Made By Few, For Many

Conference creates colorful environment for learning

The Made by Few design conference brings industry leaders to Bentonville next week.
The Made by Few design conference brings industry leaders to Bentonville next week.

If the Made by Few Conference -- which starts Wednesday in Bentonville -- is half as fun and creative as the Made by Few website, Northwest Arkansans who are captivated by design are in for a real treat.

The home page for the design conference features a colorful crowd of people, all distinctively unique, that undulates when the mouse moves over it. Instead of photographs of the conference speakers, there are quirky, hand-drawn portraits. A vibrant, energetic video uses footage from past conferences to excite potential participants.

FAQ

Made by Few

WHEN — Oct. 26-29

WHERE — Bentonville

COST — $186.37-$424.22

INFO — madebyfew.com

FAQ

Handmade by Few

What — Handmade craft show featuring 20 talented vendors

When — Today and again tomorrow at 9 a.m.

Where — The Record, 104 S.W. A St., Bentonville

Cost — Free

Info — https://madebyfew.c…

It's a visual feast and a hint of the kind of design inspiration to be found at the conference, which features prominent speakers, instructional workshops and a variety of additional events designed for fun and education.

The press release for the event says that Made by Few has "a focus on inspiring and invigorating designers, developers, creatives and entrepreneurs." But its reach should attract people from a wide swath of interests, says Correne Spero, operations lead for the conference.

"In the past, the tagline that's been used is that it's 'a conference for makers of the web,' which is a decent summary, but not quite complete," she says. "Some speakers will talk about web and tech [issues], but there are different types of makers and creators, as well as tech people. I think it's incredibly inspirational for anyone who does or creates anything."

Founder Arlton Lowry, chief creative officer for Little Rock company Few, says that the conference is "a labor of love. I refer to it as a love letter to the Northwest Arkansas community."

Lowry says that one of the original intentions of the conference remains paramount -- to highlight the beauty of Arkansas for visitors from outside of Arkansas. Lowry says the conference has previously drawn people from nearly 30 different states and several different countries.

This year, Lowry says, Made by Few will also partner with two local favorites -- Amber and Jonathan Perrodin -- to host a smaller version of the couple's Little Craft Show called "Handmade by Few."

"We're both really dedicated to quality work, I think that's the root of it," Amber Perrodin says. "We're both trying to raise the bar -- we're trying to raise the bar for what you would expect at a craft show, and then on the other side of it, Arlton has really raised the bar on what you would expect at a conference."

"Handmade by Few" is free to the public. It will open at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 28 and 9 a.m. on Oct. 29 and will be the inaugural event held at The Record, the new Bentonville event space in the old Benton County Daily Record space.

Lowry says there is a lot of excitement surrounding this year's other events, as well.

"Designed by Few," a graphic design competition scheduled for 7 p.m. on Oct. 28, pits three top designers against each other as they race to complete a winning design for Bentonville nonprofit ArtFeeds. Participants will watch as the designers' work is projected on a screen for all to see -- and judge. The competition will be held at the 21c Museum Hotel and will include food, drink, music, and a Halloween costume contest.

Speakers throughout the conference include Mozilla Foundation design director Cassie McDaniel, Google Ventures design partner Daniel Burka, and Cards Against Humanity design director Amy Schwartz.

Workshop topics include "Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork," "Learning While You Build" and "Stuck: How to Manage Change Without Dying Inside."

"I know that everyone appreciates art on one level or another," says Lowry. "You have to. It's a part of our humanity. And we definitely want to tap into that. We want to make sure that anybody that attends takes something away."

NAN What's Up on 10/21/2016

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