Our state's first design conference, organized by the Minnesota Graphic Designers Association (MGDA, later AIGA Minnesota), took place in 1980 at Lutsen Resort on the North Shore of Lake Superior. In the decades since, moving from Lutsen to Ruttgers Bay Lake Resort to Nisswa's Grand View Lodge and later Madden’s on Gull Lake in Brainerd, Design Camp® has presented top keynote speakers including design legends Louise Fili, Milton Glaser, Doyald Young, Gail Anderson, and Paula Scher, as well as next-generation leaders like Zipeng Zhu, Renee Reid, Andy J. Pizza, and Martina Flor.
We're excited to introduce (and welcome back) our amazing emcee for this year's Design Camp®.
Tricia is the founder of Christiansen Creative, a small graphic design studio just east of the Twin Cities in a town known for its proximity to excellent cheese and Spotted Cow. In her twenty years of running her studio, Tricia has collected hundreds of accolades for clients such as Ecolab, Deluxe, and national AmeriCorps programs such as Reading Corps and Recovery Corps. Her studio was recently commended for donating more than one million dollars in time to nonprofits and small businesses, backing up their belief that every company has the potential to make a positive impact, no matter how small.
In addition to her professional career, Tricia has been a mentor for college students, a speaker at regional events, and a leader in her community. Her positive impact continues outside of the design industry with her track record for facilitating change and promoting key initiatives in organizations such Hudson Community Foundation, Hudson Area Library Foundation, and Hudson Daybreak Rotary. Tricia holds a BFA in Graphic Design from Drake University and is a Yale BPCL alumni.