As if you needed more reasons to attend the 2016 Core77 Designing Here/Now Conference. 

Besides a full-day symposium of speaker presentations and roundtable discussions on Thursday, September 29th, this year's Core77 conference features a second day of programming focused on practical knowledge for designers—Friday will begin with morning workshop sessions and finally afternoon insider tours around downtown Los Angeles. 

Last month we drew on the deep well of knowledge from our larger Core77 community with a call for workshop ideas to add to our pre-programmed sessions led by KeyShot, solidThinking, Core77 contributors sketching guru Spencer Nugent and product licensing sensei Stephen Key. 

We're excited to announce five community-led workshops that came out of our call for ideas—led by YOU! 

Anticipatory Design and the Future of Smart Products and Services

For the past two decades Byron Phillipson has been championing the application of disruptive design for some of the world's biggest brands. He is now the Group Creative Director of Huge Los Angeles, the company's second principal office in the United States, opening in 2006. Working with some of Huge's biggest clients in media, entertainment and technology, the office is home to more than 70 visual, interactive and product designers, creatives, technologists, researchers, strategists and digital program managers.

Presented by: Byron Phillipson, Group Creative Director, Huge

The Future of Work: Thriving in an Era of Workplace Automation

In the spring of 2016, Forum for the Future brought together members of its network—including representatives from Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, and NGOs—in a collaborative innovation session to discuss the future of work and to think through how we might create more sustainable workplaces in the face of trends like automation, climate change and aging populations. In this interactive session, Rodrigo will share five trends affecting how we work and some of the more interesting concepts that emerged from the innovation session, challenging designers to imagine new ways of working together in the near future.

Presented by: Rodrigo Bautista, Principal Sustainability Advisor - Innovation, Forum for the Future

How to Future Proof Your Next Idea

The frequency of new ideas, trends and technology in today's world can leave many designers feeling unsure where to focus their attention. To create positive change in this world, we must create a clearer vision of the unarticulated needs of future users. This workshop shows designers how to apply future-forecasting tools to their daily work to inspire more influential and long-lasting innovations.

Presented by: Michael Roller, Trends Director, LPK

More Than a Logo: Crafting a Brand Vision

The first step in building an authentic and cut-through brand is to establish a strong vision to guide its growth. Catering to both designers and those communicating with designers, this workshop will outline quick and iterative design strategy exercises that work to set the foundation for a holistic brand identity. Learn best practice techniques and tools for crafting a positioning strategy, roll-out plan and design direction tailored to your offer, timeline and goals.

Presented by: Ada Mayer, Senior Designer, Wolff Olins

Narrative Without User Journeys

When people think of narrative and storytelling they often default to the linear narrative techniques we encounter most often in our daily lives. However, today's products and services are often too complicated to be captured in a single user-journey-esque story. In this workshop we'll focus on a different narrative technique, theme, and how developing strong themes can help focus your path to envisioning more coherent products and services.

Presented by: Daniel Orbach and Steven Bennett, Senior Designers, Moment

Join us for more strategies on co-creation at this September's Core77 Conference in Los Angeles. Buy your tickets today to get in on our Friday Workshop + Tour program!