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Where Eastern craft meets Western innovation.
February 16-18, 2026
This isn't another keynote conference.
Tokyo Design Forum is a small, independent gathering—50 designers, founders, and builders who are actually shipping. The value isn't just the talks. It's being in the room with each other.
Two days in Tokyo. Real conversations. Connections that last.
For too long, the best builders only gathered in one city. Meanwhile, Tokyo perfected craft at scale—invisible systems, uncompromising quality.
Western innovation meets Eastern precision. One conversation, not two separate ones.
Two days in the heart of Tokyo's creative district.
Small venue. Walking distance to everything.
More about the venue →
Designers who've shipped at scale. Founders who've built from scratch. Voices from both worlds.
VP of Design, Adobe
Ex-Dropbox, Frame.io. Product design leader.
AI Design Leader, Meta
Educator on AI-Native Design
Independent design leader
Ex-Meta (VR), Google, Patreon, CNN.
CEO, Northplay
Author of The App Icon Book.
Product Designer, Figma
Artist, design engineer and tool builder.
Morgan Co.
Co-founder Shift, Early Dropbox, Google
Founder, Opacity & Valio Con
Designer, developer, serial creator.
Co-founder & CEO, Contra
Building the future of independent work.
APAC Design Strategist & Lecturer
Design strategy for Fortune 500 companies.
Product Design Lead, Treepz
Building design tools for 50k+ creators.
UX & Cross-Cultural Design Lead
UX educator bridging strategy and execution.
Product Designer, Notion
Previously Campsite, GitHub, Facebook.
Early reactions from the community. Want to add yours? Tag @forum_tokyo.
“Back in the earlier days, the design community was super tight-knit and it felt like a magical time to be a designer. As the industry grew, we lost that intimacy and connection we used to have. With revivals like @valiocon and now @forum_tokyo happening—WE ARE SO BACK!”
“Design has always been a global language, but we rarely see true cross-cultural exchange happen in an authentic way. Tokyo Design Forum is creating that bridge — and doing it with the kind of intimacy that makes it matter.”
“My two favorite things finally combined: design + Tokyo. Can't wait for this!!”
“Looks like @notorioususb just gave us a reason to be in Japan 👀Tokyo Design Forum 2026 is gonna be wild.”
This is an intimate gathering. The real value isn't just the talks—it's the connections you make and the conversations you have with the other 49 people in the room.
Two days of talks, evening gatherings, and lifetime community access.
Fully refundable if event does not proceed.
Full livestream access. Watch live or on-demand.
Fully refundable if event does not proceed.
This is an independent event. Your support makes it possible.
Become a SponsorBROUGHT TO YOU BY
A design and strategy studio based in Japan, NVGT helps startups and global brands build products, raise capital, and grow through design. We partner with founders and teams who need high-stakes creative direction that moves the needle. Tokyo Design Forum is one of the ways we're helping reconnect the global design community and bridge East–West design cultures.
FOUNDER SPOTLIGHT
Founder & Creative Director, NVGT · Based in Japan
Over 15 years, Brian has shaped defining launches for Chime, Hinge, Adobe, The New York Times, Weebly (acquired by Square), and Atom Limbs — helping teams raise over $1 billion in funding. Now based in Japan, he leads NVGT, a design and strategy studio bridging East–West design cultures through high-stakes creative direction.
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