Before there was the tech boom in Seattle, before there was Microsoft, Amazon, innovators and creators like UPS, Cinnabon, or REI, even before Seattle fully caffeinated the globe – the driving technology of the Puget Sound was aviation.
Beginning with that first flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903 – the Puget Sound would step into the era of flight just over seven years later. It was the tech conference of its time – the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in 1909 where William Boeing became fascinated with the idea of ‘vehicles that could sail the sky’1 and later buys the Heath Shipyard on the Duwamish River that became his first airplane factory in 1910. Incorporated in 1916 – the Boeing Company now has over one hundred years of innovation in flight worldwide.
So it was a natural choice to make this year’s WordCamp a salute to the technology contribution of expanding aviation as we wanted to encourage Seattle WordCamp attendees to ‘level up’ their WordPress skills and apply those skills to strengthen the WordPress community.
When we began the process to brand the 2017 Seattle WordCamp – we wanted to add a Wapuu to our marketing this year and team member Lisa Stewart raised her hand and gave us not just one – but two Wapuus for this year’s WordCamp.
StickerGiant, one of our great sponsors for WordCamp, just featured our Wapuu Sticker sheet on their blog. Don’t forget to pick yours up this weekend!
Lisa is the award-winning creator and owner of BYO Small Business and has been using WordPress since 2009. She has over 30 years of experience as a creative entrepreneur helping Fortune 100 companies to small businesses with their brand, design, and websites.
We had the chance to ask Lisa about the design process and designing our two aviators for WordCamp.
Why did you volunteer to design not one, but two aviator Wapuus?
“Ha! This is a bit embarrassing. Because our theme is aviation, I wanted to create a pilot Wapuu. My first thought was a friendly pilot, so I designed a leather jacket for the Japanese monster. As I added other accents to him (much like a paper doll) I realized something was amiss. Rut-roh. I was mixing my metaphors. It was then I realized that I needed to separate the components to produce two Wapuus.”
What did you enjoy about the Wapuu design process?
“I love being able to realize new ideas through research and design. When I learned about the global existence of Wapuu, I checked to see if Seattle had a Wapuu. We didn’t. So, I decided we must have a Wapuu to up level our visual components for the community. Researching aviators with Carla was too much fun. Adding accessories to round out their charming little personalities made me giddy. Also, getting to know the history of Seattle’s aviation was inspiring. I wanted to make sure that I combined all of those characteristics to form a kickass Wapuu.”
What was your inspiration?
“Wapuu of course, and our aviation theme. Initially, the barnstorming aviator was top of mind as I designed the Wapuu(s), because they’re daredevils. I love the personality and showmanship of barnstormers, even though their time was brief. Next, Carla and I researched the commercial pilots and extolled their attributes for the second Wapuu. He’s just as adorable. I now think of them as brothers and our Commercial Aviator Wapuu is ostensibly the more responsible brother to Barnstorming Wapuu. But, I’ll let you decide.”
Tell me about your contribution to the Seattle WordPress Community as well as WordCamp this year?
“I was asked to create the new logo and design the Web site for 2017 Seattle WordCamp. The logo was designed in Adobe Illustrator and the Web site was redlined in Sketch. I didn’t realize how much of an overkill that was until Teri rescued the WordPress development. Thank you, Teri! I also participate in organizer meetings to identify other ways I could provide support to leads. For example, crafting image templates for content generation that includes blog headings and Instagram posts. As more projects are created, the more the team gets excited and asks me to contribute to help drive the energy of the event. I very much enjoyed working with Carla and getting to know her as a colleague and a friend. It’s delightful to be of service where I can.”
What do you hope people take away from the Seattle WordCamp this year?
“I hope people realize that they’re not alone and they can always get help -no matter what level of experience or skill set. The WordCamp conference helps bring the people together so that we can connect with our virtual friends IRL. Emojis are great until they’re not. The chance to watch the reaction on our new friend’s face after a punch line or their empathy as they help us work out a daunting task is priceless. Being new to the area, I love being involved in the Seattle WordPress community. “
What was the best part of this for you as a designer and developer?
“Being asked to contribute (HINT: Introverts need an invitation) is number one on the list. When the committee realizes my passion for design and helping out, we sit down together and plan supporting materials to give the attendees a better experience. I hope we accomplished that.”
Lisa will be part of the panel on Sunday, November 5 Getting Picture Perfect Images Without Violating The Law at 1pm in Room 1 and around all weekend. Be sure to say ‘hi’.
