Today we wanted to announce and discuss a new monthly blog feature called Queen City Design Champions (QCDCs). The idea was borne from a desire to acknowledge local design thought leaders, and provide them with a forum to share thoughts on any topic they deem interesting or appropriate. We’re confident that we not only have plenty of candidates, but that our members would appreciate hearing from Charlotte’s best and brightest.

First, a definition: a QCDC is someone who has contributed substantially and creatively to Charlotte’s creative community. Obviously, a QCDC has garnered the respect of their peers, and understands the “Head, Heart and Hand” concept of modern design. A QCDC has a brain we want to pick, be it to learn about their magnificent successes and failures, the creative process they subscribe to, or even how they balance work and family. Really, no topic is off-limits.

Having guest bloggers certainly isn’t a revolutionary idea; we’ve had plenty of talented folks share their thoughts and work here in the past. But in tweaking this on-again, off-again element of our blog, we wanted to find a way to elevate and feature design leaders from the rich Queen City pool of talent, and we want to be more consistent, featuring a local design luminary at least once a month.

We also hope to uncover whom our members view as these local thought leaders. Sure, we have our working list of QCDCs that we’re reaching out to. But we’d love to hear who yours are, too. Nominations are open—for QCDCs and their potential topics—as of your reading this.

In closing, it’s important to note that a QCDC may be a well-known and celebrated entity, or a person who’s been flying under the radar for years. A QCDC could be a 21-year-old wunderkind, or a design lion who has been at for decades. And, honestly, a QCDC could also be a photographer, printer or a copywriter. So we’ll await your suggestions. In turn, keep an eye out in the near future for our first QCDC feature.