Every year, there are a few dates I immediately look forward to on the calendar. My birthday, of course. My wedding anniversary. Christmas. Super Bowl. San Diego Comic-Con. And, maybe above all others, DesignerCon.
DesignerCon is an annual convention held in southern California (for now) that has something for everyone. If you’re into fine art, pop culture art, toys, sculptures, sneakers, Barbie, Ninja Turtles, Taylor Swift, whatever—there’s something for you at DesignerCon. Plus, it’s just chill. There’s very little of the madness of a large-scale comic convention. This is more like hanging out with a bunch of cool people who happen to be in a convention center. And so, as I do every year, I headed to the event with no idea what to expect, and found myself delighted yet again.
The 2023 iteration of the event happened this past weekend in Anaheim, California, and the badges revealed that 2024’s event would take place in Las Vegas, Nevada from November 15-17. Presumably, that means the convention is getting bigger and will be accessible to more people. Which is great. It also means that, probably, I’m going to miss it. Which is less great. And so what follows might be my last DesignerCon post for a while. But it’s incredible. Image after image of pure and simple awesome. Check out my favorite things I saw at DesignerCon 2023 and click here to learn more about 2024 and beyond.
Naru from Prey
By artist Jason Edmiston, as part of his Eyes Without a Face series.
Pee Wee and Simone
Art by Mark Mavares
Battle of the Beach from Barbie
Art by Joey Mason
Terminator figures
Created by Kaiju One
Chucky and friend
Created by MikeFX
Mobile Suit Gundam
Art by Rory Kurtz, released by SpokeArt.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Art by Van Orton, released by SpokeArt.
Samurai Raphael
Created by S. Tolleson at CultureFly.
Disguised droids from Star Wars
Created by Joshua’s Toybox via DKE Toys.
Trek Fiction
Created by Toyzaholiks via DKE Toys.
Super Mario Free Solo
Created by Dogman
Alien minifigures
Created by Secret Handshake Toys
Dex’s Diner
Created by Centerpoint Studios (and yes, everyone is in there)
Shin and Baylan customs
Created by Centerpoint Studios (which takes Black Series figures and improves them).
Marty McFly
Created by Uncle Skro
Console hearts
Created by Heart Shaped Wednesdays
Black Panther
Created by Jesse Hernandez
Narsil from Lord of the Rings
Created by Ecclicraft
The Overlook
Created by Brad Albright, part of the Hollywood exhibition.
Mighty El Bartos
Created by Thumbs
Feral Predator
From Prey, also by Jason Edmiston.