The spotlight event is always a favorite of designers to mingle, network and ponder their craft over drinks and light fare. This year, it was held in a fitting venue--the College for Creative Studies.

The school specializes in the arts, including transportation design. But this building originally was GM's design studio, and the site where Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell created some of the enduring automobiles of the 20th century.

The event drew a diverse crowd that mingled, sipped beverages and wandered the halls of the 11th floor of the landmark structure where students' work as prominently displayed. There also were a number of striking paintings on display, and a DJ spinning thumping music set the atmosphere.