United Colors of Design

Design Intersect is a one-day event designed to inspire dialogue, spark imagination, and explore the transformative potential of interdisciplinary design collaboration. United Colors of Design is bringing together some of today’s top practitioners from around the globe to gather in New York City on April 9, 2026. Speaker announcements and ticket sales details will be shared soon. Stay tuned. #designintersect #unitedcolorsofdesign

Join a movement shaping a more inclusive creative future. Donate $20 to United Colors of Design to receive a limited-edition Design Intersect NYC tote bag, with free shipping included. Grab your tote bag here today: Link in the bio

Join us tomorrow for Design Intersect - The Multidisciplinary Design Collaboration Event 📅 Thursday, April 9th 🕐 9am to 4pm 📍The MAD Museum (Museum Arts and Design) Get your tickets today - Link in the bio

Meet Design Intersect NYC speaker: Shabbar Sagarwala @architokyo Chief Design Officer @ FUTUREREAL - Dubai, UAE Shabbar Sagarwala is an award-winning, licensed architect with over two decades of experience, and a portfolio of built work across East Asia, the Middle East, Australia and North America. His work has been recognized internationally by the City of Kobe, Good Design Australia, Architizer A+, and Design for Asia, among others. He has presented as a thought-leader at Dubai Design Week, Sharjah Designscape, World Architecture Festival, and Moku-Digi Tokyo. Shabbar completed an Executive MBA in the Design Leaders program at the Future London Academy. He previously pursued doctoral studies in post-disaster urbanization at the University of Tokyo, funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Research, and Doctoral Scholarships. He received a Master’s in Design Studies in urbanization and housing from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, a Master of Architecture from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo. His clients have included Nissan, Tokyu Land, Felissimo, Dubai Airports, Dubai Tourism, Al-Futtaim, NEOM, MiSK, Singtel and Globe Telecom. - Shibuya Sakura Stage Photos courtesy of: Tokyu Land and Evelina Sausina - Stage Felissimo Photos courtesy of Kawasumi & Kenji Kobayashi Photography - Nissan Crossing Photography courtesy of Nagasaki & Partners

Meet Design Intersect NYC speaker: Yah Li Toh @tohyahli Founder & Principal @lightcollab - Singapore ——— Yah Li Toh is the founder and Principal of Light Collab and a professional member of the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD). She graduated from the architectural school of the National University of Singapore and pursued a Master’s in Architectural Lighting Design at Hochschule Wismar, Germany. Recently, she has also completed an eMBA in Designer Leadership at Future London Academy. Yah Li is also among the first 5 in the world to be recognized with the Certified Lighting Designer (CLD) Certification. She was shortlisted as Designer of the Year for the Singapore President’s Design Awards 2018 and 2020, was the only one to receive a commendation from the Jurors in 2018, and was also named one of the top 40 under 40 lighting designers by the Lighting Design Awards 2019. She is also a Generation T Honouree for List 2019, one of the 20 future-shapers honorees by the Peak magazine in 2019. She also serves as the regional coordinator for IALD SEA and as a member of the CLD board. She also served as a judge for the 36th IALD Lighting Awards 2019, as chair of the IALD International Lighting Design Awards, and as a member of the jury for the LIT Awards. She also speaks about lighting, is an educator, and facilitates workshops on design and lighting at tertiary institutions. She was also a mentor for Silhouette Awards 2023. lightcollab.com

Join us for Design Intersect - The Multidisciplinary Design Collaboration Event 📅 Thursday, April 9th 🕐 9am to 4pm 📍The MAD Museum (Museum Arts and Design) Get your tickets today - Link in the bio

Meet our Design Intersect NYC speakers: @pascalesablan FAIA,NOMAC,LEED AP CEO | @adjayeassociates NYC ——— Pascale Sablan, FAIA, NOMAC, LEED AP is the Chief Executive Officer of Adjaye Associates’ New York Studio and a globally recognized architect, author, and advocate advancing equity in the built environment. With more than 18 years of experience leading and contributing to award-winning projects around the world, she brings visionary leadership grounded in design excellence and social impact. Pascale is the 315th living African American woman registered architect in the United States—a distinction that fuels her mission to expand visibility, opportunity, and recognition for women and designers of color. An activist architect at heart, she is the Founder and Executive Director of Beyond the Built Environment, an organization dedicated to addressing inequities in architecture by amplifying diverse voices and elevating untold stories. She is also the author of the highly acclaimed book GREATNESS, a powerful call to action confronting systemic disparities within Architecture and Design. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute and a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University.

/////////// ADVOCACY IN ACTION ////////// This Thursday, April 9th, I’ll be in conversation at Design Intersect, a one-day conference hosted by United Colors of Design at the Museum of Arts and Design. @unitedcolorsofdesign @madmuseum “Design Intersect” brings together global practitioners across graphic, industrial, and architectural design, alongside visual arts, to explore the power of multidisciplinary collaboration, how working across disciplines shapes process, expands impact, and opens up new possibilities. I’m honored to be in conversation alongside an incredible group of speakers including Su Mathews Hale, Jesse Hill, Cey Adams, Jesse Reed, Shabbar Sagarwala, and Yah Li Toh. @jrfo @tohyahli @ceyadams @jessehilldesign @sumathewshale Doors open at 8:00 AM I speak at 1:35 PM Event concludes at 6:00 PM If you’re inspired by how design disciplines intersect and want to be in a room with incredible leaders across fields, register and come join us. Please also repost and help spread the word. Right now events like this, by us, for us, are rare, and I’m invested in making this one a success. #DesignIntersect #UnitedColorsOfDesign #DesignAdvocacy #MultidisciplinaryDesign #Architecture

