April 27, 2026 • Posted by Design Bay Area
As part of Design Bay Area’s Year of Design celebration, join us for an evening exploring the enduring spirit of innovation, creativity, and optimism that has shaped the San Francisco Bay Area for generations with Designwise, Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity, Love Good Color + Project Color Corps.
Bringing together voices from across design, color, sustainability, strategy, and cultural storytelling, this conversation will reflect on the Bay Area not only as a global center of innovation, but as a deeply human place shaped by imagination, experimentation, and the belief that design can improve everyday life.
Together, we’ll explore questions about how design influences the way we live, gather, build, and belong:
- Where is design creating the greatest positive impact in the Bay Area today?
- What parts of our cities, systems, and experiences feel overcomplicated or overlooked?
- How can design help us build a more thoughtful, inclusive, sustainable, and inspiring future for our communities?
This conversation invites attendees to reflect on the role of design not simply as aesthetics or industry, but as a tool for connection, civic imagination, and cultural change.
Panelists:
○ Laura Guido-Clark – Love Good Color & Project Color Corps – Color Advocate
○ Llisa Demetrios – Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity – Cultivating Curiosity
○ Mary Lee Duff – Former Principal Interior Architects – Strategy, Neurodiversity
○ Jean Hansen – Former Principal HDR – LEED Fellow, FIIDA, CID, WELL AP –
Sustainability
Moderated by Dawn Zidonis, CEO, Design Bay Area
Co-hosted in partnership with Designwise
About Designwise
The mission of Designwise is to democratize the transformative power of design by capturing
and sharing collective wisdom. We aim to empower the next generation of emerging designers
and underserved communities, encouraging them to use design as a potent vehicle for
systemic change and the greater good.
Photo Credit: Ron Poznansky