At HOW Design Live, so much magic happens on the keynote and breakout stages—but it doesn’t stop when the sessions end. Off-stage, you’ll find a wonderland of brand activations at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, from a massive Lite-Brite to hands-on letterpress printing to a lounge where you can simply recharge and ruminate on all those inspiring takeaways.
Here’s a handy guide to some of the pop-ups you’ll find on-site this year—and, yes, the swag to boot!—with insights directly from each one.
Stay tuned to our emails and social channels for more—including a pop-up from our 2024 keynote closer, Aaron Draplin. And If you haven’t signed up for the big show taking place Sept. 23–25 yet, don’t miss out on all the creative brilliance we have in the works. Register today before it’s too late!
Get Print-Ready With Sylvamo
“Sylvamo, home to iconic paper brands like Accent® Opaque and Williamsburg Offset, is looking forward to hosting you in our creative corner of HOW this year! Our activation features a wall of greenery adorned with neon lights that correspond with some new (and familiar) characters you’ll see featured throughout our collateral, including the latest edition of the Apollo interactive children’s book series and a higher-education sample kit. We can’t wait to see you there!”
Swag!
“Accent Opaque has always been a brand that is led and inspired by the creative community. We aim to inspire and educate the community in return with new applications and samples. We will have print samples galore along with fun swag that ties in to the project themes, including:
- Apollo Goes to Memphis
- Higher-Ed Application sample kit that showcases some exciting print techniques
- DYK magazines, a quarterly publication tackling a new topic in each edition
- Heavyweights kit, which shows off applications specifically on our Heavyweight paper
- Also, just in time for the back-to-school and fall seasons, we’ll be giving away some collegiate-inspired hoodies. Be sure to stop by for your chance to win.”
Get a Sugar High With the Cherries Pop-Up
“The Working Assembly’s Cherries pop-up is a sweet pit stop where conference attendees can check out our brand merch and grab a treat on their way to their next session. Branding an ice cream and candy shop has given our design agency a real-world laboratory for our creative energy with a direct feedback loop. Our Cherries pop-up gives conference attendees a taste of just how sweet a side project can be!”
Swag!
“Cherries merch and candy will be available for purchase, along with some free takeaways.”
Time Travel With Walmart
“We’re inviting the attendees at HOW Design Live to keep the summer fun shining with a larger-than-life Lite Brite installation, a part of the Walmart Summer Rewind Tour—a 33-city cross-country installation that lets our customers travel back in time and experience our stores like a kid again.”
Swag!
“We’ll be giving away over 700 free hardcover notebooks, designed with an allover print of our iconic yellow smiley face.”
Maximize Your Creativity With Hallmark’s Mini Workshops
“We’ll be offering two mini #my5days workshops:
- ‘Level-up Your Lettering,’ with Hallmark artist Cyrena Dotts. Start with your handwriting and see where you can take it! Participants will experiment with colorful markers, brush and more in this workshop designed to help you play and unlock new styles in your own handlettering.
- ‘Color Through a Trend Lens,’ with Hallmark Trends Strategist Melissa Donoho. This is a hands-on exploration of how the colors we use in design can convey meaning and shape consumer experience.
“At Hallmark, we believe in creativity. We invest in, inspire and develop a creative culture of thinkers, makers and leaders through their creative sense of purpose and #My5Days initiative. Visit our space to find supplies for you to let loose, learn and explore your own creative energy.”
Swag?
“Yes! We will have stickers as well as Hallmark card packs.”
Pull a Print at The Letterpress Depot Activation Zone
Join Jason Wedekind of Genghis Kern Design & Letterpress at HDL and “pull a wood type print” on an iron hand press from the late 1800s to take with you. The Letterpress Depot is a living museum of letterpress printing, book arts, typography and design in an old train station, which is currently in its final fundraising push to finish construction and open the doors to the public about 15 minutes south of Denver in Englewood. Filled with antique presses and 1000s of typefaces, the Depot will be a designer’s destination for years to come. Come pull a print [at HOW Design Live], chat about type and paper and get involved with our vibrant letterpress community.”
Learn to Rock That Creative Job With Jamie Roberts
“[This activation is] a positive, supportive and energetic IRL live-coaching experience to help creatives in all levels and disciplines gain clarity around their most significant creative career struggles, blocks and anxieties! Not sure what to ask about? Prompts will be included for things like self-promotion, team dynamics, imposter mindsets, job searching, toxic work environments, career pathing, difficult managers and any other unique challenges that creatives face! Coaching sessions will be in 10-minute increments, and all creatives are encouraged to sign up for sessions individually, with a conference buddy, or with their whole team.
“Providing authentic, highly-personalized, empathetic career support for creatives in a judgment-free environment is my jam! As a lifelong designer and senior creative director who has experienced and overcome the intense challenges of our profession, I started Rock That Creative Job to help creatives identify and remove obstacles to career success. Let’s rock!”
Swag?
“Absolutely! There will be motivational postcards (for those tough-client days), fun stickers (for those overworked MacBooks), networking guides (for those who hate small talk) and exclusive event-discount coupons for those who want to kick off or reinvigorate their job search without stress and anxiety. Look for the neon sign and stop by to chat about how you can get the creative career you want and deserve!”
Nab the Official HDL T-Shirt—and More
“Real Thread is thrilled to be returning to HOW Design Live for another year! Attendees can visit our booth to receive their official HOW Design Live T-shirt after checking in. We will also showcase various examples of custom-printed and embroidered apparel on various products to inspire designers looking to create custom-branded swag.”
Swag bonus!
“Each attendee will be eligible for an exclusive HOW Design Live deal: Order 50+ Custom AS Colour Staple Hoodies and receive 20 Staple Tees with the same design for free! AS Colour offers premium blank apparel for creators that are built to last.
“We are excited to connect with fellow creatives in our community, engage in meaningful conversations and bond over the world of design.”
Kick Back at Darden Studio’s Lounge
“Darden Studio is a boutique font foundry that seeks to unobtrusively anticipate the needs of art directors and brand designers. In this case, won’t it be nice to have a place to sit?”
Swag!
“We will be handing out QR codes to join our invite-only advanced copies list for early testing licenses of pre-release fonts and 100 each of our pronoun pins and rolls of packing tape promoting recent releases Kit and Gamay (while supplies last).”
Collaborate With Dru Cutler on a Creative Song
“We’re tapping into the creative energy of the HOW community to write a song together! You can submit stories and lyrics [on an interactive wall], and I’ll take those pieces and turn them into a one-of-a-kind song, which will be performed live at the event.
“As a songwriter and creative director, collaboration and creativity are at the heart of what I do. This activation is a perfect blend of those elements.”
Swag!
“You’ll get to hear our collective song live, and if your lyrics are chosen, you’ll be part of the magic. I’m also giving away a few copies of my latest vinyl album, Will to Mend.”