Meet Design Intersect NYC speaker: Jess Reed @jrfo Cofounder & Principal Order @order.design.nyc | Standards Manual @standardsmanual | Standards @standards.site | Brooklyn, NY ——— Jesse Reed hails from Youngstown, Ohio, and is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning. Prior to founding Order, he honed his skills as an Associate Partner under Michael Bierut at Pentagram’s New York office, where his client roster included New York University, Hillary for America, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bobby Flay, Syracuse University, and Saks Fifth Avenue. At Order, Jesse leads a team that develops brand systems for prestigious institutions such as Williams College, Munson, MoMA, Apple, Google, Herman Miller, Knoll, and many others. In 2022, he launched the firm’s type foundry, Order Type Foundry (OTF). In addition to Order, he co-founded Standards Manual, an independent publishing imprint dedicated to the preservation of graphic design history, including the reissues of the NYCTA and NASA Graphics Standards Manuals. Jesse is also the CEO and a co-founder of Standards, an online tool for designing, managing, and publishing brand guidelines on the web. Beyond his professional practice, Jesse has taught at The University of Cincinnati and Parsons New School of Design, respectfully. sign www.standards.site

Meet Design Intersect NYC speaker: @ceyadams Founding Creative Director @defjam NYC ——— Cey Adams is a pioneer in the world of hip-hop graphic design. As the legendary Creative Director of Def Jam Recordings, he created album artwork, logos, and advertising campaigns for artists including Jay-Z, Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, Notorious B.I.G., Maroon 5, and many others. Cey launched his career as a graffiti artist in the streets of New York in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Around this time, he began a long-time professional relationship with Russell Simmons, cofounder of Def Jam Records. Later, he began designing marketing material for the Beastie Boys, and due to their friendship, Cey was dubbed the ‘Unofficial 4th Beastie Boy.’ He designed logos and products for The Chapelle Show, NYC’s Hot 97 radio station, Nike, Coca-Cola, and more. In 2016, The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington commissioned Cey to create a large-scale mural entitled One Nation, during Freedom Sounds: A Community Celebration. He designed the spectacular Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label and co-authored DEFinition: The Art and Design of Hip-Hop, the first comprehensive anthology written in the name of the genre. Bill Adler, formerly of the Boston Herald, says, “Cey’s career is a microcosm of the history of hip hop.” Cey recently co-authored a book that features recreated iconic hip-hop photos by graffiti artists called The Mash Up. Cey’s vision pushes the boundaries of art and design as it intertwines with Hip-Hop culture and society at large. His artistic practice focuses on themes including pop culture, race and gender relations, and cultural and community issues. He exhibits, lectures, and teaches art workshops at many established institutions, including the MoMA, Pratt Institute, and universities nationwide. His current retrospective, Departure: 40 Years of Art & Design, debuted in 2022 at Stone Gallery at Boston University, and continues to travel in 2024 and beyond. Cey lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he is always creating mind-altering masterpieces. ceyadams.com

Meet Design Intersect NYC speaker: Su Mathews Hale CEO & Chief Creative Officer @sumathewshale - New York, NY ——— For more than two decades, Su Mathews Hale has thrived at the intersection of brand strategy and design. Using the power of design to develop inspiring creations while solving business problems, Su has collaborated with a broad range of notable clients including eBay, Hyatt, Hawaiian Airlines, Taco Bell, Papa Johns and Walmart. Currently as Chief Creative Officer of Hale Design, a branding agency she opened in 2018, Su recently led her creative team on Papa Johns refreshed brand identity – the visual reflection of the new tone set by the brand - a more modern, bold, fun, fresh and tasty experience. The friendly, streamlined logo reflects the pizza chain’s momentum, introduces flexibility to scale digitally and positions Papa Johns for continued success and growth. Prior to Hale Design, she was a former associate partner at Pentagram, New York, and a senior partner and creative director in design at Lippincott, where Su led global projects spanning the full gamut of brand creation and identity development. While at Lippincott, she served as creative director on the famed Walmart rebranding – a massive brand repositioning and revitalization engagement that contemporized the global retail giant while retaining the values of its heritage. A frequent speaker and design judge, Su was featured as a “Symbol Master” by AIGA and was selected by Graphic Design USA as one of the 2013 “People to Watch.” Her work has been published in numerous publications and award programs. She recently served as Chairman of the ArtCenter College board of trustees and is currently serving on the Vignelli Vision Group, a team of creative leaders shaping the future of the Vignelli Center at RIT. hellohaledesign.com

Meet our Design Intersect NYC speakers: Jesse Hill Founder & Design Director @jessehilldesign - Baltimore, MD ——— “Context, intention and experience.” Hill Studio is a Baltimore-based design studio founded by Jesse Hill in 2019. Fueled by a passion for all furniture and lighting archetypes, Jesse aims to develop products that bring beauty, joy, functionality, and improvement to everyday life, constantly exploring how the dots connect throughout the design process. Jesse grew up in Ithaca, NY, before relocating to NYC post-university, and then landing in Baltimore. He has worked at consultancies, startups, Fortune 500 brands, and highly respected, iconic, and design-driven companies. With nearly 15 years of experience, Jesse aims to work with interesting and compelling businesses. The focus is on quality, the end result, materiality, constraints, and need. Hill Studio has collaborated with clients such as Herman Miller, Knoll, Nike, Apple, Google, West Elm, Most Modest, GR Chair, Humanscale, Arbore, Innovant, and many others. His process is tailored to the parameters of how it’s made and how it functions, and it refines the form to its simplest and most inviting expression. Simple, aesthetically approachable, functional, and intentional. Visit Hill Studio at: /