VizConf was started in 2018 by Matthew Magain (Sketch Group) and Marcel Van Hove (Visual Friends). Inspired by international conferences that Marcel and Matt had attended, they successfully brought together Australia’s visual thinking community for the first time. VizConf 2018, with the theme Think Global, Draw Local, attracted over 90 attendees and two top-notch keynote speakers in Melbourne, pioneer Jessamy Gee and US-based top-selling author Sunni Brown. Building on this success, 2019 brought the community together once more with a rousing opening keynote from Sarah Firth, the launch of GRA and a closing keynote from lettering legend Heather Martinez. 

In 2021, Matt and Marcel donated the conference – the name, brand, and concept – to the GRA, so it could live on in the capable hands of a rotating committee of dedicated volunteers and continue to build on the success of those first couple of years.

After the break of the pandemic, VizConf was back as a highlight in the calendar for 2023 with a few tweaks to the program, allowing us all a chance to learn, share and explore our practice at a deeper level. Shifting from a mainly open-space program of the early years, to a carefully designed program that included panel conversations, professional development and skill-based breakout groups and multiple keynotes from local legends and inspiring international practitioners on topics including creative capacity building and AI impacts to the creative space and welcomed the brilliant team from Idea Ink, all the way from Singapore, to the stage.

2024 continued to build on the now-established VizConf magic of connecting as a community, offering learning opportunities and knowledge sharing with a new venue in the historic Kensington Town Hall. Opening with a keynote from the incredibly talented Bill Hope, followed by a panel conversation about wellbeing and closing with insight sharing from the KPMG ARTiculators - it was a day of uplifting and inspiring together. Breakout chat groups on accessible design, running a business, and a Pro-Create tips and tricks session enhanced opportunities for learning together. 

Closing VizConf 2024 with a vote - the new format of morning workshops and afternoon conferences was almost unanimously agreed upon as the best format for future conferences as well as agreeing as a majority that the next one should be moved ahead to summer 2026… which brings us to now… the team planning and organising to make VizConf 2026 (or should we say VizConf-a-polooza!) the best it could possible be!