Civic by Design Kickoff

Summary

AIGA and the Design Entrepreneurs Hackathon introduced Civic by Design, a civic-design challenge focused on developing creative, practical solutions for New York City. The city-government partner will provide the brief. The kickoff covered the online Figma challenge, in-person hackathon, workshops, judging, and submission process.

The first challenge focuses on New York City noise complaints, which the presentation described as numbering about 610,000 per year. Participants can develop work in one or more of three tracks:

• Branding: Create a name, logo, poster, or broader visual identity for a proposed service.
• Product: Develop a UX/UI concept or strategy, such as a way to report, track, or follow up on noise complaints.
• Motion: Animate a brand, product, logo, or related idea using movement and storytelling.

Participants can explore the same core idea across multiple tracks; they do not need to invent a different project for each one.

Creative Approaches and Techniques

The challenge encourages designers to connect civic problem-solving with visual communication and product thinking. Suggested approaches include:

• Build a coherent brand strategy and visual identity, considering how it would work in real-world contexts.
• Map a product’s problem, user flow, feasibility, usability, and potential value.
• Use motion and film to combine storytelling, animation, aesthetics, and originality.
• Explore AI-assisted workflows for ideation and production while keeping the concept and creative decisions your own.
• For brand work, consider moodboards, visual systems, localization, and preparing assets for screen and print.
• Adapt generated or developed visuals into editable layers and formats such as social posts, posters, and banners.
• Use relevant Figma tools—including Figma Design, Make, Agent, or Motion—and present the work in Figma.

The organizers emphasized originality. Participants may use plugins and import assets such as SVGs, but should not rely on existing community templates or mockups. AI can be a “thought partner,” not a replacement for the designer’s idea and execution.

Application and Submission Process

• Apply through the online challenge. This application also serves as the entry route for consideration for the in-person hackathon.
• Create a Figma presentation with an introduction and, optionally, portfolio highlights or project links.
• Add the challenge solution and identify the track or tracks being entered.
• Export the presentation as a PDF and submit it with a publicly viewable Figma link. For motion work, the link is needed so judges can view the animation.
• Include a 150-word explanation describing what you designed, why you made those choices, and how the proposal could help New Yorkers.
• Submit by October 23.

The challenge is free, open internationally to people 18 and older, and requires no coding. The online challenge is individual; selected participants will form teams for the in-person hackathon. Participants retain ownership of their intellectual property.

Judging is based on idea, skill/design execution, and impact, with track-specific considerations such as brand strategy and identity, motion and originality, or product flow, feasibility, value, and usability. Participants may submit one idea across several tracks using different approaches.

Program Schedule and Prizes

• October 23: Application deadline
• October 27: Figma workshop
• November 3: Magnific workshop
• November 4: Yale workshop on civic innovation
• November 6: Announcement of the online challenge winners and the 51 participants invited to New York
• November 9: Online session for selected participants
• November 20–21: In-person hackathon, design conference, and final presentations at Parsons in New York

The organizers described up to $30,000 in combined prizes and sponsor support, including cash, credits, gifts, and travel or food support for some participants. The online Figma challenge includes cash awards. The presentation listed first-, second-, and third-place prizes of $2,000, $1,000, and $500, respectively.

Contributors and Organizations

• Julia — AIGA design competitions and events manager
• Sally — Founder of the Design Entrepreneurs Hackathon
• Lishan — Technical and question support during the event
• Stephanie Zo — Figma workshop guest
• David Gómez Rosado — Magnific strategic AI consultant and workshop presenter
• Rodrigo Canales — Yale professor presenting on collaboration for civic innovation

Organizations and partners mentioned included AIGA, the Design Entrepreneurs Hackathon, Parsons / The New School, the New York City government partner (not named in the presentation), Figma, Envato, Magnific, Yale University, Suntory, Three Rivers, Imagine Art, Framer, and Lovable.

The organizers also said that design leaders and mentors from Snapchat, Meta, Spotify, and IDEO, among others, would be involved as judges or mentors. Individual names were not provided.