Best Web Design Events to Learn and Get Support

Web design involves the art and science of designing websites. It has been a growing field for years now, and 2022 is not the exception. With web designers becoming highly in-demand, it’s important for these professionals to be abreast of the latest trends and network with industry experts. The best way to get these insights and connections is through web design events.

Attending the best web design conferences can help connect you with like-minded people and widen your horizons about the web design field. In this article, you’ll get to know the best web design events and conferences you should be attending this year. Let’s dive in.

What Are Web Design Events?

Web design events are one-time, quarterly, or annual events for designers. They are not only limited to the web design industry. They also include a range of technical conferences, such as Agile conferences or annual product conferences. They are held for and by web designers usually to network and share knowledge and deep insights on topics related to their industry.

Web Design Conferences

Web design conferences are planned large events held to bring people together from the same industry to share insights. Usually, the discussions revolve around a conference theme that aims to broaden the audience’s knowledge on what makes a great web design. Topics may cover the latest about user experience (UX), interactive elements, and other user interface components.

Web Design Meetups

Web design meetups are meetings usually held by web design experts to assemble professionals in the web design field. This is a less formal event for designers. The objective of these gatherings is to educate each other on new web design development considerations. They also share networks, actionable insights, and a wide range of job opportunities.

Benefits of Attending Web Design Events, Conferences, or Meetups

Web design events, conferences, or meetups are essential if you want to become a web designer or you’re already one. This section provides you with the benefits of attending web design events.

• Learning from other professionals. Web design events give you a chance to interact with other experienced web designers. You’ll get to ask them questions and learn helpful tips about web designing. Some speakers may also share their personal experiences on how you can avoid their past mistakes.
• Increasing and improving your network. Events for web designers are great places to meet and connect with professionals in the field. Attending these events can put you in the same room as famous faces and design agencies behind popular websites. You’ll also get new contacts that can be valuable for you in the future.
• Getting live feedback about your work. Peer review is most common in meetups, where you can present and discuss your portfolio with professionals in the web design industry. This is a great opportunity to get firsthand feedback and validation of your work from seasoned experts.
• Being updated on the newest design trends. Through web design events, you’ll be up-to-date with the latest trends and know what will be the next big thing in the web design industry. This helps you know where to put in your effort and time because you’ll be aware of the current and future evolution of your field.

Best Web Design Events, Conferences, and Meetups: 2022 List

Best Web Design Conferences, Meetups, and Events in 2022: Details

In this section, we listed the web design conferences, meetups, and events you can join this 2022. These events will be held in-person, online, or a combination of both. We also detail the highlights and value you can get from attending each event.

Mozilla Festival | March 7-11

• Location(s): Online event
• Cost of Registration: $51 for pay-what-you-can contribution, $282 for mega patrons, $564 for giga patrons, $1,128 for tera patrons

Mozilla Festival, also known as MozFest, is an online event where creatives, policymakers, and neurodiverse scientists gather to reimagine the world. One highlight of this event is MozFest Spaces, which are pocket sessions for focused group topics like creating neurodiverse wellbeing and digital IDs and privacy. Attendees can learn about creative design thinking, digital culture, and how the dynamics of art, tech, and society can disrupt the status quo.

Forward Online Festival 2022 | March 10-12

• Location(s): Online event
• Cost of Registration: $59 for 4+1 student group ticket, $74 for a student regular ticket,  $77 for 4+1 group ticket, $96 for a regular ticket

Forward Online Festival is an online three-day conference centered around creativity, design, and communication. Top-notch professionals in the digital creatives field will provide inspirational insights during the event. Attendees can expect to expand their knowledge and practical skills in web design, digital design, and user experience design.

SXSW 2022 | March 11-20

• Location(s): Austin, TX and online
• Cost of Registration: Some of SXSW tickets include $209 for SXSW EDU online registration, $489 for SXSW online registration, $1,395 for music badge, $1,725 for platinum badge

South by Southwest, also known as SXSW, is a ten-day conference comprising three tracks, interactive, film, and music. These tracks cover diverse topics on tech, music, film, and culture. Web designers attending this event will get to reignite their creative prowess and societal consciousness through art. They’ll also get to network with creatives from different industries.

