Speakers

One track, two conference days (June 26–27), 16 speakers, and just 500 available seats. We’ll cover everything from efficient design workflow and getting started with Vue.js to improving eCommerce UX and production-ready CSS Grid Layouts. Also on our list: performance audits, data visualization, multi-cultural designs, and other fields that may come up in your day-to-day work.

Here’s what you should be expecting:

• Building A Pattern Library with CSS Grid Fallback (Live)
  Rachel Andrew (Perch)
• CSS Secrets Live
  Lea Verou (MIT)
• Get The Details Right And Leapfrog The Competition
  Joe Leech
• SVG Tricks Live
  Sara Soueidan
• Accessibility Improvements
  Marcy Sutton
• Live Sketchnotes
  Eva-Lotta Lamm
• Creating A Data Visualization From Scratch (Live)
  Nadie Bremer
• Building an SVG Animation from Start to Finish
  Sarah Drasner
• Overcoming Multi-Cultural Design Barriers
  Yiying Lu
• Live Lettering
  Gemma O’Brien
• Visual Design
  Aaron James Draplin (Draplin Design Co.)
• Design Workflow
  Dan Mall (Superfriendly)
• Live Performance Audit
  Tim Kadlec
• JS Animation
  Seb Lee-Delisle
• Mystery Speaker
  Somebody you definitely know, and respect.

Workshops At SmashingConf Toronto

On the two days before and after the conference, you have the chance to dive deep into a topic of your choice. Tickets for the full-day workshops cost C$ 599. If you combine it with a conference ticket, you’ll save C$ 100 on the regular workshop price. Seats are limited.

Workshops on Monday, June 25th

Sara Soueidan on The CSS & SVG Power Combo
The workshop with the strongest punch of creativity. The CSS & SVG Power Combo is where you will learn about the latest, cutting-edge CSS and SVG techniques to create creative crisp and beautiful interfaces. We will also be looking at any existing browser inconsistencies as well as performance considerations to keep in mind. And there will be lots of exercises and practical examples that can be taken and directly applied in real life projects.Read more…

Sarah Drasner on Intro To Vue.js
Vue.js brings together the best features of the Javascript framework landscape elegantly. If you’re interested in writing maintainable, clean code in an exciting and expressive manner, you should consider joining this class. Read more…

Tim Kadlec on Demystifying Front-End Security
When users come to your site, they trust you to provide them with a good experience. They expect a site that loads quickly, that works in their browser, and that is well designed. And though they may not vocalize it, they certainly expect that the experience will be safe: that any information they provide will not be stolen or used in ways they did not expect. Read more…

Aaron Draplin on Behind The Scenes With The DDC
Go behind the scenes with the DDC and learn about Aaron’s process for creating marks, logos and more. Each student will attack a logo on their own with guidance from Aaron. Could be something you are currently working on, or have always wanted to make. Read more…

Dan Mall on Design Workflow For A Multi-Device World
In this workshop, Dan will share insights into his tools and techniques for integrating design thinking into your product development process. You’ll learn how to craft powerful design approaches through collaborative brainstorming techniques and how to involve your entire team in the design process. Read more…

Vitaly Friedman on Smart Responsive UX Design Patterns
In this workshop, Vitaly Friedman, co-founder of Smashing Magazine, will cover practical techniques, clever tricks and useful strategies you need to be aware of when working on responsive websites. From responsive modules to clever navigation patterns and web form design techniques; the workshop will provide you with everything you need to know today to start designing better responsive experiences tomorrow. Read more…

Workshops on Thursday, June 28th

Eva-Lotta Lamm on Sketching With Confidence, Clarity And Imagination
Being able to sketch is like speaking an additional language that enables you to structure and express your thoughts and ideas more clearly, quickly and in an engaging way. For anyone working in UX, design, marketing and product development in general, sketching is a valuable technique to feel comfortable with. Read more…

Nadieh Bremer on Creative Data Visualization Techniques
With so many tools available to visualize your data, it’s easy to get stuck in thinking about chart types, always just going for that bar or line chart, without truly thinking about effectiveness. In this workshop, Nadieh will teach you how you can take a more creative and practical approach to the design of data visualization. Read more…

Rachel Andrew on Advanced CSS Layouts With Flexbox And CSS Grid
This workshop is designed for designers and developers who already have a good working knowledge of HTML and CSS. We will cover a range of CSS methods for achieving layout, from those you are safe to use right now even if you need to support older version of Internet Explorer through to things that while still classed as experimental, are likely to ship in browsers in the coming months. Read more…

Joe Leech on Psychology For UX And Product Design
This workshop will provide you with a practical, hands-on way to understand how the human brain works and apply that knowledge to User Experience and product design. Learn the psychological principles behind how our brain makes sense of the world and apply that to product and user interface design. Read more…

Seb Lee-Delisle on Javascript Graphics And Animation
In this workshop, Seb will demonstrate a variety of beautiful visual effects using JavaScript and HTML5 canvas. You will learn animation and graphics techniques that you can use to add a sense of dynamism to your projects. Read more…

Vitaly Friedman on New Front-End Adventures In Responsive Design
With HTTP/2, Service Workers, Responsive Images, Flexbox, CSS Grid, SVG, WAI-ARIA roles and Font Loading API now available in browsers, we all are still trying to figure out just the right strategy for designing and building responsive websites efficiently. We want to use all of these technologies and smart processes like atomic design, but how can we use them efficiently, and how do we achieve it within a reasonable amount of time? Read more…

Location

Maybe you’ve already wondered why our friend the Smashing Cat has dressed up as a movie director for SmashingConf Toronto? Well, that’s because our conference venue will be the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Located within the center of Toronto, it is one of the most iconic cinemas in the world and also the location where the Toronto Film Festival takes place. We’re thrilled to be hosted there!

Why This Conference Could Be For You

SmashingConfs are a friendly and intimate experience. It’s like meeting good friends and making new ones. Friends who share their stories, ideas, and, of course, their best tips and tricks. At SmashingConf Toronto you will learn how to:

1. Make full advantage of CSS Variables,
2. Create fluid animation effects with Vue,
3. Detect and resolve accessibility issues,
4. Structure components in a pattern library when using CSS Grid,
5. Build a stable, usable online experience,
6. Design for cross-cultural audiences,
7. Create effective and beautiful data visualization from scratch,
8. Transform your designs with psychology,
9. Help your design advance with proper etiquette,
10. Sketch with pen and paper,
11. … and a lot more.

Download “Convience Your Boss” PDF

We know that sometimes companies encourage their staff to attend a different conference each year. Well, we say; once you’ve found a conference you love, why stray…

Think your boss needs a little more persuasion? We’ve prepared a neat Convince Your Boss PDF that you can use to tip the scales in your favor to send you to the event.

Diversity and Inclusivity

We care about diversity and inclusivity at our events. SmashingConf’s are a safe, friendly place. We don’t tolerate any disrespect or misbehavior. We also provide student and diversity tickets.

See You In Toronto!

We’d love to meet you in Toronto and spend two memorable days full of web goodness, lots of learning, and friendly people with you. An experience you won’t forget so soon. Promised.

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