◆ NYCxDESIGN 2026 · NYC AI Week · Official Programme
Future of
NYC Design
Design ◆ AI ◆ Culture
12 — 8 PM
Brooklyn
One Day. Every Frequency.
Design ◆ AI ◆ Culture
12 — 8 PM
Brooklyn
One Day. Every Frequency.
Design ◆ AI ◆ Culture
12 — 8 PM
Brooklyn
One Day. Every Frequency.
Block 01 ◆ Morning
Art, Identity and
the Machine
How artists and designers use technology expressively without losing the human at the center.
12:00 — 1:30 PM
12:00
Arrival
Registration + Social Design Activations
Board game–inspired social activations turn networking into genuine play. Vibes audio-reactive installation active. No awkward small talk.
12:30
◆ Welcome + Keynote — 30 min
Empowering the Next Generation of Creative Heroes
The Rise of Creative Intelligence in the Age of AI — Just as the dawn of the internet birthed the interaction and UX/UI designers, the era of AI is forging a new kind of visionary. Join C.J. Yeh and Christie Shin as they discuss how creatives can move past the fear of automation to embrace Creative Intelligence: the ultimate superpower for the modern design hero.
In this keynote, they will provide a comprehensive overview of the current AI landscape and its rapid adaptation across the industry. Moving beyond theory, they will share practical workflows for integrating AI into the design process, showcased through real-world AI-assisted design examples. Finally, they will present case studies from FIT's AI-Assisted Design program and courses, demonstrating how the next generation of "Creative Heroes" is already redefining the boundaries of the discipline.
Opened by Yiting Liu — Founder, Vibescape Corp & Event Producer, 241 Members
Christie Shin — Professor, FIT · Design Director, Cynda Media Lab
C.J. Yeh — Creative Director, Author & Educator, Cynda Media Lab
1:15
Break ◆ Sponsor Showcase
Block 02 ◆ Midday
AI as Creative
Infrastructure
Practitioner-level honesty: what these tools actually do well, where they fall short, and what real creative workflows look like.
2:00 — 5:00 PM
2:00
◆ Panel — 45 minAI Focus
The Future of Design Careers in NYC
Industry leaders on the skills, tools, and communities shaping the next chapter of NYC design — with a sharp focus on how AI is redefining every role from junior to principal.
Siddiq Nasar — Creative Director, IBM · Leading design & motion for IBM's AI code assistant · 25+ years across creative direction, motion, 2D/3D, environmental design, branding & film
Lucas Rizzotto — Award-Winning Inventor, Storyteller & Creative Technologist
Shandy Tsai — Design Lead, Duolingo · Founder, Asian Creative Foundation
Moderated by Yiting Liu
2:45
Transition ◆ 15 min · Move to Your Workshop Track
3:00
Workshop Block 1 ◆ Choose Your Track
Parallel Workshops
Track A · Hackathon
Design × Dev Hackathon
Somya — AI & Hackathon Lead
May Zhou — Friends of Figma
Mentors: Hedy Deng · David Mendez
3-hour continuous hackathon (3:00 – 6:00 PM). Designers and developers team up to build AI-powered creative tools, prototypes, or experiences. Teams pitch their work at the Design Pitch Competition immediately after.
Track B · Workshop
From Sketch to Stone: Designing Jewelry in the Digital Age
Speaker to be announced
A hands-on workshop exploring how digital tools — from 3D modeling to AI-assisted rendering — are transforming jewelry design. Sketch a concept, model it on screen, and see how today's designers move from pixel to precious metal.
Track C · Portfolio
Design Portfolio / Interview Preparation: Best Practices
Christie Shin — Professor, FIT · Design Director, Cynda Media Lab
C.J. Yeh — Creative Director, Author & Educator, Cynda Media Lab
Two focused segments — Brand/Visual Design and Product/UI/UX — covering portfolio presentation and interview readiness, followed by open Q&A.
3:45
Transition ◆ 15 min · Return to Main Stage
4:00
Break ◆ Vibes Installation Activation
4:15
◆ Lightning Talks — 40 min
Lightning Talks: Four Perspectives, Ten Minutes Each
Focused 10-minute deep-dives from designers across different disciplines. Client work, creative process, scope changes, career-defining moments — each speaker shares one real story from their practice. No theory, just the real work.
Soo Yun Kim — Principal Designer, Cisco
Lee-Sean Huang — Director of Operations, AIGA
Mustafa Bağdatlı — Google
Michelle Chiu — PayPal
Block 03 ◆ Afternoon
Who Gets
to Build?
Community organizations, emerging voices, and next-gen designers examine whose perspectives are shaping the tools that will define design for the next decade.
