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: yiting@241membership.com · info@241membership.com
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/