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Future Of NYC Design Conference
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| With Craig Spaeth (Artsy / Puzzmo), Jessica Moon (AIGA / FIT), Christine Keeley (Creative Dir., Global Luxury & Fashion Brands), Andrew Rutledge (View Source), Christie Shin & CJ Yeh (Cynda Media Lab), Soo Yun Kim (Cisco). |
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May 16 (Saturday) @ 12:00 PM
$120
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One day. Every frequency. Design AI Culture.
Presented by 241 Members, Vibescape, Visionbrew Interactive, Black Style Matters, & Sanders Studios, Future of NYC Design is an official NYCxDESIGN 2026 & NYC AI Week event bringing together 300+ designers, artists, founders, technologists, students, & 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, & 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, & 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), Lucas Rizzotto (Award-Winning Inventor, Storyteller & Creative Technologist), Shandy Tsai (Design Lead, Duolingo Founder, Asian Creative Foundation). Moderated by Yiting Liu.
Lightning Talks: Soo Yun Kim (Principal Designer, Cisco), Lee-Sean Huang (Director of Operations, AIGA), Mustafa Badatl (Google), Michelle Chiu (PayPal).
Community Roundtable - Who Gets to Build?: Chelsea Acheampong (COO, Her Rising) moderates - with AIGA NY, Her Rising, & 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 & 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 & C.J. Yeh. Open Q&A.
Design Sprint: A structured design sprint to collaborate in small groups & leave with something you actually made together.
Social Design Activations: Board game-inspired activations during arrival & 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, & hackathon teams pitch their work to a panel of industry judges. Seven categories: product design, AI integration, branding, interactive experiences, emerging studios, social impact, & hackathon. Judged on innovation, craft, impact, & relevance to NYC's design ecosystem. Audience live voting.
Judging Panel: Andrew Rutledge (View Source), Craig Spaeth (Artsy / Puzzmo), Jessica Moon (AIGA / FIT), Christine Keeley (Creative Director, Global Luxury & Fashion Brands), Christie Shin + C.J. Yeh (Cynda Media Lab), Soo Yun Kim (Cisco).
Awards submissions close May 9. Apply to pitch: futureofnycdesign.com/awards.html
TICKETS
Student / Emerging - $50: Full day access. Bring your student ID. All afternoon programming, panels, & evening reception included.
General Admission - $120: Full day including panels, demos, afternoon programming, hackathon, design sprint, social activations, & evening closing reception.
Supporter - $200: Everything in GA, plus your ticket subsidizes access for emerging designers. Community-forward. Limited quantity.
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 & 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 2)
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/
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