5:00 — 7:15 PM
5:10
Workshop Block 2 ◆ Choose Your Track (Parallel Rooms)
Parallel Workshops
Running alongside the community roundtable in separate rooms. Hackathon continues in Track A (started 3:00). Tracks B & C run new sessions.
Track A · Hackathon (continues)
Design × Dev Hackathon
Somya — AI & Hackathon Lead
May Zhou — Friends of Figma
Mentors: Hedy Deng · David Mendez
Hackathon teams continue building. Final hour — wrap up and prepare pitches.
Track B · Lecture
Warping the Future: How Craft Led to the Digital World
Weave and Code
From looms to logic gates — discover the hidden thread connecting weaving and computing through AR-powered historical objects. A story of women and underrepresented communities who shaped the digital world, told through the craft that made it possible.
Track C · Community
Community Roundtable: Organizations Shaping NYC Design
Chelsea Acheampong — COO, Her Rising (Moderator)
AIGA NY · Her Rising · Asian Creative Foundation
A candid roundtable on who is shaping the future of design — access, mentorship, representation, and what these organizations are doing to change the landscape.
6:00
Hackathon Ends ◆ Teams Prepare Pitches
6:00
Transition ◆ 15 min · Everyone Back to Main Stage
6:15
★ Future of NYC Design Awards
Design Awards Ceremony
Companies, studios, emerging designers, and hackathon teams pitch their work live on stage to a panel of industry judges. All submissions are evaluated on four criteria: innovation, craft, impact, and relevance to NYC's design ecosystem. Seven award categories span product design, AI integration, branding, interactive experiences, emerging studios, social impact, and the hackathon. Select awards will be announced live during the ceremony — stay tuned to find out which ones drop on stage.
◆ Judging Panel
Andrew Rutledge — View Source
Craig Spaeth — Artsy / Puzzmo
Jessica Moon — AIGA / FIT
Christine Keeley — Creative Director, Global Luxury & Fashion Brands
Christie Shin — FIT / Cynda Media Lab
C.J. Yeh — Cynda Media Lab
Soo Yun Kim — Cisco
Audience live voting · Open to all attendees and hackathon teams to pitch
◆ Companies & Studios — Enter the Awards
Want to pitch your brand, product, or AI-powered project on stage? Companies, studios, and teams can submit to any category. Slots are limited — submit early.
Apply to Pitch →
6:50
◆ Closing Keynote — 15 min
Closing Remarks: The Future Is Being Designed Now
A closing address from a leader at the intersection of AI and creative industries — on where design goes from here and why NYC is the city building it.
TBD — Senior Leader from Runway / Google Creative Lab / Adobe / OpenAI (confirming)
Introduced by Yiting Liu
7:05
Ceremony
Award Ceremony + Final Send-Off
Competition and hackathon winners announced. Thank yous to speakers, sponsors, and community. MC leads the transition into the evening reception and introduces the night's performing artists and DJs.
MC: Chelsea Acheampong — COO, Her Rising
We're partnering with NYC nonprofit organizations and design education programs to ensure students and emerging creatives who would benefit most from this conference can attend — regardless of financial barriers. Each partner organization receives a dedicated student ticket allocation and community discount code.
Community Org
Asian Creative Foundation
Co-promoting event · Hosting community workshops · Providing ACF member discount code
Lead: Shandy Tsai
Community Org
Her Rising
Community roundtable · Co-hosting afternoon programming
Lead: Chelsea Acheampong — COO
Pending
AIGA NY
Community partner (pending confirmation)
Community Org
Friends of Figma NYC
Hackathon co-organizer · Community outreach · Design tool mentorship
Lead: May Zhou
Design Education
FIT / Parsons / SVA + NYC Design Schools
Student volunteer pipeline · Portfolio review participants · Up to 10–15 complimentary student tickets per partner
Lead: Christie Shin + C.J. Yeh
◆ Evening Closing Reception — 7:15 to 8:00 PM
One Day.
Every Frequency.
Live DJ sets, performing artists, and Vibes audio-reactive visuals take over the venue. An open reception co-hosted by 241 Members. Competition winners celebrated. The night is part of the day.
◆ DJ Set — TBD
◆ Live Artist — TBD
◆ Vibes Audio-Reactive Visuals
Produced by 241 Members · Visuals by Vibescape
Artists & DJs introduced by Yiting Liu (open to guest MCs)
Presented & Community Partners ◆
241 MembersProduced by
Vibescape CorpVisual & audio-reactive experience partner
Sanders StudiosVenue
Asian Creative FoundationCommunity partner · ACF discount code
Friends of Figma NYCHackathon co-organizer
NYCxDESIGNOfficial event
NYC AI WeekOfficial event