23 September 2024
DjangoCon US 2024 has officially kicked off again in Durham, NC. This is one of the best, most welcoming communities out there and I’ve been lucky enough to work with the organizing team since 2018—that’s a lot of cartoon crabs. The only exception was, of course, the initial COVID years.
While I unfortunately cannot be there in-person, I enjoy following along closely online and through direct messages I get that include a peek at some design work, coveted swag, and energetic group photos.
Our process together has consistently been an enjoyable and organized one. There’s always a kick-off meeting to capture any specific details anyone would like to see different from last year and review any high-level ideas or requests the group may have regarding a theme direction. There’s a lot of flexibility here, with the location being reflected as one of the few hard requirements. We spend the first few meetings discussing and learning about the host city to understand how to best capture its elements.
We have weekly meetings for several months, starting from brainstorming ideas and design samples, to creating a complete illustration library, effective fundraising materials, social media graphics, branded slide presentations, a web site, and, finally, custom swag that folks adore. These community event projects are one of my favorites from a project perspective since I find the challenges to be so unique and rewarding—full spectrum design work with a larger than usual stakeholder group to communicate with.
We also do this work in the open, which I value. Outside of video calls, we discuss the project in an open Slack channel that is run by DCUS which can be a helpful space for gathering additional feedback. The team is also quick to share their news and journey through blog posts. Here’s this year’s post about our work together.
Getting to know this community has been both a privilege and essential for being able to best capture its spirit and intentions through the theme design. It’s a welcoming, genuine, caring group that gravitates towards cute mascots, inclusive language and imagery, and meaningful, direct graphics over anything abstract or convoluted.
I can’t help but think about the past year’s designs as I watch 2024’s truly come to life. A fresh visual theme each year helps ensure everyone remains engaged and excited and enables each year to better stand on its own. Here’s a little visual journey that includes some of the most fun and friendly work I’ve done in my career.
I can’t end a post celebrating DjangoCon without thanking the individuals I’ve been collaborating closely with all these years. A huge thank you to this core team for always being so professional, responsive, kind, fun, and knowledgeable—with an extra special thank you to Katherine, Jeff, Drew, Peter, and Nicole.
As a final note: DCUS’s incredible photographer, Bartek Pawlik, has done a stellar job capturing each year’s event on their Flickr account.
Have an exceptional event, DjangoCon US!
