Sessions of 2026 Connection Conference: Patience Walton
Walton, Patience
Creative Director
Patience Walton is a visionary Creative Director, Graphic Designer, and Instructional Designer with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of visual communication and learning science. Holding a BS in Graphic Design and an MS in Instructional Design and Technology, she brings both formal expertise and practical mastery to her work. As an Adobe Community Expert, she has pioneered the "Design for Minds" framework—a groundbreaking methodology that bridges graphic design and instructional design through neuroscience principles, creating visually compelling experiences that enhance learning and retention. With extensive corporate experience including work with American Express, Patience brings strategic visual thinking to every project. As founder of Premier Design Haus, a design consultancy, she crafts brand identities and communication strategies that resonate deeply with audiences while driving measurable results. Patience's unique expertise in instructional design sets her apart in the creative field. She doesn't just make content look beautiful—she designs it to work with how the brain processes and retains information. This approach has informed her curriculum development for Cultured Experiences, a nonprofit she leads as Executive Director, where she's created comprehensive community programs focused on youth empowerment, financial literacy, and educational initiatives.
Sessions:
[5801] Fi$cal Savvy: Spending Smart – A Financial Literacy Demo for High School Students
| Date | From | To |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Westin La Paloma
- Business and Marketing Education
- Interdisciplinary
Money doesn’t come with a manual—but it should. In this live demo of Fi$cal Savvy’s Spending Module, attendees will get an inside look at one of Cultured Experiences’ signature financial literacy lessons designed specifically for high school students. Fi$cal Savvy is a comprehensive, student-centered financial literacy curriculum made up of six modules, each designed to build practical money skills teens can use now and into adulthood. In this session, we’ll be demoing Module: Spending—walking through a condensed version of the 90-minute workshop experience so attendees can see firsthand how the content comes to life in the classroom.
[5732] Design for Minds: Elevating Design with Neuroscience and Learning
| Date | From | To |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Westin La Paloma
- Communications Media Technologies
- Interdisciplinary
This workshop introduces designers to the neuroscience behind effective visual communication. Participants will learn how the brain processes visual information and how to apply these insights to graphic design decisions. The session covers visual hierarchy, typography, color theory, and layout techniques through a science-informed lens that makes design more intentional and impactful.
[5731] Design for Minds: Weaving Instructional Design into Creative Work
| Date | From | To |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Westin La Paloma
- Communications Media Technologies
- Interdisciplinary
This workshop teaches creative professionals how to integrate instructional design principles into their visual work. Participants will explore cognitive load theory, learning psychology, and how design choices impact comprehension and retention. The session provides practical frameworks for creating work that is both visually compelling and functionally effective for teaching and communication.
