For political reasons, I’m unwilling to speak in Israel or the United States.
The first talk topic is ‘The designer’s scrapbook: Rethinking AI as a creative tool.’ It introduces people to using AI as a reference rather than a replacement in the creative process.
AI doesn’t have to replace creativity—it can help us see differently. In this talk, pioneering web designer Andy Clarke shares how he uses AI as a designer’s scrapbook: a place to gather references, spark ideas, and explore directions early in the creative process. Rather than asking AI to produce finished artwork, Andy uses it for visual research—the same way he once searched online, thumbed through reference books, or filled his notebooks with scraps and sketches. Through examples from his client work and personal projects, Andy shows how AI can expand, not diminish, our creative practice. The point isn’t automation—it’s imagination. When we treat AI as a reference rather than a replacement, it broadens what’s possible and helps us reach new ideas faster.
The second talk is ‘Web design inspiration from retro wresting’ It demonstrates how to use bold typography, confident colour choices, and modular grids with a clear sense of hierarchy.
It’s something of a cliché that a generation of British kids grew up with an aunt or grandmother who’d be glued to the television set every Saturday watching teatime wrestling. But it’s also easy to underestimate just how popular British wrestling was in the 1970s and ’80s and how long before the popularity of American wrestling, the sport made household names of Dynamite Kid, Kendo Nagasaki, Mick McManus, Giant Haystacks, and “the people’s favorite” Big Daddy. The spirit of retro wrestling posters isn’t trapped in the past. It’s alive and well when we use bold typography, confident color choices, and modular grids with a clear sense of hierarchy. Web design pioneer Andy Clarke steps into the ring to give us the lowdown.
I’m not backed by a large company, so I charge a fee to speak at larger industry conferences. That fee varies according to the ticket price. I charge a £1,000 non-refundable booking fee, and expect to be paid the balance within 30 days of an event. I waive fees for community or (nearly) free conferences but still require accommodation and transportation costs to be covered by an event.
I ask organisers to arrange and pay for accommodation one night before, during, and one night after an event, Economy class return airfare if the flight time is less than 5 hours, premium economy or business class if it’s over 5 hours. Reasonable transportation costs, including taxi fares or first class train travel to and from an airport. Hotel wifi and internet access. Although it’s always nice to receive a gift, I’d prefer you donate an equivalent amount of money to Hope not hate.
I prefer a lavaliere/lapel or countryman/headset to a handheld microphone. I’ll let you and your technical team know well in advance if a presentation includes audio and will test the connection and volume at the technical check before the talk.
Presenting from my own laptop helps ensure there’s less time spent, are fewer issues, setting up for the talk. My MacBook Pro supports Thunderbolt 4 and I provide my own presentation remote. I don’t provide slides for use on any other computer.
I realise that lecterns are convenient for hiding messy cables and putting conference branding on-stage, but they sometimes get in the way of delivering a great presentation. The best lecterns have low sides for reading notes at any angle. If they can be rotated slightly, they allow speakers to see their laptop screen without standing behind the lectern.
“Our next/keynote speaker is Andy Clarke. Andy’s a pioneering website designer, speaker, and writer who’s based in Cymru/Wales.”
“Andy founded Stuff & Nonsense, one of the best-known web design studios, where he’s designed for Disney Store UK, Greenpeace, SunLife, and WWF.”
“Andy’s written several popular books on website design and development including Hardboiled Web Design, Transcending CSS, and his latest book, ‘Art Direction for the Web.’”
“Andy’s been called plenty of things since he started working on the web. His ego likes terms such as “Ambassador for CSS,” “industry prophet,” and “inspiring,” but he’s most proud that Jeffrey Zeldman once called him a “triple-talented bastard.””
Andy Clarke is a pioneering website designer, speaker, and writer, based in Cymru/Wales. Andy founded Stuff & Nonsense, one of the best-known digital design studios, where he designed for Disney Store UK, Greenpeace, SunLife, and WWF. He’s written popular books on website design and development including ‘Art Direction for the Web<,’ ‘Hardboiled Web Design,’ and ‘Transcending CSS.’
Andy’s been called plenty of things since he started working on the web. His ego likes terms such as “Ambassador for CSS,” “industry prophet” and “inspiring,” but he’s most proud that Jeffrey Zeldman (the godfather of web standards) once called him a “triple-talented bastard.”