Thousands of designers, design students, and design-savvy people have experienced our thought-provoking and creativity-boosting programming. This collaborative experience offers opportunities to interact with all areas of design, including architecture, graphics, interiors, products, fashion, landscape architecture, planning, and urban environments.
Enjoy fresh coffee and Swiss pastries while Nicole and Brad Satterwhite share their holistic journey of rebranding and redesigning an iconic third-generation brand and restaurant. Followed by a tour of the André’s chocolate factory guided by owner and chef René Bollier.
For more than fifty years, Dieter Rams has left an indelible mark on the field of product design and the world at large with his iconic work at Braun and Vitsoe. Rams is a documentary portrait of Dieter Rams, one of the most influential designers alive, by Gary Hustwit who produced and directed Helvetica, Objectified and Urbanized. Come kick off KC Design Week with a film that celebrates Dieter’s contribution to the design world and see what inspired our 10th anniversary line-up of events.
Tim Kail walks you through the process of successful storytelling and how to bring your ideas to the forefront.
Join four fierce, accomplished women in the design field as they talk about goals, obstacles, and what we can do to move the needle in the design industry when it comes to gender inequality.
Join a conversation with a few of the brains behind this brand and its store design in Kansas City. We’ll hear from Chris Evans, head of architectural design at the Phoenix-based Tuft & Needle, and Jesse Crupper, AIA, with Hufft of Kansas City.
What thought process went into this store? How does mattress design factor in? Why was the Kansas City market chosen for one of the few brick-and-mortar stores in the U.S.?
The LEGO brick we all know today has remained relatively unchanged for over 60 years. How does a brand built on one timeless product design stay in the hearts and minds of consumers around the globe year after year?
BOB ROSS. If that doesn’t already have your attention, this will. Ten well-known, local artists/designers will do their best Bob Ross impression and spend just over an hour creating 10 one-of-a-kind pieces to be auctioned off at the end of the party. All proceeds go to Imagine That!, a Crossroads art studio that caters to creative individuals with developmental disabilities. Campground KC will be slingin’ drinks while party people get to see these 10 masterpieces come to life. Bob Ross costumes are highly encouraged!
Brookside. Prairie Village. Fairway. Explore the Kansas City Metro like never before during KC Design Week’s Homes by Architects Tour. See four homes built or renovated by local architects and learn about their unique details from the people that designed them.
This leading pediatric hospital’s innovative approach combines the skill of a talented in-house artist, Donald Ross “Scribe,” with the developmental expertise of a child-life specialist to create custom environments designed just for children. Enjoy coffee while Scribe and child-life specialist Missy Stover discuss the positive impact that art can have on a child’s healing process.
Throughout the years, the “Troost Dividing Line” has become a demarcation of where the effects of historic redlining is most readily seen and affects individuals today. Designers are becoming more socially aware about the past and what can be done for these communities, but the solutions to address the problem are often vague or carry controversy. KC Design Week has gathered planners, designers, and policy advocates to explore the unique issues of working with communities of need.
Explore your creativity and expand your painting skills with these step-by-step watercolor techniques! The workshop will focus on modern techniques that you can’t achieve with any other medium – this is part of what makes watercolors so special.
Childlike wonder and adult beverages fuel this Creative Rejuvenation Workshop! Using screen printing, water colors, markers, and ever-changing materials from Hallmark’s manufacturing processes, you’ll create a custom designed and bound KCDW sketchbook to continue creating in the days ahead.
Author Todd Henry will deliver an interactive workshop designed to help you better understand what highly creative people truly need from their leadership and how to deliver it consistently. Participants will develop a personalized action plan to help implement the concepts introduced.
Author Todd Henry shares the core things talented, creative people need from every leader, the common places where leaders unknowingly fail to provide them, and the handful of conversations, practices, and rituals that can set you and your team up to do its best work every day.
WeWork has become a trailblazer in redefining the 9-to-5. Join us in the comfort of their space as we converse with Creative Director Devin Vermeulen about workplace strategy, community integration, and the importance of design in both our physical and business environments.
Jennifer and Andrew Dickson are reimagining the way we live at their innovative startup, Acre. By viewing housing like a product and homebuilding like a manufacturing process, the Dicksons create smarter homes for the people who inhabit them . Enjoy lunch as the Acre team shares their process and how they’re a unique voice for technology in architecture.
Learn how to build a successful creative brand while exploring the world. Cat Coquillette is a “digital nomad” and runs her business remotely from all corners of the globe.
Join some of Hallmark’s creative leadership team as they discuss their successful and unique approach to keeping their creative community renewed, refreshed, and revitalized.
Come close out our 10th KC Design Week with the party of the decade! There will be food, music, drinks, and an art battle--yes, an art battle. DJs are mixing a
one-of-a-kind sonic experience throughout the night.
VIP tickets get you a sweet private balcony overlooking the festivities, two tasty specialty cocktails, and a surprise or two.
These exciting, interactive events are a program of Center for Architecture & Design, a group of local professional design organizations which include:
