Last night and a couple of designers from Sky Creative and I went to ‘A Digital Barbecue’ – a networking event run by Glug, a London based after work drink for designers, creatives, clients and friends run by Ian Hambleton of Studio Output and Nick Clement of Made Studio.

The event was held at Cargo in Shoreditch – a brilliant venue, which will be housing all the events over summer, complete with outside bbq area, a number of bars but also a huge space with a stage (usually for the bands) where the talks the can be held.

The evening saw a variety of designers present and discuss their work. There was a nice variation of speakers, from socially conscious designers Utile & Beau to gaming motion graphics from Maverick Media. Although there was also a noticeable variation in speaking styles (or skills) which the crowd also seemed to pick up on. But it’s unfair to criticise any of the speakers – as it must be difficult presenting to an audience with such diverse interests – trying to keep everyones attention, while there’s plenty of drinking and introductions taking place. Also, I believe the of the charm of these events is their informal and relaxed atmosphere, surely a couple of slightly drawn out explanations in a talk is better than a series of over planned bulleted Powerpoint presentations, right?

The complete list of speakers were as follows:
- Marcus Wendt and Vera-Maria Glahn from the graphic design studio Field.
- Liz Birkbeck and Claire Martin community members Patternity of Mill Co.
- Mickey Stretton, from Utile & Beau, a specialist in communicating sustainability and social-responsibility in progressive and innovative ways.
- Marc Kremers, digital art director and Digital Club agency founder.
- Moving Brands, the holistic multi-sensorial brand experience gurus (who also by the way have a great blog).
- And video game loving creative services agency Maverick Media.

Source: Photograph by Paul Bence

Photographer Paul Bence was capturing the crowd, and for a small donation (for a charity) you had the opportunity for have him take your photo (which he will also send you) and perhaps find fame being immortalized in his Street Portraits project.

Highlights of the evening were guest speakers Maverick Media, who showed us their at their latest project – a trailer for Electronic Arts’s new game Crysis 2.

Another highlight for me was the presence of independent magazine distributor Stack. Stack offer a unique service where you sign up and they deliver you one of a the best independent English language magazines from around the world – but the beauty of it is that every Stack delivery is a surprise – you never know what you’re going to get next – just that it will most likely be something you probably wouldn’t found yourself. This is a fantastic idea, especially as most of us are really tired of the same well known design magazines, whose content and feature designers seem to frequently repeat.

If your in the interactive/digital/design industry these events are not to be missed – there is always an exciting eclectic mix of people from all design disciplines and its rare to see such a variety of leading designers showcasing their work and then have the opportunity to meet them afterwards.

For more information about Glug Networking events visit:
http://www.gluglondon.co.uk