I started looking into using zotl as an event space mostly because of money to be honest. While I had been there a few times and liked the space, I knew that it could be difficult to fit the space to my requirements. They were: creating open and chaotic sitting arrangements, to not make it feel like a class, having space for a projector, being adaptable to the amount of people (since it was hard to estimate how many would come), and all in all creating an atmosphere that felt friendly, while still productive.
I started talking to Luise and visiting the space after she agreed to house the event which she was equally excited about as me, herself being a graphic designer (BA from FH), and noticing how there are less and less events being organized by independent people for no monetary gain. The fee for using the space was 50€ per day, while at first I was planning to do multiple sessions of the event, I have to honestly say it was so much work and stress, and I don’t think I will do another one because of those reasons.
The most important part of the event though was 1. the people and 2. the projects.
I sourced inspiration from two existing events. One of them is Lolas Club in Lisbon, which I already analysed in the first semester. It is a coworking event with no joined projects, but for everyone to work on things they have been procrastinating. But it made sense to compare as it was also organized by individuals, not a company, it brought designers together and it was trying to solve some of the same issues I had of creating a space where creativity and ideas can be shared, but at the same time making it possible to concentrate and work on things without distractions. The second one is Design Chef by Elliotisacoolguy, a graphic designer from Australia. He hosts this event on his twitch channel, and the way it works is that he proposes one design prompt that every participant works on while being able to share ideas and questions and progress in the chat. In the end, who is willing can present their work and a “winner” for the challenge is chosen. I really liked this idea of a creative prompt as a way to encourage people to share ideas and learn from each other so that is something I wanted to incorporate.
