Timothy J. Hykes received his Associate of Applied Science with an emphasis in Graphic Design from Saint Louis Community College. He continued his education at the University of Missouri – St. Louis (UMSL), where he received his Bachelors of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Graphic Design. While at UMSL, Tim learned UX under the direction of UX Designer Patrick McNeil.
Between 2011 to 2019 Hykes volunteers his time with AIGA St. Louis. There he sat on the board and held many positions ranging from membership chair, vice president, and president. Tim was also a member of AIGA’s National Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee previously knows as the AIGA Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce. From 2016 to 2020 he worked as a member of AIGA’s DEI to help make the design industry more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
In 2016 he co-founded the Design + Diversity Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. This conference focuses on the diversity issues in the design community. In extending the conference, Tim created the Design + Diversity Podcast. The podcast brings a diverse array of creators together to talk about design diversity issues.
Since graduating Tim has worked at Answers.com, Spoke Marking, HLK, RoverTown, and LaunchCode, Wells Fargo Advisors. as a UX Designer. Previously, Tim was the Senior E-commerce Designer at Caleres, a shoe conglomerate. There, Tim worked on the Allen Edmonds shoe brand and was instrumental in launching their new site. Currently, Hykes is a UX Consultant at World Wide Technology, where he travels the country helping companies solve their usability problems.
What Tim is most noticeable for is his side project The 28 Days of Black Designer Project. This project featured 28 Black Designers in the design industry. This included fashion designers, graphic designers, architectural designers, and more. The project was featured across all social media platforms with large social followings.
