SoBD 2025
We on point

The State of Black Design is more than a conference—it’s a space for restoration, connection, and collective power. We On Point brought together Black designers and allies in Minneapolis to honor our roots and reimagine our future. As we carry this momentum forward, we invite you to keep building with us.

SoBD 2024
We The People

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.

SoBD 2022
FAMILY REUNION

While we’d hoped to be in person for SoBD 2022, Covid caused us to remain fully virtual. Regardless of how, we are always happy to get the family together.

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.