Creative Mass: April 2026

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Hey Creatives! This month we’re heading down south for Creative Mass! Join us at Fortune Teller on April 14 from 6–9pm at 5604 S Congress Ave.

Fortune Teller, a cottage hiden in plain sit on SOCO, offers coffees, teas, imaginative craft cocktails,and all your favorites. Creative Mass is AIGA Austin’s monthly mixer, where designers, makers, and creatives of all kinds come together to connect, collaborate, and unwind.

Free and open to everyone—come hang with your creative community!

For updates, check #creativemass on AIGA ATX Slack. Questions? Email creativemass@austin.aiga.org.

Instructor: Noreen Morioka Chief Creative Officer, Storied Sports

Design is undergoing its biggest shift in decades. As automation and AI reshape production, the value of designers is moving beyond craft toward strategy, systems, and cultural insight.

As new technologies automate production and accelerate execution, the designer’s role is shifting from maker to strategist, storyteller, and architect of brand ecosystems. Craft still matters—but it’s no longer enough.

Instructor Noreen Morioka explores the evolution of design practice through examples from technology, media, and sports. We’ll learn:

• Where design jobs are actually growing
• What brands now expect from designers
• How AI and automation are reshaping creative wor
• Why strategic thinking, storytelling, and cultural awareness are becoming core design skills
• How to position yourself to stay relevant in a rapidly changing field

For AIGA members who want to understand how design is changing and where the opportunities are next.

Instructor: Ellen Lupton, Graduate Faculty, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)

Typography is more than choosing fonts. The details—dashes, kerning, spacing, hierarchy—are what separate amateur work from professional and help readers understand your content clearly. Getting these details right is both satisfying and essential.

Good typography lives in the details. If you learned typography basics but still feel uncertain about the finer points, this session covers what you need. Knowing when to use an em dash vs. an en dash, understanding metric vs. optical kerning, and mixing typefaces with confidence will bring joy and polish to your work.