Speaker Introduction – Chiara Aliotta

Speaker Introduction – Chiara Aliotta

Some people walk into a room and the room changes a little. Chiara Aliotta is one of them. I met her at a couple of events over the years and every time I walked away smiling, with the feeling that I had just talked to someone who truly loves what she does. Therefore I am very happy to say that Chiara is our next speaker to be revealed for Düsseldorf 2027.

Usually and if possible, I want to meet a person before I invite them to speak. With Chiara that happened at a few events in the past and so i Knew her character and what I’d get, when inviting her for 2027. Vivid, warm, full of positive energy and with a story for everything.

Chiara Aliotta on a dark stage, leaning towards a large flip chart and drawing on it with a black marker. She wears a striped blouse with an embroidered collar, mustard-yellow trousers and red lipstick. The flip chart is covered in hand-drawn illustrations and speech bubbles. Behind her stands a lectern with a laptop, a water bottle, a coffee cup and a small bouquet of flowers.

Who is Chiara

Chiara is an Italian brand designer and UX strategist and the founder of Until Sunday, the studio she started in 2012. She grew up in a small town in Sicily, studied design at the Politecnico di Milano on a scholarship, working shifts in fast food restaurants to pay her way and spent years in agencies before going her own way. Since then she has shaped brands and digital products for tech startups, open source communities like Joomla and Mautic and global organisations. She also designed Vitaly Friedman’s Web Adventures website. You may have seen her on stage at SmashingConf in New York and Antwerp, at Fronteers or at the Awwwards Conference. Today she runs her studio from the island of Syros in Greece, where she lives with her husband and her cat.

Why Chiara is Taking The beyond tellerrand Stage

Her story starts with her grandmother Lina, a seamstress who could barely write, but turned plain fabric into dresses that made people leave the room a little taller. Lina told her there is nothing more beautiful than a person changed for the better because of your work. That is what Chiara decided design should do. She still thinks of a brand like a dress: it must not try to fit everyone, it has to fit the right people.

And then there is Creative Exchange. In her studio in Hermoupolis she invites one guest at a time to share the story behind their work. A room for around thirty people, free for speakers and attendees, with the bar next door open for the conversations afterwards. Honest stories, a small room, people who stay. I think, I don’t need to tell you why that made me smile. ;)

I am happy she in onboard and say: hello Chiara!

beyond tellerrand Düsseldorf 2027 takes place on 19 and 20 April.

Get your ticket