I do feel like a kid before Christmas as I wait for DesignThinkers. When I was growing up, one of the true joys was flipping through catalogue pages (I miss printed catalogues!) and looking through the toy section at the newest Lego or Action Force figures. I would read the beautifully crafted descriptions and dream that my aunt and uncle were secretly rolling in cash to be able to buy the whole section for my cousins and me.

Seeing the list of the DT speakers triggers the same endorphin rush as my past catalogue journeys. Over the course of 25 years, some of the biggest names in design and design culture have graced the stages in Vancouver and Toronto. The conference has shifted, as the industry has, from large portfolio presentations to talks rooted in important, current topics that are affecting us as designers, and also us as citizens.

Like with Christmas when I never got everything in the catalogue, I can’t see every speaker at DesignThinkers. Here, I have picked my favourite projects from the five speakers I am jumping around my room in anticipation of seeing in November.

Studio Moross: Defected Records, Live Visuals Kit 2024

I am a house music fan. I have been for a long time And, if you enjoy house music, you probably know the record label, Defected. I am also a Studio Moross fan. Aries Moross and their team were asked to create a series of bold typographic background videos for Defected’s live events. I love the fact that Studio Moross created a day-and-night version of the visual toolkit and took advantage of the sheer scale of the massive video canvases—pure bliss with sound and design.

Shantell Martin: Dance Everyday + ALL OF HER WORK

Anyone who has come in contact with Shantell Martin and her work will have been inspired to draw. I was introduced to her beautiful line drawings when she collaborated with Kendrick Lamar in Miami, and I have followed her since. Though clean and simple on the surface, Shantell’s large installations often tackle broad issues. Here, I chose her mural from Buffalo, New York (2017) simply because I have seen it in real life, but her entire portfolio is inspiring. Look for the stitching collaboration with her grandmother, Dot Martin.

Elizabeth Goodspeed: Anyway Magazine

I first read Elizabeth Goodspeed’s byline as part of the team behind Eye on Design. EoD, published by the AIGA, still stands as one of the most important design platforms during its both print and digital run. I love that when I see Elizabeth’s work, I feel as though I am being allowed into a personal design celebration. Anyway is a magazine created for tweens and teens. Its articles treat kids with dignity and respect and cover topics that they confront the everyday, from family, friends, gender and identity. Elizabeth and the designers who assist here have designed a printed place of comfort and inclusion that happens to also be super bright and joyous with moments of whimsy. RUNNER UP: Also, check out Elizabeth’s involvement with Pentagram in the fictional Minx magazine created for the HBO Max/Starz series.

Talia Cotton: Counter-Archiving the Avant Garde

When you watch movies that use a lot of visual effects, you can tell the difference in quality. Designers can sometimes make technology stick out like a sore thumb, while other designers integrate it seamlessly. Talia Cotton certainly is the latter. In Talia’s practice, she uses technology like a paintbrush. The great thing about her projects is that, even though they are rooted in complex digital frameworks, they feel intuitive, vibrant and alive. I was particularly moved by her project, COUNTER-ARCHIVING THE AVANT-GARDE. This site challenges the idea of a static, closed archive, hence Counter-Archive, by encouraging written discourse to grow and thrive in the platform around the subject of the Global South’s influence on American avant-garde music.

Department of Letters: Mullion Heavy Typeface

Department of Letters is a Toronto-based type foundry that was launched this year by Carl Shura. All cards on the table: I am a faculty member with Carl at the School of Design at Toronto’s George Brown College. He is one of the nicest people you’ll meet. In 2022, Carl won a CA Award of Excellence for his typeface Circulation, and I was super-excited to see the launch of Mullion (Heavy), a chunky grotesque that has some fun eccentricities. Carl is hosting a Type Design Crash Course at DesignThinkers, which will be a lot of fun.

Student RGDs and Associate RGDs are invited to apply to win free attendance at DesignThinkers Toronto. Nine scholarship packages are available, each including a free ticket and $500 cash to help cover the costs of attendance.

Update (September 12): A new scholarship has been added, bringing the total up to nine.

How to apply

To apply, submit a 30-second to 1-minute video expressing your enthusiasm for DesignThinkers and why you wish to attend.

Criteria 

Applicants will be judged on their creativity and passion. Priority will be given to applicants who reside more than 100km away from the conference venue.