Festival of UX & Design | March 21-25

• Location(s): Online
• Cost of Registration: $44 for festival passes, $68 for festival pass + attend one workshop, $90 festival pass + attend one workshop + access all recordings, $361 for team ticket (5 passes), $722 for team ticket (10 passes)

The Festival of UX & Design’s five days of conferences this year will revolve around the themes of design systems, UX psychology, human-centered design, and the future of service designing. More than 20 speakers will inspire attendees from all over the world. Apart from talks, web designers will learn from interactive workshops during the event.

Eyeo Festival | June 14-17

• Location(s): Minneapolis, MN
• Cost of Registration: $10 – $40 for code+care summit, $329 for pre-conference all-day workshop(s), $699 for festival pass

The Eyeo Festival is held to bring together amazing and experienced people in the art and tech industry. It’s a four-day event filled with inspiring talks, full-day workshops, their code+care summit, and interactive sessions. Attendees can expect to expand their knowledge on information design, data visualization, and visual storytelling.

SmashingConf SF 2022 | June 20-23

• Location (s): San Francisco, CA
• Cost of Registration: $649 for the happy ticket (only 50 tickets at this price), $699 for a regular ticket, $1,098 for conference+1 workshop ticket, $1,497 for conference+2 workshop tickets

SmashingConf SF 2022 is an in-person conference with a roster of workshops to be expected. Although SmashingConf SF is focused on UX and front-end, it also places emphasis on everything that concerns the web. Participants increase their knowledge on topics like web design, interface design, machine learning.

ICON11 – The Illustration Conference | June 29-July 2

• Location(s): Kansas City, MO
• Cost of Registration: $485 for a student discount, $560 for conference group discount 3, $585 for ICON11 conference buddy two-fer discount-X, $610 for ICON Conference Discount 7x

Icon11 is a four-day conference filled with activities like workshops, education symposiums, and presentations. In this event, you’ll learn from seasoned professionals in various fields, such as illustration, design, education, advertising, and publishing.

The Conference | August 23-24

• Location(s): Malmö, SE and online
• Cost of Registration: $560 for early bird 4990 SEK for, $747 for bird 6990 SEK for, $1,018 for late bird 8990 SEK 

The Conference is a two-day event where professionals across industries globally meet up to deep dive into digital development. Apart from the main event, they will also host side events such as masterclasses and workshops. Attendees can expect to network and gain deep insights into design thinking and human-machine relations in today’s digital culture.

Design Matters | September 28-29

• Location(s): Online
• Cost of Registration: $227 for early bird live streaming, $833 for early bird in-person

Design matters is an annual conference by designers for designers. It will be a two-day event this year, with a mix of in-person and virtual experiences. It will focus on groundbreaking digital design from the lens of creative professionals from around the world. Apart from tickling your creative mind as a web designer, this event will also shape your values of being a responsible designer.

The___Dream | October 28-31

• Location(s): Lisbon, PT and online
• Cost of Registration: $3,665

Held by The House of Beautiful Business, The__Dream will launch the event with a roster of 50 speakers and performers. Attendees can expect talks, debates, and masterclasses during the conference. Although this event isn’t centered on web design, it’s for creatives. Thus, taking part in it could provide you with actionable insights and awaken your creativity as a web designer.

Should I Attend Web Design Events in 2022? 

Yes, you should attend web design events in 2022 because they’re essential for developing your professional skills and network as the world evolves. Web design is also a trending and in-demand career path, which means you’ll need to invest more in your professional development to be competitive.

However, if you can’t participate in web design events but want a similar experience, you should consider a coding bootcamp. Coding bootcamps are short and intensive programs that teach students job-ready skills. Attending a web design coding bootcamp will also help you network with other professionals and gain more insights and knowledge from their expertise.

Web Design Events FAQ