April 10 – 12, 2025
Class of 2025 is Now in Session
Live from the Aloft Hotel in Downtown Dallas, NSSC is back and bigger than ever to celebrate two decades of epic creativity.
Come get inspired by world class keynote speakers, professional portfolio reviews, and pioneering student work from the brightest talent around the country. For more information on food, attire and conference details, see the FAQs below.
Aloft is offering $8/night parking for guests, with some size restrictions (check with the hotel for large vehicles). There’s also a public lot next door for $16/day.
4 Speakers
Keynote panel sessions featuring the nation's top creatives.
2 Workshops
Interactive sessions to inspire and equip your future in the industry.
Join us in Dallas
Aloft Hotel Downtown Dallas • 1033 Young St, Dallas, TX 75202
$299
Brandon Murphy
Principal and Creative Director at Caliber Creative
Brandon brings 25 years of experience to the judge’s table, shaping brands like Southwest Airlines, Trader Joe’s, and Dickies. His signature style also fuels Texas favorites like Deep Ellum Brewing and Capmaker Bourbon. When he’s not building brands, he’s lecturing at UNT or cycling White Rock Lake.
Limbert Fabian
Emmy-Award winning director and illustrator
Limbert’s flare for storytelling is exemplified in Chipotle's "The Scarecrow," a film and game experience that swept major advertising awards. Inspired by his most critical audience—his three children—Limbert continues to push the boundaries of immersive experiences and animated storytelling at Flight School Studio.
Julie Ramirez
Senior Designer
A Senior Designer with H-E-B Own Brand Design in San Antonio, Julie’s experience spans brand identity development, publication and packaging across multiple industries. Prior to her current role, she began her career at RBMM in Dallas, where she spent a decade working on high profile brands.
Sean Leonard
Creative Director
As a proud NSSC alum, Sean has spent over 15 years growing brands like Amazon, Hilton Hotels, Mountain Dew, Pepsi, Samsung, and Nike. Outside of work, he enjoys time with family, sports, and creating award-winning campaigns for non-profits combating homelessness and gun violence.
Jessica Molina
Senior Designer
Jessica is a Nicaraguan-American lettering artist and illustrator known for her vibrant and expressive artwork. Often exploring deep themes of self-love, empowerment, and personal growth, her resume boasts work for national and global clients like Target, Snapchat, Sol de Janeiro, CASETiFY, and Toyota.
Judges Panel
Keynotes
Diego Guevara
Keynote:
Global Design Director, Nike Global Sports Apparel
As Global Senior Design Director at Nike, Diego works with athletes and leads teams on product creation, creative strategy, and brand vision. A proud immigrant from Ecuador, Diego serves as Co-Chair of Nike Latino & Friends Network. He also co-founded LatinX Design Crew, a creative community that partners with non-profit organizations and hosts design programs for high school students. Before taking his talents to Nike HQ, Diego worked as a Creative Director for agencies and clients including Sony, Johnson&Johnson, AT&T, Warner Music, Hilton and Marriott Hotels – to name just a few.
Natalie Armendariz
Keynote:
Co-Owner & Sr. Design Director at Funsize
Natalie’s digital design agency, Funsize, helps companies bring meaningful brands and digital products to life. With roots in storytelling and product design, she leads teams and clients through impactful work while shaping the agency’s culture and vision. Before Funsize, she designed some of the first smartphone-era products at FJORD and R/GA for brands like Verizon, Formula 1, AT&T, Citibank, and the NFL. Natalie is known for her thoughtful approach to leadership and commitment to both craft and people.
Collins Agency
Keynote:
Alex Athanasiou & Morgan Light
Hailing from the award-winning COLLINS are Partnerships & Audience Lead Alex Athanasiou and Design Director Morgan Light for an epic joint keynote.
With an editorial approach, Alex curates the conversations, travel and experiences that expand COLLINS’ reach and influence. He brings experience from Droga5 and a background in finance and hospitality development.
Morgan brings a sharp eye for craft, clarity, and cultural relevance to everything she creates—leading work with brands like Apple, NASA, and Target. Her work has earned an Emmy and has been recognized by the AIGA, Fast Company, and It’s Nice That.
