Mark Boulton

Mark Boulton Design shuts up shop for a week next week as I’ll be tak­ing my third trip over to Aus­tin to enjoy South by South­w­est Inter­act­ive.

Like Jeremy, it will be my third time at the con­fer­ence and if the last two were any­thing to go by, this will be big­ger and bet­ter. Talk­ing of Jeremy, he’s put together his superb little guide to all the parties. If you’re going, that is well worth look­ing at.

So, what’s on the cards this year? 

The first time I went to SXSW, in 2004, I didn’t know a soul (apart from Andrew of course; my col­league from the BBC). Then, last year, I met an incred­ible amount of great folk whom I really look­ing for­ward to see­ing again. 

Talk­ing of parties, I have to plug the The Great Brit­ish Booze-up. Organ­ised by those nice chaps at Clear­left, @media Amer­ica and Boag­world. It’ll be well worth com­ing along.

The bowl­ing is hap­pen­ing again. Last year I was on a team, but haven’t put my name down this year. What’s the point? Did you see the Pixel­worthy, now Happy Cog, team? What chance does a Brit, no, a North­ern Brit, have against that? Now, if Rugby Union or Crown Green Bowls was your game, then I’d be all up for it. 

I’ll be giv­ing two present­a­tions this year. One, on typo­graphy, with Rich, and the other one with Khoi on Grids. I’m pretty nervous about both of them, which is kind of nor­mal I guess, but still, if you see me look­ing slightly ill, or wan­der­ing around a glazed expres­sion, it’s not the local beverage.

Of course, as on the last two occa­sions, I will be mak­ing a visit to the local Apple Store. The strength of the pound is just too tempt­ing to res­ist. As my iPod is knock­ing on three years old know and the bat­tery has pretty much has it, I think I may be shelling out on an upgrade. Might just get a red Nano for the mis­sus too.