Design Camp

Since 1980, Design Camp® has been AIGA Minnesota’s premiere event and the largest regional design conference in the country. Held annually in late September/early October at a lodge in northern Minnesota, this event has set the standard for other AIGA chapters throughout the country.

Design Camp® provides an atypical conference structure, mixing indoor and outdoor activities with both educational and social events. Four keynote speakers set the tone for camp, with one speaker addressing attendees at the beginning of each day. Small-group workshops and creative sessions follow these presentations. Attendees (referred to as “campers”) stay in lakefront cabins or golf-friendly condos and meet in the main lodge for events and meals.

Camp lasts for three days. Campers arrive Friday morning for registration and depart Sunday after lunch. Friday and Saturday nights offer much socializing and tend to run late into the night.  Camp averages 315 total attendees, including campers, speakers, presenters, sponsors, and vendors. Campers come primarily from Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois, and Canada. Most campers are graphic designers and art directors or involved in the graphic arts (photographers, illustrators, educators, copywriters, etc.)—but all are welcome.

Past years’ Design Camps® have included speakers such as: Eric Speikerman; Robert Valentine; Milton Glaser, founder of Pushpin Studios; Adams/Morioka, California; Lyn Severance; Paul Sahre; Jim Sherraden; Hatch Show Print, Tennessee; Peter Harrison, Pentagram, New York; and Dana Arnett, partner, VSA Chicago.

With speakers and events like these, it's easy to understand why many in the design community consider Design Camp® to be the event of the year. This is truly an ideal setting in which to meet the leaders of the design community.