I recently spent a week in San Francisco, my first time back in the Bay Area in seven years. Hard to believe it’s been that long. Between client visits, catching up with old friends in the SF Design Community, and checking out the SQ1 Conference, it was an incredible trip. Safe to say it won’t be another seven years before I’m back!
My first stop was a visit with our client Seagate. Always great to connect in person, and even better to see their team in action. Can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on together soon.
I also made a visit to MSB Technology. Seeing their facility firsthand and how they are rolling out the new branding we helped develop was awesome. 100% American manufacturing and every bit of it is world-class.
The next morning, I cruised through the city and Golden Gate park before heading to the conference. Had to stop for lunch at Pancho Villa Taqueria, owned by Sprout industrial designer Natalia Baltazar’s family. The food (and hospitality) were incredible!
This was my first time attending the SQ1 Conference, hosted by the Advanced Design crew. Huge props to Hector Silva and team for pulling together such an inspiring lineup of speakers, workshops, and studio events.
The open studios were a highlight. IDEO, Mike & Maaike, NewDeal Design, and Whipsaw all opened their doors, each space buzzing with creativity and beautifully designed. HUGE hosted an awesome kickoff party sponsored by Vizcom, setting the tone for a great week. Thanks for the hospitality Bill and Chris.
Throughout the week, I met some interesting people, reconnected with old friends, and had a lot of inspiring conversations.
I had a great breakfast meeting with Dickon Isaacs from Box Clever, exchanging ideas on venture design models and the business of creativity. Scored an epic lunch in North Beach with Chis Lenart of Lenart Design. I also enjoyed lunch with Nichole Rouillac, founder of level, and loved hearing what her team has been up to. Always such thoughtful, intentional design coming out of their studio.
During the trip, I got to catch up with a ton of old friends from Astro Studios including Shujan Bertrand, Nate Cervantes, Matt Day, Norio Fujikawa, Quin Fitzgerald, and Jesse Madsen, which always feels like a family reunion. I had an awesome night out with some of the Astro crew, plus Howard Nuk and Peter Michaelian. It had been years since we were all in the same room, but it felt just like old times.
Special shoutout to Jesse’s daughter, Anna Shae (@anna_shae_skates), an 11-year-old skateboard legend in the making. So rad to see.
And a shoutout to Anh and Hoang Nguyen, both ex-Astro and doing incredible things these days. So inspiring to hear about their latest venture, Track & Feels Run Club. Keep on crushing, fellas!
San Francisco is always such a vibe. The city feels like the future now, with robots everywhere, self-driving cars cruising around, and the energy of the AI boom in full swing.
What an incredible week overall. Between client visits, studio tours, and the energy around SQ1, this trip was a perfect reminder of why I love being part of the design community. Huge thanks to the Advanced Design team for putting on such a thoughtful event, and to everyone who took the time to connect. Already looking forward to the next trip!
