be hella well x State of black design
save the date
Thursday, Feb. 18 -
Saturday, Feb. 20, 2027
Stakes Is High is a pop up event in partnership with Be HELLA Well, the d.School at Stanford University, and State of Black Design. Join this gathering of designers, students, educators, community partners, and creatives at Stanford University and the d.school for three days of community design, career exploration, and collective wellness. The program includes studio workshops, community activations, a record shop pop-up experience, and more across the d.school and partnering locations on campus. See the schedule here.
Registration Opening Nov 6, 2026
Meet our Partner
What is “be hella well?”
Be HELLA Well launched as a community design residency first held on March 11-13, 2026 at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, known as the d.school at Stanford University. The event was co-led by Milan Drake, Community Design Lead at Stanford’s d.school and Omari Souza, founder of State of Black Design.
past programming
Be HELLA Well programs have included studying album covers as design and examining the visual language, color choices, typography, and styling that Black artists used to express identity through art. Participants have engaged in conversation with media practitioners, imagined a community Design Lab, and designed the outline of a community journal and conference proceedings. Music is always a feature: Radiant Concert Night turned the d.school design studios into a Tiny Desk environment with a DJ set and a live performance by Reuben Vincent, hip hop artist from Charlotte, North Carolina, signed to 9th Wonder's Jamla Records in 2016 and to Roc Nation in 2021.
about stakes is high
Stakes Is High brings the cultivated network of Black designers from State of Black Design together with the d.school and the Be HELLA Well community for three days to name what is at stake in the classroom, the community, and creativity. Book a Living Library conversation with an industry professional, join workshops and panels, help write a shared conference manifesto, and more.
Learn more about the pop-up here.
