Future of NYC Design Conference

​One day. Every frequency. Design × AI × Culture. 🎨◆🤖

​Presented by 241 Members, Vibescape, Visionbrew Interactive, Black Style Matters, and Sanders Studios, Future of NYC Design is an official NYCxDESIGN 2026 and NYC AI Week event bringing together 300+ designers, artists, founders, technologists, students, and cultural builders for one full day at Sanders Studios in Brooklyn. This is not a corporate conference. It is a community-curated gathering at the edge of what design can be in an AI-native world. Doors at 12 PM. Evening reception runs until 8 PM.

​📍 THE VENUE

​We're taking over Sanders Studios, a premium production venue at 525 Waverly Ave in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. The space runs on two registers all day:

​Main Stage: Keynotes, panels, lightning talks, live portfolio reviews, and the Design Awards ceremony — all on the main stage with a full AV rig.

​Hackathon Zone: Tables at the back of the room host the 3-hour Design × Dev Hackathon running through the afternoon. Teams build AI-powered creative tools while stage programming runs simultaneously.

​Vibes Installation: Vibescape's audio-reactive visual platform runs as an ambient installation throughout the day, transforming the venue in real time with music-driven generative visuals.

​Evening Floor: The stage becomes a DJ floor for the closing reception, co-hosted by 241 Members.

​🎤 THE LINEUP

​Industry leaders from Google, IBM, PayPal, Cisco, Duolingo, FIT, AIGA, and NYC's leading creative studios.

​Opening Keynote: Christie Shin (Professor, FIT · Design Director, Cynda Media Lab) + C.J. Yeh (Creative Director, Cynda Media Lab) — Empowering the Next Generation of Creative Heroes: The Rise of Creative Intelligence in the Age of AI

​Panel — The Future of Design Careers in NYC: Siddiq Nasar (Creative Director, IBM — leading design & motion for IBM's AI code assistant), Shandy Tsai (Design Lead, Duolingo · Founder, Asian Creative Foundation), Dotun Abeshinbioke (Founder & Creative Director, Abike Studio with past clients like Spotify, NBPA, Instagram, and Dove). Moderated by Yiting Liu.

​Lightning Talks: Soo Yun Kim (Principal Designer, Cisco), Lee-Sean Huang (Director of Operations, AIGA NY), Mustafa Bağdatlı (AI Consultant, ex-Google), Michelle Chiu (Thrivent, ex-PayPal).

​Community Roundtable — Who Gets to Build?: Chelsea Acheampong (COO, Her Rising) moderates — with AIGA NY, Her Rising, and Asian Creative Foundation.

​Closing Keynote: Speaker to be announced.

​Hosted throughout by Yiting Liu — Founder, Vibescape & Event Producer, 241 Members.

​🧠 PROGRAMMING & ACTIVATIONS

​Design × Dev Hackathon (3:00 – 6:00 PM): Three-hour sprint. Designers and developers team up to build AI-powered creative tools, prototypes, or experiences. Free with ticket. Teams register on Devpost. Pitches happen live at the Design Awards.

​Live Portfolio Review (3:00 PM, 60 min): On stage — Brand/Visual Design + Product/UI/UX tracks. Led by Christie Shin and C.J. Yeh. Open Q&A.

​Design Sprint: A structured design sprint to collaborate in small groups and leave with something you actually made together.

​Social Design Activations: Board game–inspired activations during arrival and lunch turn networking into genuine play. No awkward small talk.

​Vibes Audio-Reactive Installation: Running all day throughout the venue.

​🏆 FUTURE OF NYC DESIGN AWARDS

​A live pitch ceremony on the main stage. Companies, studios, emerging designers, and hackathon teams pitch their work to a panel of industry judges.

​Seven categories: product design, AI integration, branding, interactive experiences, emerging studios, social impact, and hackathon. Judged on innovation, craft, impact, and relevance to NYC's design ecosystem. Audience live voting.

​Judging Panel: Craig Spaeth (Artsy / Puzzmo), Jessica Moon (AIGA / FIT), Christine Keeley (Creative Director, Global Luxury & Fashion Brands), Christie Shin + C.J. Yeh (FIT, Cynda Media Lab), Soo Yun Kim (Cisco).

​Awards submissions close May 10. Apply to pitch: futureofnycdesign.com/awards.html

​🎟️ TICKETS

​Student / Emerging — $50: Full day access. Bring your student ID. All afternoon programming, panels, and evening reception included.

​General Admission — $120: Full day including panels, demos, afternoon programming, hackathon, design sprint, social activations, and evening closing reception.

​Supporter — $200: Everything in GA, plus your ticket subsidizes access for emerging designers. Community-forward. Limited quantity.

​Livestream — $40: Watch the full day live from anywhere. All three programming blocks — panels, demos, talks — streamed across the day with live chat for Q&A. In-person extras (closing reception, hackathon, design sprint, social activations, portfolio reviews) are not included. Stream link emailed after purchase.

​Student discount codes available through partner orgs (Asian Creative Foundation, FIT, Parsons, SVA + NYC design schools).

​⏱️ THE SCHEDULE

​12:00 PM: Doors / Registration / Social Design Activations

​12:30 PM: Welcome + Opening Keynote — Christie Shin & C.J. Yeh

​1:15 PM: Break + Sponsor Showcase

​2:00 PM: Panel — The Future of Design Careers in NYC (Siddiq Nasar, Lucas Rizzotto, Shandy Tsai)

​3:00 PM: Design × Dev Hackathon begins (runs to 6 PM) + Live Portfolio Review on stage

​4:15 PM: Lightning Talks — Cisco, AIGA, Google, PayPal

​5:10 PM: Community Roundtable — Who Gets to Build?

​6:00 PM: Hackathon ends · Teams prep pitches · Room resets for Awards

​6:15 PM: Future of NYC Design Awards Ceremony

​6:50 PM: Closing Keynote

​7:05 PM: Award Ceremony + Final Send-Off (MC: Chelsea Acheampong, Her Rising)

​7:15 PM – 8:00 PM: Evening Closing Reception — DJ set, live artists, Vibes audio-reactive visuals, co-hosted by 241 Members

​🚇 LOCATION & GETTING THERE

​Sanders Studios · 525 Waverly Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238 (Clinton Hill)

​Subway: G train to Clinton–Washington Aves (~6 min walk). C train to Clinton–Washington Aves (~10 min walk).

​Bus: B62 and B65 serve the immediate area.

​Cycling: Citi Bike docks nearby. Bike parking at the venue.

​Car: Street parking available in Clinton Hill; commercial lots within a ~10 min walk.

​🤝 COLLABORATION & CONTACT

​For sponsorships, press, speaker submissions, or partnership ideas:

​Yiting Liu — Founder, Vibescape & Event Producer, 241 Members

​Dominic Smith - Founder, 241 Members, Founder of Visionbrew Interactive

​Email: [email protected] · [email protected]

​Website: www.futureofnycdesign.com

​Awards submissions: futureofnycdesign.com/awards.html (close May 10, rolling review)

​Vendor applications: futureofnycdesign.com/vendor-apply.html

​Presented by 241 Members · Vibescape · Visionbrew Interactive · Black Style Matters · Sanders Studios

​Official event of NYCxDESIGN 2026 + NYC AI Week

​#FutureOfNYCDesign · #NYCxDESIGN · #AIWeekNY

​One Day. Every Frequency.

​This event is part of #AIWeekNY by Pulse NYC — a community-led festival celebrating innovation across the AI ecosystem. More at https://pulse.nyc/ai-week/