The first in-person and hybrid conference from the State of Black Design, hosted on the campus of Tennessee State University, an HBCU and public university in Nashville, TN.

A fall kick-off event at the University of North Texas, including an evening gallery talk with Cey Adams.

While we’d hoped to be in person for SoBD 2022, Covid caused us to remain fully virtual.

In response to the demand generated by the SoBD Inaugural Symposium, this 2-day, virtual conference focused on career pathways, with support from IBM, Google, Amazon Design, and eBay.

Launched in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, this virtual symposium featured 13 Black designers across four essential categories: Design as Activism, Design Pedagogy, Professional Practice, Design Entrepreneurship.

Speakers included design leaders, directors, executives, award-winning studio owners, and tenured faculty, providing a powerful space for representation, inspiration, and connection. Initially aimed at attracting 100 students, the event quickly gained traction beyond the university, amassing over 5,000 registrations from across the United States, Europe, Africa, and Canada.