The Untitled Designers Conference 2026 returns to Lagos on October 16 and 17. The fifth edition brings back a two-day format after last year’s single-day run. It takes place at Regal Hall in Oregun, Ikeja, under the theme “Human by Design.”
TechMoonshot is a media partner for UDC 2026, its third consecutive year we are supporting the platform built exclusively for designers.
Four Tracks, One Stage and a Live Design Challenge
Organisers have split the programme into four tracks. One covers craft and tools, including how designers use AI without losing their grip on the work. A second sits where design, engineering and product collide.
A third deals with running a studio in Nigeria, from pricing to operations. The fourth asks who will shape African creative culture next.
Workshops run in parallel with the main stage, and attendees pick one per slot on a first-come basis. Doors open at 8 a.m. on both days and sessions begin at 9. Day one closes at 6 p.m. Day two ends with a 5 p.m. closing keynote and an afterparty.
The marquee attraction is the UDC Design Challenge, where designers compete live on stage. The listed prize is ₦500,000, shared equally, plus three months of mentorship with a senior creative director and lifelong access to UDC events.
A Lineup Built Around Working Designers
The speaker page names 17 people so far. Organisers say they book working creatives over famous names. Niyi Okeowo, creative director at Kuda, and Terry Pouke, head of design at Quidax, anchor a roster with a strong fintech presence.
Saviour Inyang of Cowrywise and Lotachi Anidi of Blockradar add more product-side voices. They work in a market where Kuda, Carbon and a wave of neobanks compete on product experience.
Chowdeck fields three speakers: product designer Rue Douglas, head of product Ted Oladele and senior brand designer Obasola Akintola. Their employer is pivoting from meal delivery into quick commerce, a shift TechMoonshot has tracked closely. Studio founders include Bashiru Yusuf of Pushé, Dára Sobaloju of Pewbeam and Taiwofolu, co-founder of Eaxum. Creative directors Tony Ameji of Tony&Co and Chima Ifeji of TS Academy sit alongside brand designer Onyechere Oloba of TheMerit.
The theme lands after a year of heavy AI talk. TechMoonshot previewed UDC25 as an AI-centred programme with workshops on Gemini, Veo and NotebookLM. Marvis Ighedosa, co-founder and director of Untitled Designers, told The Creatives Note that as technology grows more powerful, the question becomes “what happens to the people behind the work?”
From $1,000 and Three Volunteers to a Six-Country Federation
Ighedosa, James Moses and Chukwuka Ezeoke founded Untitled Designers in 2022 with $1,000 in start-up capital and a three-member volunteer board, according to the organisation’s site. The first conference took place in Lagos. Events followed in Port Harcourt, Ghana, Abuja and Enugu. The group now calls itself a federation of independently run chapters, with more than 5,000 members across six countries.
Corporate backing and crowds have followed. Organisers put attendance at more than 3,000. Google signed on as headline sponsor for the 2024 edition, themed Beyond the Canvas, according to The Creatives Note, and hosted a typeface workshop there.
Google returned as a sponsor in 2025. For 2026, organisers list it among their sponsors and partners across social media, alongside Quidax and other brands.
The Lagos design conference also anchors a busy stretch for the city. Design Week Lagos opens October 18 at the National Theatre, a day after UDC closes. ThinkUX, a user-experience event TechMoonshot previewed last year, adds to a growing design circuit.
Why TechMoonshot Backs UDC 2026 for a Third Year
For TechMoonshot, this one is personal. Founder and editor-in-chief Muhammed Mustapha has spent more than a decade as a product designer. The people on this stage are his peers as much as his subjects. TechMoonshot has covered UDC since 2024. That includes a preview of the Beyond the Canvas edition, a post-event insights report and last year’s AI-themed preview.
The conference has earned that sustained attention. Since 2022, a $1,000 volunteer project has become a federation of more than 5,000 members. Its Lagos flagship, organisers say, draws over 3,000 people. The stage now puts working designers from Kuda, Chowdeck, Quidax and Cowrywise in front of students and studio founders alike.
Tickets are on sale through Tix Africa. They are non-refundable but transferable, and groups of three or more can request a discount by email. The Untitled Designers Conference 2026 puts the people who build African products at the centre. TechMoonshot will be in the room for a third year.
