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Bonus EventsSqueeze all the juice out of your HOW Design Live experience by adding some extracurricular activities! The options below give you a chance to get to know your fellow attendees, speakers, and San Francisco itself in a whole different way. Each of these events requires an additional fee and has a limited number of spots available. You can opt in during the registration process. See the registration page for details on pricing.
Get an up close and personal look at the San Francisco design scene on a HOW Conference Studio Tour. Each tour will visit 5 studios. You’ll get insider access to a wide range of local studios, from big agencies to small shops, and discover each studio’s unique spin on living the design revolution. You’ll get to see how they work, how they arrange their space and more—but space on the tour is limited, so be sure to sign up early! Extra fee required for both morning and afternoon tours.
Morning Studio Tour:June 23, 8:00 am – Noon
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Built in 1858, Hatch Design’s home base is #27 on San Francisco’s historic register. Exposed brick, wood beams, lots of windows and a roof deck with a view of the city greet this staff of 14 when they arrive for work in the morning—not to mention their own wine company, JAQK Cellars, located in the same building. Hatch Design specializes in brand identity, packaging, collateral, advertising and interactive for a wide range of companies. 
frog’s San Francisco studio is housed in a renovated warehouse in a classic brick and timber building. Their SoMa (South of Market) neighborhood is home to many of the country’s design and tech leaders, including Twitter, Wired magazine and CNET. frog specializes in experience design, industrial design, interactive design and innovation strategy.
Heat, a creative advertising agency that “believes in the power of surprise to solve problems, build brands and turn ordinary customers into raving fans,” works out of an open-concept layout office that features personal touches and is designed to inspire clear thinking. There’s plenty of quirk to be found as well, including a wall showcasing a large mural done by one of our very own creative directors, Duchamp-inspired restroom signs, a colorful stuffed parrot perched above the main room, and a pearl-necklace-adorned sheep’s head in the game room.
The Makeshift Society is a coworking space 
and clubhouse for creative freelancers of all different fields. Members, who number more than 200, use the space to work during the day and attend classes and lectures at night. They’re located in Hayes Valley, a tight-knit neighborhood near the new Jazz Center and other performing arts venues.
MetaDesign’s 25 San Francisco employees work in an airy, open-style loft environment with floor-to-ceiling windows that offer stunning panoramic views of the city skyline and San Francisco Bay. With offices in Asia, Europe and the US, MetaDesign specializes in branding and graphical design and has created paradigm-shifting visual design systems for global brands like Apple, Adobe, Nike, Current.TV, Samsung and Sony.
With 17-foot ceilings and 12-foot-tall windows, Gee + Chung Design’s three employees work in a spacious, light-filled modern Deco building in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. This award-winning multidisciplinary brand communications firm prides itself in the development of successful branding, print, packaging, environmental and interactive programs. 
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he 18-person staff at Hybrid Design rebuilt their Jackson Square office from the ground up, retaining the original historic façade and brick walls from the original 1906 post-San-francisco-earthquake bar, and then reimagining the space as a modern home away from home that acts as a workspace. Hybrid Design specializes in messaging and branding, all of which can encompass everything from traditional logos and 2D print design, to 3D retail and environments, online, web, video, motion and experience design. 
The flagship San Francisco office of Landor Associates is housed in a converted brick warehouse space that previously housed glass manufacturing or storage. The historic Northeastern Waterfront District is also home to flagship offices for Levi’s and Williams Sonoma as well as several other creative agencies. 
hilippeBecker’s 30 employees practice strategic brand development with a focus on packaging design. Their open-air studio features plenty of natural light and is located in a well-heeled corner of the sprawling SoMa neighborhood peppered with museums, independent bookstores, art galleries and clubs. 
