{"id":273083,"date":"2025-08-07T19:55:04","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T02:55:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/?p=273083"},"modified":"2025-09-21T22:32:48","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T05:32:48","slug":"silicon-valley-creative-sf-design-week-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/silicon-valley-creative-sf-design-week-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Silicon Valley Gets Creative \u2013 SF Design Week 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Memorabilia from Adobe Create Now<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sfdesignweek.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">SF Design Week<\/a> was full of creatives, connection, and unexpected wins. Over six action-packed days, volunteering, sharing daily takeaways on Linkedin helped gain valuable design insights and new connections, a special shoutout, and an award from Design Bay Area. <strong>Hannah Scherer<\/strong> shares her unforgettable experience at SF Design Week.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div id=\"buzzsprout-player-17744853\"><\/div>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2470559\/episodes\/17744853-silicon-valley-gets-creative-sf-design-week-2025.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-17744853&#038;player=small\" type=\"text\/javascript\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If SF Design Week handed out a sticker that said \u201cI Survived,\u201d I\u2019d wear it with honor. As a recent graphic design graduate from Southern California and a first-time attendee, I had no idea what to expect. My goal was simple: to connect with designers in the Bay Area. I didn\u2019t have many local connections yet, and this felt like the perfect chance to get plugged into the creative community up here. I volunteered, networked, learned from industry leaders, and even got turned away from an event, only to end up building more community right outside the gates. Exhausting? Yes. Inspiring? Absolutely!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_273145\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-273145\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-273145\" src=\"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"380\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-2-300x143.jpg 300w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-2-150x71.jpg 150w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-2-768x365.jpg 768w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-2-672x319.jpg 672w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-2-400x190.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-273145\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">SF Design Week Stickers, Swag, and Goodie Bay.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I launched my experience at Dovetail with an energizing talk from Kathy Wang on breaking into product design. She dropped gems like <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the power of a cold email<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">rejection means you\u2019re on the radar<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ask ChatGPT to roast your bullet points like a recruiter would<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. But the tip that made the biggest impact on me was this: always share your design takeaways on LinkedIn. Kathy emphasized pairing your photos with a thoughtful write-up and clearly listing your takeaways so others can learn from your journey.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">That advice clicked instantly! I committed to posting every day I attended SF Design Week, and it paid off. People resonated with my takeaways, and it brought so much traction and connection to my LinkedIn. Even better, Design Bay Area gave me a special shoutout for sharing my SFDW experience. I won the Judges\u2019 Choice Award for contributing photos through their app, and I even received a beautiful Jessica Hische risograph print called <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThis Is the Place.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">With a goal for networking, I decided volunteering = Front Row Seat to the Design Community. It paid off.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_273144\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-273144\" style=\"width: 474px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-273144\" src=\"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-06-RivianEvent-675x900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"474\" height=\"632\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-06-RivianEvent-675x900.jpg 675w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-06-RivianEvent-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-06-RivianEvent-112x150.jpg 112w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-06-RivianEvent-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-06-RivianEvent-279x372.jpg 279w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-06-RivianEvent-432x576.jpg 432w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-06-RivianEvent-400x534.jpg 400w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-06-RivianEvent.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-273144\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rivian\u2019s Design Event in San Francisco.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">From handing out drink vouchers at Rivian\u2019s beautiful SF event space to helping set up chairs and beverage tables at Four One Nine, I met like-minded creatives from across the Bay. Talking with so many creatives brought new appreciation for design. It\u2019s not just about the work. It\u2019s about being curious, learning, and feeling inspired by the energy everyone brings.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Not everything went smoothly. I had registered for TikTok\u2019s \u201cDesigning AI Ads\u201d event but was bumped to virtual attendance at the last minute due to overbooking. An hour later, and the drive to San Jose, I was met with a group of people hoping for a spot. A small group of us (all turned away) ended up forming our own sidewalk networking circle while streaming the event on our phones. It wasn\u2019t what we planned, but it reminded me how adaptable and generous this community is, even in disappointment.