HI5 is just a few days away - Ready to learn more about our speakers? Here is some cool info about third speaker Oona Taper:
Oona Taper is an artist & animator - she creates films, installations and animations that are invested in the materiality of moving images to create tactile and embodied experiences for the viewer. Her work responds to current and historical events with whimsy and daydreams to contend with the constant mundane apocalypses of the modern world.
Her short films have been screened at national and international film festivals including Interface Video Festival in Zagreb, Sydney World Film Festival, and VIDEOEX-Experimental Film & Video Festival in Zurich.
….
5 local creatives. 5 unique perspectives.
Micah Smith @amicahsmith
Rick Nuñez @its.rnunez
Oona Taper @oonataper@eel.pool
Justin Wieners @justin.wieners@hotdogdesignstudio@monsterasbooks
Mason Barry @barry.creative@bonk_co
Tuesday May 19 at 5:30pm at Dimensional Innovations in Overland Park
Sandwiches + drinks included! Purchase your ticket today!
The countdown is on! Ready to learn more about our HI5 speakers? Here is some great info about second speaker Rick Nuñez:
Rick Nuñez is a multidisciplinary designer at VML. After pivoting from a career in the tech space, Rick decided to follow his childhood passion of visual design. Today, he works with large scale clients like New Balance and TruGreen. He has a knack for minimal compositions fully utilizing white space to let a design breathe (talk about a breath of fresh air). Furthermore, Rick enjoys coffee, thrifting, and laying out fully justified columns of text in InDesign.
…
5 local creatives. 5 unique perspectives.
Micah Smith @amicahsmith
Rick Nuñez @its.rnunez
Oona Taper @oonataper@eel.pool
Justin Wieners @justin.wieners@hotdogdesignstudio@monsterasbooks
Mason Barry @barry.creative@bonk_co
Tuesday May 19 at 5:30pm at Dimensional Innovations in Overland Park
Sandwiches + drinks included! Purchase your ticket today!
HI5 is just a few days away! Ready to learn more about our speakers? Here is some cool info about first speaker Micah Smith:
Micah Smith is a trusted name in brand design and partners with startups, emerging companies, and events to create fresh strategies for their offerings and nimble processes for their in-house teams.
He began his career making shirts & posters for his favorite bands and now creates campaigns and experiences for global brands such as TED, Target, ESPN, and Pepsi. He's been fortunate to have his work featured in many books & magazines and most recently on his mom’s refrigerator.
……
5 local creatives. 5 unique perspectives.
Micah Smith @amicahsmith
Rick Nuñez @its.rnunez
Oona Taper @oonataper@eel.pool
Justin Wieners @justin.wieners@hotdogdesignstudio@monsterasbooks
Mason Barry @barry.creative@bonk_co
Tuesday May 19 at 5:30pm at Dimensional Innovations in Overland Park
Sandwiches + drinks included! Purchase your ticket today!
Looking for plans this Thursday... or next? ✨
Want to support emerging designers and artists in KC?
Several college design programs are hosting their senior showcases on May 7th and 14th. It’s the perfect
chance to see fresh work, meet the next wave of creatives, and celebrate the talent shaping our
community.
Make a night of it and stop by a few shows!
🎨
Knack: JCCC Graphic Design Showcase
May 7, 5:00 to 8:30 PM
BarkleyOKRP
jcccgraphicdesign.com
@jcccdesign
🎨
Off Grid: KU Senior Showcase
May 7, 4:30 to 7:00 PM
The Guild
kuseniorshow.com
@kuseniorshow_2026
🎨
Quilted: K State Visual Communication Design Portfolio Event
May 7, 5:00 to 7:00 PM
Signal Theory
ksu26exhibition.myportfolio.com
🎨
Office Hours: KCAI Graphic Design Industry Day
May 14, 8-10AM, 11AM-1PM, 5-8PM
Junius B. Irving Design Studios
https://office-hours.studio
@kcaigraphicdesign
🎨
Come out, be inspired, and celebrate KC’s emerging designers and artists!🩷
Cocktails with Creatives: Pickleball Edition 🏓
Join us for a special collab event with AIGA KC + @uxpa_kc ! This is your chance to connect with fellow creatives, designers, writers and thinkers from across disciplines in a fun, social environment. ✨ Meet and mingle with creatives from all kinds of fields
✨ Get the inside scoop on submitting your work for the upcoming A Awards
✨ Hear what’s coming up for the HI 5 event
✨ Make connections you’ll actually want to keep
Bonus: If the weather cooperates, We’re heading outside for some pickleball, corn hole, and lots of other outdoor games ☀️🏓
Bring a friend or come solo and get ready for a fun night and friendly competition.
