Under Consideration's First Round Conference returns to New York, with Talia Cotton as a speaker.

Talia Cotton joins First Round as an upcoming speaker, sharing a rare look into how experimental design ideas are first introduced to clients.

At First Round, speakers present the original PDF, Keynote, or deck they used the very first time a client encountered a set of design explorations. Talia’s talk will walk through one such presentation, examining how designers can communicate intention, authorship, and strategy when working with systems shaped by computation, generative tools, and emerging technologies.

Drawing from recent projects that blend brand strategy, generative systems, and social storytelling, Talia will explore how designers frame unfamiliar processes, guide conversations around unpredictability, and build trust at the earliest—and often most fragile—stage of a project. Her presentation offers insight into how complex ideas are structured, narrated, and defended before outcomes are fully defined.

Through this first-round lens, the talk highlights presentation as a critical design tool in itself—revealing how clarity, framing, and conviction can shape whether ambitious work moves forward. Additional details, including date and registration, will be announced soon.