Outcomes over output
Every session must end with something usable on Monday — a script, a template, a decision log from work that actually shipped.
About Formora
The conference for designers who listen first — since 2021.
# Our story
A conference built in the open
Formora started in 2021 when fourteen Austin designers pooled a studio budget and invited the practitioners they quoted most. No bought keynotes, no product pitches in disguise — just honest walkthroughs of research, drafts and decisions.
Five years on, the format holds at a human scale: three days, three tracks, 120 workshops and a portfolio clinic where every attendee can book a senior reviewer.
Founded
2021, Austin, Texas
Community
28,000+ alumni worldwide
What we believe
Three principles shape every talk we accept and every room we book.
Newcomers first
First-timers get a buddy host, every floor is step-free, and our care team keeps the code of conduct visible and enforced.
Stages can't be bought
Partners never purchase talk slots. Lineups are picked blind from open proposals by designers doing the work.
5Editions in Austin
180 +Sessions & Workshops
96 %Would Come Again
31Countries Represented
Meet the hosts
A small year-round crew plus 90 Austin volunteers who keep the espresso hot and the rooms on time.
Nadia Ferreira
Festival Director
Chris Bell
Program Lead
June Park
Operations Manager