In mid January I attended the SEED Conference in Chicago hosted by Jason Fried, Carlos Segura and Jim Coudal  from 37Signals, Segura, Inc., and Coudal Partners respectfully. Apart from the chilling weather it was well worth the long airport delays and sticker price. About 4 years ago I attended one of the first Building Basecamp seminars held at the offices shared by Coudal and Fried. What I liked about that event was it’s small size. SEED felt a little like an expo where the people you want to speak to are always just a little too pressed for time and speakers are mobbed after each session. It would be fun for these guys to host a smaller, and maybe premium priced, session where one-on-one opportunities are possible. Overall it was a good opportuity to be reminded of the things that separate good design from bad.

If you are considering going make time to check out the amazing IIT campus designed by Mies van der Rohe and Rem Koolhaus. These photos of the campus and conference taken by Sandy Weisz provide a glance at the architecture and space.