From my rushed notes that night (cursing myself for not bringing a notebook; had to try to type them all up on my phone!) Sorry Daniel, spoilers for his future talks, I suppose! Also not verbatim. But all still good to remember. ;)

Do good work. Everything else will follow. Your work is the foundation of everything you’re doing.

Learning to design is like… learning to play the piano — you need to spend a lot of hours on the keys. Learn from people better than you.

… or like crossing a desert.

Find mentorship where you can find it. (Ah, I need a mentor.)

Be available.

Find the challenge in every project.

Other designers are not your audience.

Design competitions are bullshit. ;)

Beauty isn’t the goal. (Guilty — sometimes, I just want to make things pretty.)

Pixel perfect isn’t perfect. Don’t miss the forest for the trees.

Acronyms and terminology should be avoided.

Avoid arguments about design roles. “But — I’m an information architect!”

Being an artist is not a requirement.

There are unicorns and there are unicorns. Don’t be afraid to try all kinds of design, but be an expert at one thing.

Writing is a design skill. “Write real English — enough with the Lorem Ipsum!”

Listen.

Keep it simple.

Beware the seduction of technologies.

Design stories, not screens. <3

Try trying instead of debating.

You can make opportunities — the only ones in front of you are not the only ones available to you.

Balance confidence and humility.

Have empathy. Are you actually listening to people?

Darn, I only got to list 23 out of 32! Got any to add?