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Next stop? Intuit: a masterclass in brand design.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_273136\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-273136\" style=\"width: 474px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-273136 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-10-ViewfromIntuitOffice-675x900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"474\" height=\"632\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-10-ViewfromIntuitOffice-675x900.jpg 675w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-10-ViewfromIntuitOffice-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-10-ViewfromIntuitOffice-112x150.jpg 112w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-10-ViewfromIntuitOffice-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-10-ViewfromIntuitOffice-279x372.jpg 279w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-10-ViewfromIntuitOffice-432x576.jpg 432w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-10-ViewfromIntuitOffice-400x534.jpg 400w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-10-ViewfromIntuitOffice.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-273136\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">View from Intuit\u2019s Office in San Francisco.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The inside scoop from Intuit\u2019s Brand Design Studio was another highlight. From a logo sprint that grew into the Intuit Dome\u2019s massive visual identity to the playful, AI-driven work on their Finlit program, the panel\u2019s stories showed how strategy, risk, and creativity intersect. One anecdote stuck with me: they studied flight paths over LA to rotate the dome logo just right for passengers flying into LAX. That level of precision gets overshadowed but not unnoticed.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_273140\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-273140\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-273140\" src=\"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-05-IntuitDesign.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-05-IntuitDesign.jpg 800w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-05-IntuitDesign-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-05-IntuitDesign-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-05-IntuitDesign-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-05-IntuitDesign-372x372.jpg 372w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-05-IntuitDesign-576x576.jpg 576w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-05-IntuitDesign-400x400.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-273140\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Attending Intuit\u2019s Brand Design event.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The perfect finale waited for me at Adobe Create Now.<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">To wrap up the week, I joined my college design school bestie at Adobe\u2019s SF office for Create Now. From pen-building stations to live demos of new tools, the talks were insightful, and the vibes wereawesome. Well, the whole week was awesome.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_273139\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-273139\" style=\"width: 474px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-273139\" src=\"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-03-AdobeSFDesignWeek-675x900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"474\" height=\"632\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-03-AdobeSFDesignWeek-675x900.jpg 675w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-03-AdobeSFDesignWeek-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-03-AdobeSFDesignWeek-112x150.jpg 112w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-03-AdobeSFDesignWeek-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-03-AdobeSFDesignWeek-279x372.jpg 279w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-03-AdobeSFDesignWeek-432x576.jpg 432w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-03-AdobeSFDesignWeek-400x534.jpg 400w, https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAGE-SFDesignWeek-03-AdobeSFDesignWeek.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-273139\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The event at Adobe SF<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What I learned during my first SF Design Week: show up even if you\u2019re not on the list. Who knows, some luck, and a spot might just open up. Stay curious, ask questions, and never underestimate the power of an unplanned conversation. Volunteering was a gateway to deeper involvement, and every session reminded me that design is as much about people as it is about pixels.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Shout-out to everyone I met, whether new friends, old connections, inspiring speakers, or fellow volunteers. You made my first SF Design Week unforgettable. I can\u2019t wait for next year!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>All photos: Hannah Scherer<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Memorabilia from Adobe Create Now SF Design Week was full of creatives, connection, and unexpected wins. Over six action-packed days, volunteering, sharing daily takeaways on Linkedin helped gain valuable design insights and new connections, a special shoutout, and an award from Design Bay Area. Hannah Scherer shares her unforgettable experience at SF Design Week.\u00a0\u00a0 If&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/silicon-valley-creative-sf-design-week-2025\/\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":296,"featured_media":273137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64935,19],"tags":[829,142,596,16629,11731,64933,64934,58524,17582,3127,64932,11525],"class_list":["post-273083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artsy-stuff","category-topics","tag-adobe","tag-art","tag-bay-area","tag-creative","tag-design","tag-dovetail","tag-four-one-nine","tag-intuit","tag-rivian","tag-sf","tag-sf-design-week","tag-tiktok"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/296"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273083\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}