An evening panel at Harmonic Studios | Tuesday, September 16, 2025
How do you design for a city, a country, a community—centering people, history, and futures?
Join us for a panel exploring the evolving practice of civic design, grounded in participatory methods, systems thinking, and a generous dose of creativity. Designers and researchers from government, tech, and academia will share how they navigate complexity and shape civic futures.
This event is part of Harmonic Design’s Practice Week 2025, a week for Harmonic practitioners and our community to reconnect and reimagine. This year’s theme focuses on creativity and craft, balancing bold, imaginative play with deepened internal reflection. The panel ties directly into this theme by offering designers a chance to explore how they can craft their futures by starting in their communities, learning new ways to engage through participatory design methods and civic imagination.
What to Expect
The conversation will move beyond theory to uncover the how of civic design:
- What tools, methods, and mindsets support inclusive, community-responsive design?
- How do practitioners make space for creativity and collaboration within complex civic systems?
- What does participatory design look like in practice, and what gets in its way?
We’ll explore themes such as policy design, equity, systems thinking, and designing with—not for—communities.
Panelists
Carl DiSalvo
Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology
Carl DiSalvo is a Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. For almost two decades, he has explored the relationship between design and democracy. His work combines participatory design and community-based research, and he has worked with numerous Atlanta organizations. He is the author of Adversarial Design (2012) and Design as Democratic Inquiry (2022).
Sophie Engel
Civic Designer, City of Atlanta
Sophie Engel is the Civic Designer for the Atlanta Mayor’s Office Innovation Team. Sophie leads the design process for the team, from co-creation to inclusive civic engagement and storytelling rooted in data and empathy. She has a master’s degree from Rhode Island School of Design in Industrial Design. Previously, she served as Design Lead for the Equity Institute.
Shaun Mosley
Designer/Researcher, Nava PBC and Organizer, Civic Tech Atlanta
Shaun Mosley is a Designer / Researcher at Nava Public Benefit Corporation. With ten years of experience in Product Design, he applies technology in order to create a more equitable society. On top of parenting demands, Shaun fills his time organizing technologists through Civic Tech Atlanta and making Georgia one of the best states for Black people to live in.
Annie Wolaver
Former Acting Section Chief, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
Social Service Provider who got tired of systems that didn’t work for the people they served turned Government Designer. Believes communities hold the solutions—design just helps organize them. 13 years humanitarian immigration work + 5 civic tech. Teaches asset-based design thinking across agencies. Master of Public Policy, UMD.
Press Your Own Takeaway – Letterpress Print Activity
As part of the evening, you’ll get to roll up your sleeves and make something tangible to take home. Our friend of the studio and letterpress expert Bryan Baker, along with principal designer Stephen Taylor, have created a special limited-edition print just for this event.
Step up to the press, pull your own print, and watch the design come to life in rich, tactile ink. This keepsake is yours to take—a little piece of creativity from Practice Week 2025.
Details
📅 Tuesday, September 16, 2025
🕕 Doors open at 5:30 p.m. | Panel starts at 6:30 p.m.
📍 Harmonic Design, 50 Hurt Plaza SE #930, Atlanta, GA 30303
🧀 Light refreshments will be provided.
🎟️ Free, but registration is required.
Getting here
Paid parking is available at Hurt Plaza Parking Garage and additional metered and paid lots around the studio.
Public Transportation: Conveniently accessible via the Peachtree Center, Five Points, and Georgia State MARTA stations.
Whether you’re a public sector designer, community organizer, policy thinker, or just civic-curious, we invite you to join us for an evening of stories, insight, and community.