TALKS & PODS

“Jessica generously volunteered her time and expertise in offering a 90 minute workshop for members of AIGA, a non-profit organization and the largest professional association for design in the United States.

The workshop had just over 100 participants and included designers ranging from recent graduates to more experienced professionals. Jessica offered tips and tactics for more effective writing for professional design portfolios, and offered specific feedback to participants’ work.

She fostered a great learning environment by offering feedback in a patient and positive way.”

“Jessica hosted a Design Your Portfolio Language with Design Buddies, a fast-growing design community.

Her presentation was very organized and had content that both beginners and experienced individuals could take away from. She also walked us through examples of different portfolios while relating it back to the content in her presentation which was helpful for understanding.

We had over 120 attendees and members of the community attend and overall they had a great time! I’d recommend Jessica’s workshop to other organizations!”

“BRIDGEGOOD, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit design studio that prepares student Creatives of color for tech careers had the pleasure to work with Jessica Gardner.

Jessica gave a thoughtful presentation to BRIDGEGOOD Creatives titled Design your Portfolio Language.

Our students were excited and engaged throughout the presentation and asked Jessica many meaningful questions. Without a doubt, the lesson helped students amplify their writing skills.”

“During the presentation, I was struck by Jessica’s ability to both inspire an audience and convey such accurate and important information. She made every point that I’ve heard from employers when they are viewing portfolios.

They want to get to know the person. They want to understand how you think and solve problems. Today’s designers need more than just a cold, ‘here are the facts’ presentation of ‘beauty’ shots. Designers have to tell a story about their ideas and methods.

Students were inspired and engaged. She’s already made a difference in how they approach their work.”

“We worked with Jess to set up a workshop for the Women Talk Design community.

She was communicative throughout the process, organized, and very open to feedback which is so important to us when working with instructors.

The SAUCE framework is a practical way to think about bringing story into any presentation, which is a valuable skill for any creative!”

“We had Jessica over a fireside chat to share her expertise with Switch, a tight knit community of folks looking to move into UX Design/Tech from diverse background. 

Jessica did an amazing job of articulating storytelling first principles and how they could be applied to rethinking your portfolio. She had very practical advice with frameworks that job seekers could use to improve their communication skills from the get go. 

She also gave examples of how people could reframe their past non-design experience as an advantage. The energy in the room was palpable! Jessica’s advice left the audience excited and empowered.”

“Jess’s workshop, The Secret Sauce, was an engaging and active experience.

She kept the LTUX members continuously involved throughout the workshop, and her expertise and energetic delivery kept the workshop intriguing.

Her knowledge of storytelling was apparent in how she hosted the workshop itself, and I feel fortunate that the LTUX SF and LTUX LA were able to experience her compelling art of storytelling. She is a true gem!”

“Jessica offered tips and tactics for more effective writing for professional design portfolios, and offered specific feedback to participants’ work. She fostered a great learning environment by offering feedback in a patient and positive way.”

“Jessica walked us through examples of different portfolios while relating it back to the content in her presentation. We had over 120 attendees and they had a great time! I’d recommend Jessica’s workshop to other organizations!”

“Jessica gave a thoughtful presentation titled Design your Portfolio Language. Our students were excited and engaged throughout the presentation and asked Jessica many meaningful questions. Without a doubt, it amplified their writing skills.”

“I was struck by Jessica’s ability to both inspire an audience and convey such accurate and important information. She made every point that I’ve heard from employers when they are viewing portfolios. She’s already made a difference in how they approach their work.”

“Jess was communicative throughout the process, organized, and very open to feedback. The SAUCE framework is a practical way to think about bringing story into any presentation, which is a valuable skill for any creative!”

“Jessica did an amazing job of articulating storytelling first principles and how they could be applied to rethinking your portfolio. The energy in the room was palpable! Jessica’s advice left the audience excited and empowered.”

“Jess’s workshop, The Secret Sauce, was an engaging and active experience. Her knowledge of storytelling was apparent in how she hosted the workshop itself, and I feel fortunate that the LTUX SF and LTUX LA were able to experience her compelling art of storytelling. She is a true gem!”

“Jess hosted a discussion on crafting a great ‘tell me about yourself’ and effective storytelling during job interviews. She provided valuable frameworks and actionable advice for improving storytelling and interview techniques, leaving everyone feeling inspired and more confident.”