Meet the Designers | Design Career Fair 2026

A photograph of a group of teenagers and an adult are sitting around a circular table and talking. The light- brown skinned adult who wears a colorful striped button down is smiling and in conversation with the light-brown skinned teenager with short brown hair sitting on their right. On the table is a small lamp, and books titled ‘ DapperQ Style’, and many key rings. Behind them are other circular tables that have small groups of adults sitting and talking.

Learn about the many shapes design careers can take from National Design Award winners, visiting colleges, and guest designers at the Design Career Fair. Get to know peers and hear stories about designers’ paths to success in small breakout groups.

Participating colleges include Bronx Community College, Cooper Union, Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons School of Design, School of Visual Arts, and Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York.

Participating Designers

Aaron Albinder

Leroy Street Studio

Anthony Ogunlanoh

Creative Director of Muddaland

Aziza Abdullah Nicole

Aziza Handcrafted

Caitlin Condell

Associate Curator and Head (Drawings, Prints & Graphic Design), Cooper Hewitt

Connor Brown

Architect, Leroy Street Studio

Daniela Contreras Panesso

Junior Designer, PBDW Architects

Diamond Ho

Product Design Director, Microsoft AI

Ellie Balk

Artist

Fan Kong

Artist & Educator (self-employed)

Francis Bazil

Designer

Infanint James

CEO / Creative Director

Isabella Simoes

Designer, SCAPE

Jonathan Parker

Architect, Frida Escobedo Studio

Josie Keefe

Art Director, Bandcamp

Kayla Montes de Oca

Associate Professor, The Cooper Union

Kian Motamed-Zaman

Art Director, Live Nation

Kristian Mentor

Creative Director, NULL NYC

Leila Plouffe

Lesli Stinger

Principal, Leroy Street Studio

Lindsee Downer

Cultural Work & Design Practitioner, Operation (L)

Liz Danzico

VP Design, Microsoft AI

Molly Davis

Senior Designer, SCAPE

Nu Goteh

Founder & Principal of ROOM FOR MAGIC / Co-Founder, Managing Partner, and Creative Director, Deem Journal

Onyelukachukwu Haidome

IGWE

Rohan Joseph Cherayil

Architectural Designer, Leroy Street Studio

Skyler Bonolo

Jewelry Designer, Colliding Eyes

Smit Patel

Leroy Street Studio

Vanessa B. Miller

BQMNY

Victor M. Newman

VP Brand Creative, Sesame Workshop

Zoe Goodman

Architectural Designer, Leroy Street Studio

2026 Special Thanks

Design learning at Cooper Hewitt is made possible by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Generous support is also provided by the Smithsonian Institution’s Together We Thrive initiatives.