Off Grid | Jo Bailey: making good design

Off Grid 17 was held in February 2017 in various venues in Wellington – not a lecture theatre in sight! We had a repeat a year later with Off Grid 18.

Off Grid was a different kind of design conference, where participants were invited to explore and discover what experiential design is, or can be, through a series of curated talks, events and experiences in diverse locations. Stopover events were held in Sydney, and Brisbane, Auckland and Christchurch.

Off Grid 17 was organised on a shoestring by Nick Kapica, Johannes Bay and I, under the SEGD umbrella. This article on the SEGD website gives a great rundown of the 2017 event. In 2018, Nick and I took up the reins again with a theme: The Experiential City, which this article on Off Grid 18 covers in detail.

I have to say Off-Grid 17 is one of the best trips I’ve had for a design conference
–Stephen Minning

Off Grid 18 rough cut

All systems go! The graphic system was devised by students at Massey University College of Creative Arts

Clive Roux from SEGD kicks of the open mic short talks in offbeat cafe Raglan Roast

Keynote Uwe Brückner's talk was a 350 degree display in the Space Place (Carter Observatory) dome

Checking out local street art with Bent, a graffiti art scene regular

Keynote speaker Morag Myerscough presenting on a giant screen over three floors at Wellington Museum (photo: Thomas Le Bas)

Read an article on Off Grid 18 on Idealog

Read an article on Off Grid 17 on Design Assembly

Read a review of Off Grid 17 on brandCulture.com.au

Speakers have included:

Uwe Bruckner, creative director ATELIER BRÜCKNER
Morag Myerscough, designer and artist, Studio Myerscough
Andrew Balster, Director, Archeworks Chicago
Nils Weberg, Artist and Interaction Designer, Gagarin
Johnson Witehira, artist and designer
Justin Lester, Wellington Mayor
Susan Mavor, founding partner, PUBLIC Vancouver

And many more!

Team Off Grid

Keynote speaker Morag Myerscough appears on the three storey screen at Wellington Museum

Gagarin's Nils Wiberg's presentation in the Space Place dome