Hey, KC Design Week sponsors:
Why don’t you stand up and take a bow! 🎶🎵
As we wrap up 2026 KC Design Week, we are delighted to shine a spotlight on our incredibly generous and enthusiastic sponsors.
Many of these sponsors have been with us every year. Others have signed on more recently. We are grateful for all of them!
Their generous investment allows us to offer many of our events at no cost to the community or at a nominal ticket price.
KC Design Week’s success year after year is a reflection of the commitment that our sponsors make to support and engage with the best Design Week in the country!
5 local creatives. 5 unique perspectives.
Join us for a night of creativity + real design stories ✨Each creative sharing a 15-minute deep dive into a project that shaped their journey and growth as a designer followed by a Q&A.
Featured Speakers:
Micah Smith @amicahsmith
Nick Hinckley @dickstinkley
Oona Taper @oonataper@eel.pool
Justin Wieners @justin.wieners@hotdogdesignstudio@monsterasbooks
Mason Barry @barry.creative@bonk_co
Date & time: Tuesday May 19 at 5:30pm
Location: Dimensional Innovations in Overland Park
Sandwiches + refreshments included
Act Now! Early bird pricing is live now through May 6! So, don’t wait, prices go up after! Come get inspired, learn something new, and connect with KC’s creative community.
👁️✨Happy International Design Day! ✨👁️
Today we're celebrating YOU — the makers, the type-nerds, the late-night-pixel-pushers, the kerning obsessives. International Design Day only comes around once a year, so we're making it count.
🎁Random giveaway alert: every Super Early Bird and Early Bird submission entered before May 12 gets thrown into the hat for a chance at a free VIP ticket to the A21 Awards and Gala. Already submitted? ✔️You're in. Been sitting on a draft? 🗳️Today's the sign — finish it, file it, and you're entered.
🔗 Hit the link in bio to enter the A21 Awards.
Hey, you… yes, YOU 👀
The EARLY BIRD call for submissions is officially open!
Save $5 on every entry now through May 12.
👁️ If we hit 50 submissions before then, we’ll reveal the theme early…
🚨🚨 This is NOT an April Fool’s joke…
The SUPER EARLY BIRD call for submissions has opened early!
Submit your work now and get $10 off each entry through April 21, before pricing goes up!
Hit the link in bio to get started.
Let’s see what you’ve got this year 👀
That's a wrap on AIGA KC Spring Portfolio Day 2026! 💛
Students and emerging designers filled the CoLab Center at JCCC for speed dating-style portfolio reviews, followed by two incredible panels:
🎤 "Getting the Interview" on what makes a portfolio stand out and the red flags to avoid.
🎤 "The Freelance Journey" on choosing the freelance path, client pushback, and finding balance.
Thank you to our reviewers, panelists, volunteers, our partners at @johnsoncountycommunitycollege , and our sponsor @adobe for making this day possible. And to every attendee who showed up with a portfolio and the courage to share their work, we're so proud of you.
Read the full recap at the link in bio. See you next year!
#AIGAKC #KansasCityDesign #DesignCommunity #KCCreatives #PortfolioDay #PortfolioReview #CreativeCommunity #AdobePartner
Join AIGA KC and MagPie for a community-centered Clothing Swap & Mending Circle celebrating Women’s History Month! This collaborative event is all about sustainability, creativity, and caring for our clothes and each other. 💛
Bring a few pieces you’re ready to pass along and leave with something new-to-you. We’ll have supplies on site and a couple creatives doing custom airbrush designs or patchwork so you can give your clothing a fresh, artistic touch! 🎨
AIGA KC will be there from 11 AM – 2 PM to hang out, swap, mend, and create together.
A few things to know:
- Following the clothing swap, stay to check out the mending circle hosted by MagPie from 2-4.
- Please bring no more than 2–3 gently worn clothing items to swap or have updated.
- The event is free, but we highly encourage a $5 donation to support to creatives providing design work.
Come swap, stitch, and celebrate community with us. We can’t wait to see what you bring (and what you take home)! ♻️
RSVP Link in bio!
#WomensHistoryMonth #ClothingSwap #SustainableFashion #AIGAKC #CommunityCare #MendingCircle
