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Last week, we introduced the first two sessions of the 2015 Core77 Conference, taking place in Los Angeles on October 23. Today, we're back with a preview of our third session, Business Now.

Our first speaker is Matthew Manos, founder of verynice, a global design strategy and foresight consultancy that gives away more than 50 percent of its work to nonprofits. How does verynice manage this feat? Manos will explain how his "give half" model works—and argue why, for designers, giving away work doesn't necessarily mean losing something. He'll also talk about his newest venture, Models of Impact, an online platform that helps social entrepreneurs design business models.

Manos's book, How to Give Half of Your Work Away for Free

Next we'll have a pair of back-to-back conversations about the realities of running a design studio today. The first one will feature Victoria Slaker, vice president of design at the San Francisco consultancy Ammunition, and Pip Tomkin, founder of LA's Pip Tompkin Studio. Together with a Core77 moderator, they'll talk about identifying new market opportunities, finding good design talent, and keeping up with the increasingly rapid pace of product development.

The Polycom Soundstation Connect, designed by Pip Tomkin Studio

Our second business conversation will feature a pair of designers who run less traditional studios. Ryder Ripps is a conceptual artist living in New York City and the creative director of OKFocus, a digital marketing and design agency. Nicole Jacek is an award-winning graphic designer and the founder of the Venice Beach design consultancy NJ(L.A.). Both studios create playful, experimental work for a variety of corporate and cultural clients. Together with a Core77 moderator, Ripps and Jacek will talk about running multidisciplinary practices that are blurring the lines between art, design and branding.

OKFocus's projects include website development and design for the fashion label Nicopanda.

Tomorrow we'll be back with a preview of our final conference session, The Future Now. And for the next week we're offering early-bird tickets, so be sure to take advantage of those discounts before they expire.

Home-page thumbnail image by OKFocus