Introducing the Columbus Design Collective

I’m excited to share the first event for Columbus Design Collective, a professional development and networking group I founded in late 2025 to help strengthen and connect the design community in Columbus, Indiana.

On Wednesday, February 25, we hosted our first Design Conversations event featuring Jessica Kartes Principal and Founder of Storyboard. Her talk, Design, Civic Engagement, and Why Everyone Should Get an Art Degree, explores the intersection of design, play, and data, and how art and design training can shape more authentic and inclusive community engagement.

The evening began with informal networking, followed by the lecture, and was hosted in the Red Room at the Downtown Branch of the Bartholomew County Public Library.

The goal of Columbus Design Collective is to bring together designers and design-curious professionals from across disciplines, including architecture, UX, graphic design, and more, through conversations, learning, and community-building events.

Additional events will be scheduled throughout 2026, including an informal meet-up event this spring and a second Design Conversations event in early summer.