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Speakers

Sarah Drasner during SmashingConf Toronto

Want to learn new things on front-end and UX? Aching for fresh inspiration and learning new skills? Let our speakers help and inspire you.

Our speakers and workshop teachers are the best in their fields, and they love to share what they know, how they work and what drives them. Let our speakers and teachers help and inspire you. On top of that, they are all smashingly nice.

We plan to announce our first speakers soon. Stay updated on the latest speakers and topics via our newsletter or follow us on Twitter.

Vitaly

Our speakers rarely show slides: they show how they work — their setup, workflows and techniques for getting work done in live interactive sessions. So expect everything from refactoring and debugging to sketching and redesign, live.

— Vitaly, the one who loves ironing, front-end, UX and has tons of crazy ideas.
  • Nathan Curtis

    Nathan Curtis

    Founder and design systems consultant at Directed Edges. He’s passionate about information architecture, UX, front-end dev and design systems. He wrote Modular Web Design in 2009, blogs frequently on Medium.com today, and speaks regularly at events worldwide.

    Talk
    Design Systems
    On the web
    https://www.directededges.com
    On LinkedIn
    nathancurtis
  • Yiying Lu

    Yiying Lu

    You might not know Yiying Lu's name, but you've probably seen her work. She created the Twitter Fail Whale and designed emojis like the dumpling 🥟, chopsticks 🥢, takeout box 🥡, fortune cookie 🥠, and bubble tea 🧋 that millions of us use every day.

    Born in Shanghai, educated in Sydney and London, Yiying now works from San Francisco where she helps global companies like Disney, Apple, Adobe, and Microsoft design things that make sense across different cultures. It's tricky work — how do you create something that resonates in Beijing and Berlin, Tokyo and Texas?

    Yiying believes design can bring people together, even when we don't speak the same language. Through her talks at TEDx, SXSW, and Adobe MAX, she shares what she's learned about creating symbols and experiences that connect us all.

    Talk
    Cross Cultural Design
    On the web
    https://www.yiyinglu.com/
    On LinkedIn
    yiyinglu
  • Eva Ferreira

    Eva Ferreira

    Eva Ferreira is a lead Software Engineer with a passion for teaching. Based in Argentina, she blends creativity and engineering to craft accessible, user-centered digital products. She mentors developers, shares knowledge through talks and workshops worldwide, and advocates for accessibility and inclusive technology.

    Talk
    Beating the Dead Horse
    On Bluesky
    @evaferreira92.bsky.social
  • Dan Rubin

    Dan Rubin

    Dan is a designer, photographer, and creative director based in the U.S. & U.K., working with clients around the world. Co-founder of New Style Publishing, a photo book imprint based in Amsterdam, and webgraph, a design and engineering studio based in Miami, he helps startups and established brands create physical and digital products, speaks at events including SXSW, WPPI, and the Mobile World Congress, and travels the world on photographic commissions for select clientele including Alfa Romeo, American Express, Apple, Barbour, Courvoisier, Ducati, Land Rover, The Macallan, Nissan, O2, RedBull, Sony, Starwood Hotels, Travel + Leisure, Williams Martini, and more.

    A published author and guest expert for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The British Journal of Photography, Dan’s first photographic book, Koya Bound (Winner, AIGA Cover Design Award, 2017), was published in 2016 by Pre/Post in Japan.

    Talk
    We Don't Talk Anymore
    On the web
    https://instagram.com/danrubin
  • Rémi Parmentier

    Rémi Parmentier

    Rémi Parmentier is a French front-end developer working at his own small web development agency, Tilt Studio. He loves to learn, and enjoys even more to teach.

    This led him on a joyful quest to understand and demystify HTML emails coding. Rémi runs workshops, gives talks and writes articles on his blog to help others code better HTML emails. Rémi also likes collecting Game Boy consoles and listening to Sufjan Stevens.

    Talk
    Think Like An Email Geek
    On the web
    http://www.hteumeuleu.com
    On LinkedIn
    remi-parmentier-fr
  • Mystery Speaker

    Mystery Speaker

    Obviously, our Mystery Speaker is a bit of a… well, Mystery. In true smashing style, you can expect something wonderful. It’s someone worth waking up for. Something unexpected, a little magical, and very much unmissable.

    So yes, set that alarm for Day Two. Grab a coffee. Be curious. You won’t want to miss this.

  • Vitaly Friedman

    Vitaly Friedman

    Creative Lead and Co-Founder of Smashing Magazine

    Vitaly Friedman loves beautiful content and doesn’t like to give in easily. When he is not writing or speaking at a conference, he’s most probably running front-end/UX workshops and webinars. He loves solving complex UX, front-end and performance problems.

    On the web
    https://smashingmagazine.com
    On LinkedIn
    vitalyfriedman

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