ClemsonGC students attend the 10th annual Front End Design Conference

May 16, 2018

As the semester began to come to a close and many Graphic Communications students were preparing for finals, six students interested in web design and development were en route to St. Petersburg, Florida to attend the 10th annual Front-End Design Conference. FEDC is two days of immersive web design and front end development delivered via keynote style talks. Over the course of the two days, there were fifteen lecturers who spoke on many facets of the industry. From user experience design trends, augmented and virtual reality web space, and beyond, every second of the conference yielded new things to learn and discover.

See stories from three students who attended FEDC below.

Jennifer Hill, Class of 2018, www.jenniferghill.coffee

As this was my second time attending the FEDC, I knew what a great opportunity this would be to see all of the speakers and interact with leaders of the web community. In preparation for the conference, I was very excited to learn that the workshop was going to be led by Ethan Marcotte, a leader in the community and the man who coined the phrase ”Responsive Web Design.” The workshop was just as valuable as I had expected, from Ethan Marcotte’s informative talk to his interactive group activities. I was also looking forward to hearing the talks by Carl Smith, who spoke on being a “client whisperer;” Tera Smith, who spoke on the insights of Generations X, Y, and Z and how to design for each; Chris Coyier, who spoke on advancements and future movements of the front-end developer. Yet again, I was inspired by the speakers at the conference and all that they had to teach us.

ClemsonGC students pose with Chris Coyier of css-tricks.com and Codepen fame. From left to right: Jennifer Hill, Chris Coyier, Kierten Borden, Paul Johnson, and Rivers Hiller

Paul Johnson, Class of 2019, www.hiimpaul.co

When I first discovered web development during the web resume assignment in GC3400, I knew it was what I wanted to do with my life after graduating. The following semester, during the Intro to Web Development class, I was told about the Front End Design Conference. At that point it became my goal to get a seat at that conference! Here we are, a few weeks since the conference wrapped up, and I’m so excited to be able share the wonderful experience I had. FEDC 2018 was chock full of incredible speakers from all parts of the industry. There were talks on design philosophy, on augmented and virtual reality and how it relates to web design in the future, and even talks on more finite subjects like CSS Grid or Vue.js. While some of the subject matter may have at this point in my knowledge flown over my head, I was able to take something away from each talk.

The biggest take-away I had from the conference was the motivational boost I felt on multiple levels. First, I received some incredible advice from industry professionals during the networking sessions about how to job hunt and land internships while in school. Additionally, all of the, for lack of better words, “nerd talk” had me itching to get back to the room each night and try to apply something I learned during the day to some of my coded projects. All-in-all, it was a wildly beneficial learning experience for me, and I hope to attend many more Front End Design Conferences in the future!

Kiersten Borden, Class of 2018

I am a senior graduating this May and had the opportunity to spend my last week of classes at the FEDC conference. This was the perfect way for my time at Clemson to come to an end. The conference was held in St. Petersburg, Florida. Six students were chosen to go. What was nice was that we were all at different levels as far as our coding experience so this conference benefitted us all in different ways. I happen to be newer to code than some of the others. I was currently enrolled in GC2400 but some of the others had already completed that course. I felt that going to FEDC was a great learning and growing experience for me. There were speakers from the industry on all sort of topics. Some speakers discussed industry trends, while others discussed design, business and working with clients. There were two UX designers from Google that spoke, which I thought was pretty big. Being new to coding, I felt it was beneficial to hear their stories and see how they got to where they are now. It gives me an idea of the steps I might need to take next in order to pursue a career in this industry. I also really enjoyed listening to Ethan Marcotte. He is a great speaker and very insightful. He also led the half-day workshop on pattern libraries during which he gave us great advice and feedback.

Along with attending the conference we also had the opportunity to mingle with the speakers and other professionals at the socials they had in the evenings. These were not only fun, but a good chance for us to network and speak with real industry professionals. We were the only students in attendance, but we were treated well and the other attendees enjoyed seeing students so eager to learn. Aside from all of the conference excitement, I also enjoyed exploring a new city and getting to know my fellow students a little better. I am so grateful to have had this experience. From this trip I am taking back with me some great advice, helpful insights, and fun memories. I would highly recommend to future GC students to take advantage of attending a conference. It’s a fun way to learn and gain new experiences.

ClemsonGC students up on the main stage during the opening speaker at FEDC. Pictured from left to right: Paul Johnson, Adelaide Bynum, Carly Shue, Jennifer Hill, Rivers Hiller, and Kiersten Borden

In conclusion, attending professional conferences as a student has many benefits from learning to networking. This year, Dan Denney kicked off Day 1 by talking about why he and his family started the conference ten years ago. There is an important aspect of community in the web development industry and although there were plenty of first-time conference attendees, many people return year after year for FEDC. Since this is the fifth year in a row that ClemsonGC has brought students interested in front end design to FEDC in St. Petersburg, Florida, students were invited up on stage to open the conference and show attendees “the future of the industry.” As you can tell from the students’ stories, this is a unique conference that provides both educational opportunities and networking events where ClemsonGC students interested in this segment of the industry have a chance to really shine!