This is the starting point.

No™ is an ongoing, organic, and collaborative experiment in building a community around design.

While marketing, creative, and industry-adjacent professional organizations exist in Lexington, none serve the design community. That’s allowed designers to exist in silos, disconnected by workplace (i.e. agencies, in-house, freelance) and expertise (i.e. illustration, product design, branding). Socioeconomic silos also separate the design community (i.e. income, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion).

The success of No™ is built on bridging these silos through community and design. At present, there is no hierarchical structure of leadership nor dues of any kind. If you want to help shape this community — its purpose, mission, and future — join us in Slack.

Year three. Three cheers for consistency.

No™ has three goals.

1 —

Get together. Meetups are scheduled for the last Thursday of the month with the exception of November (Friendsgiving) and December (Secret Santa). Meetup artwork is created by a different No™ member each month.

2 —

Connect designers in an ongoing conversation space via Slack. This is an open channel for anyone to join, but it is moderated to ensure the culture is welcoming.

3 —

Support awareness and participation in design-focused conferences, events, and competitions in and outside of Lexington. Examples of local events include Interactive Social organized by our friends at Ad Club Lexington. We will also coordinate group attendance at conferences like Creative South, How Design Live, and Adobe MAX.