The University of Minnesota’s College of Design flipped the script with its Design is Blind networking event on Friday. Design firms present themselves to students instead of the other way around, helping to alleviate the stress of what may be considered a usual networking event.

 Jordan Hedlund, a member of the Design Student and Alumni Board, said the atypical networking fashion was meant to be helpful.

The event was inspired by the Netflix original series “Love is Blind,” a reality show where contestants search for love without seeing each other, Hedlund said. The event took inspiration from this idea.

Hetlund said without revealing the name of their firm, 11 design firms presented a single image related to their firm while speaking about their work. After a round of questions, the firm is revealed.

As a relatively recent University alumnus who graduated with a bachelor’s in 2016 and a master’s in 2021, Hedlund said he remembers how difficult it was to navigate the design industry at even a local level.

Both Hedlund and fellow board member Norman Palacious planned Design is Blind as a way to help students understand the industry without having to do the extra work of putting together a portfolio and resume.

“We wanted to try and expedite that and bring the firms to the students,” Hedlund said. “So that if the students show up, they can basically be there in a social situation with firms.”

After the presentations, students got the chance to network with their peers and the presenting firms. With a large array of firms attending, students had the chance to meet with both larger national and local firms.

Hedlund said the idea of the event was to make it easier for students to find a job and make connections for internships as well as jobs after graduation.

Michael Stoll, an undergraduate member of the Student and Alumni Board, helped to plan the event and emceed the presentation portion.

Stoll joined the board last spring to fill extracurriculars. The main goal of the group is to make sure students get connected with firms and find a job when they graduate.

When the idea for Design is Blind was presented at a brainstorming session for the Student and Alumni Board, Stoll thought it could be an interesting way to network. The idea snowballed from there, he said.

“I think both the students and the firms quite enjoyed it,” Stoll said. “I think they gave some really good networking opportunities, especially afterward, once the main part of the event was over.”