2018 Design Week Portland
Design Week Portland will be here before you know it, so start planning your design week itinerary sooner rather than later. Pro tip: many of the free events require tickets that you can secure through Eventbrite. No credit card is required, but make sure you reserve your spots as some of these events “sell out” well ahead of time. To start planning, visit Design Week Portland’s website to star your favorite events!
[image via: Design Week Portland]