Zipeng Zhu
Keynote:
Dazzle Studio
ZIPENG ZHU is a Chinese-born artist, designer, educator, and the founder of the award-winning creative studio DAZZLE in New York City, who wants to make everyday a razzle-dazzle musical. He has collaborated with esteemed brands such as Apple, Adidas, Adobe, Coca-Cola, Instagram, Microsoft, Netflix, The New York Times, The New Yorker Magazine, Oreo, Skittles, MTV, and Samsung. His work has been exhibited all over the world, including New York, Barcelona, Dubai, Mumbai, Shanghai, Beijing, and other major museums and institutions. Now he dedicates his days to running DAZZLE STUDIO and gift shop DAZZLE SUPPLY, his gift shop, to unleash the razzle-dazzle exuberance out to the world and into your home.
ActivitiesActivitiesActivitiesActivitiesActivities
Workshops
We’ll be sharing the full list of workshops shortly. Be sure to check back for updates as the conference date approaches!
Studio Tours
Visiting a working design studio is like peeking into Santa’s workshop. Find out how the magic is made and you’ll never want to leave. With any luck this is where your design career is headed. Join us for tours of some of the best award-winning design agencies in Dallas.
Portfolio Reviews
Good news and bad news. Once you graduate it’s unlikely a design agency will care about your GPA. If you have great work and, almost equally important, you’re willing to work hard and be teachable, you’re hired. Here’s the good news. You don’t have to wait to find out. Hear it first-hand from industry leaders. Tighten up your best work and get ready to show it off. Listen to the feedback and let it fuel your creative fire. You got this!
Round Tables
Picture this: you and a few friends sit down with a seasoned professional in the creative industry. You spend a little time listening to their life and career, then fire away some astute questions. As you marinate in the sage advice you receive, you begin to see yourself 25 years in the future with a long and glorious career of your own. Not a bad way to spend an hour.
Volunteers
Calling all individuals who want to help us put on NSSC 20. If you’d like to volunteer, please visit and fill out our volunteer form and we will contact you about how you can get involved!
Schedule
11:00 am
1 hour
Registration + Loading Buses
12:00 pm
5 hours
Studio Tours Take Off
5:00 pm
30 min
Studio Tour Buses Return
7:30 am
1 hour
Registration
8:30 am
3 hours
Upperclassmen Portfolio Review (3 hrs)
11:45 pm
1 hour
Underclassmen Portfolio Review (1 hr)
12:45 pm
15 min
Break
1:00 pm
1 hour
Round Tables
2:00 pm
15 mins
Break
2:15 pm
30 min
Kick Off Conference
2:45 pm
1 hour
Key Note Speaker
3:45 pm
15 mins
Break
4:00 pm
1 hour
Breakout Sessions 1 - 4
5:00 pm
15 mins
Break
5:15 pm
1 hour
Key Note Speaker
6:15 pm
15 mins
Dismissal or Break Winner Ceremony
6:30 pm
1 hour
Pinning/Award Ceremony
7:30 am
1 hour
Registration
8:30 am
30 min
Kick Off Conference
9:00 am
1 hour
Key Note Speaker
10:00 am
15 min
Break
10:15 am
1 hour
Breakout Sessions 1A - 1D
11:15 am
1.5 hour
Break for Lunch
12:45 pm
1 hour
Workshop 2A Breakout Sessions 2A - 2C
1:45 pm
30 min
Break
2:15 pm
1 hour
Workshop 3A Breakout Session 3A - 3C
3:15 pm
30 min
Break
3:45 pm
1 hour
Emerging Creative Panel
4:45 pm
15 min
Break
5:00 pm
1 hour
Key Note Speaker
6:00 pm
30 min
Dismissal / Closing of Conference
Location
Aloft Hotel Downtown Dallas
1033 Young St, Dallas, TX 75202
Parking
Aloft is offering $8/night parking for guests, with some size restrictions (check with the hotel for large vehicles). There's also a public lot next door for $16/day.
Get Directions
The NSSC is a national creative competition awarding over $20,000 in scholarships and cash prizes. Helping undergraduates become successful creative professionals, The National Student Show & Conference is a professionally judged creative competition and conference built for students and their educators.
Regular Ticket Price: $299. All ticket sales will end April 8 at 11:59pm CST.
Educators with students attending the conference receive a free ticket (must be marked at checkout). NSSC does not offer discounts on bulk orders.
As of this time, keynotes will not be recorded for NSSC20 and therefore would not be available to watch after the event.
