OOOHHH OFFF, you didn’t disappoint…

By Rhiannon Porter

Still on a (slightly exhausted) high after visiting OFFF for the first time last week in Barcelona. A last minute change of plans (thanks Covid) meant that Blair, our Creative Director couldn’t attend so I went in his place. Slightly nervous as I’m ‘not a creative’, I thought I would feel uncomfortable and out of my depth but was pleasantly surprised at the inclusivity that was clear and present from day one. The creative world really is a community and it was a real joy to be involved and included.

17 talks attended and a very special viewing at Casa Batlló made for a tiresome 3 days, particularly after a 4am wake up call on day one and four! The talks were mixed in terms of content and presentation style from agencies showcasing work to talking about the challenges of running a studio, how to get the best studio culture and how important it is for the internal team to be happy. New studio’s presented, focussing on how they have created a studio and moved from a freelancer mindset to that of a studio owner and how important it is to get to terms with finance and outgoing costs and to grow your reputation. I especially enjoyed the Women in Work open panel which talked about the challenges women face in the workplace and how females (and males) can help support each other to increase equality with the design industry.

Finishing off an amazing three days was watching Refik Anadol projection on the beautiful Casa Batlló. It was lovely to make new friends and see some familiar faces and I’ll be back to the studio, a little bleary eyed but excited for what the future holds for WGR and putting into practice some of the learnings from the conference! Until next year…