Deadline

11:59 pm PT on Sunday, September 22, 2024

These scholarships are generously provided by Cinnamon Toast, Davis, Frontier, Fusion, Key Vision Design, Pound & Grain, Razor Creative Solutions, Significant Other and 123w.

Interested in supporting emerging designers? If you are interested in sponsoring a scholarship, email [email protected].

Leland Maschmeyer is co-founder and CEO at COLLINS. Ahead of his talk at DesignThinkers in Toronto, we asked him a few questions about his time at Chobani, what trend he thinks will impact the design industry and more.

Under your leadership, the two companies you’ve worked with have received numerous accolades for pushing boundaries and setting the bar for outstanding work. What is your leadership style like? How do you inspire your teams towards greatness?

There are many styles of leadership. I have come to know that my dominant style is known as “transformational” leadership. You can read online about the basics of it, so I’ll focus on my personal tenant: empower small teams with significant responsibility, shared context, decision rights and clear success criteria will always make dreams come true.

You were responsible for Chobani’s much lauded brand and company growth, with it being recognized for its innovative approach to design, creativity and marketing. While you were there, the brand’s value expanded from $1B to $10B. What’s one of the biggest lessons you learned from your time at Chobani?

In the early 2010s, I had an itch I couldn’t scratch: I felt that brand systems were no longer fit for purpose. It’s not that a classic kit (logo, typeface, colours and secondary graphics) wasn’t useful. It’s that the many uses, value and approach to creating them has become completely misaligned with what contemporary brand building demands.

The 1980s gave birth to the brand identity system kit. But as the branding challenges of business changed so dramatically over the following 30 years, you would have imagined that the marketing and brand profession would have responded and evolved.

It did not. I mean, not at all. It was stuck, lost some back somewhere in 1983. I mean, it had not changed much since I was a toddler.

In 2016, I joined Chobani to test my thesis of what a real, next-generation brand solution could be. After our remarkable five-year run there, I left the company with, I think, my thesis proven. I believe the “brand world system” building is the next era. This is a culture-centric, community-conscious approach to designing a brand. It weaves together the diverse scope of expression with which contemporary brands struggle. It’s still a kit of workable assets and rules. But its starting point is different, it defines a much broader scope of brand activity, and the management of it – over time – is much different.

Since I returned to COLLINS, we’ve been building brand world systems with many of our clients, helping them enjoy the benefits of what we learned with Chobani.

We love to show our highlight reels in this industry, but we’ve all worked through disappointment and perceived failure—we lose a pitch, a campaign doesn’t land how we’d hoped. How do you manage through these dips?

While failures leave bruises, I never let them define me. I always try to build with or from them. My advice, find one good lesson in a failure and it will not be a failure. The failure is to brood and beat yourself up. Learn and move. Failures are the bricks building the cathedral of success.

Besides AI, are there any emerging trends or technologies you foresee impacting the future of design?

Distributed/remote work will, over the long term, have a dampening effect on revenue for the vast majority of design firms. It will increase the pool of competition among design firms, drive down the fees that design firms can command, and will push revenue distribution towards a power law curve. (A what?)

This will force design firms to find ways to meaningfully differentiate their offering to command a desired – even necessary – price point. So, the way I see it, it will be difficult, but soon enough it will be better for our profession. It’ll bring focus.

This year’s conference theme is “Into the Rabbit Hole.” Is there any topic or idea that you’ve been diving into lately?

I have been diving deep into how professional sports teams build their draft-day strategies and how they evaluate the most extraordinary prospects. I am obsessed with finding great, talented people and building great, talented teams.

DesignThinkers is turning 25 this fall. To celebrate this milestone and say thank you for your support, we’re giving away 25 free tickets to past attendees.

To enter, share your favourite photo(s) from the conference on Instagram or LinkedIn. Whether it’s of a memorable talk, you with a speaker, a group photo with your friends or colleagues or something else entirely, we want to see it.

Instructions: 

1. Make a post featuring a favourite photo (or photos) from the DesignThinkers conference
2. In the caption, give a bit of context and share why the moment matters to you
3. On Instagram*, tag @rgdcanada on the photo itself and use #rgdDT. On LinkedIn, tag the RGD’s page in the caption and use #rgdDT

*Ensure your Instagram profile is public. Instagram posts must be on the feed, not stories. Stories will not count towards the giveaway.

Photos can be your own or from the RGD’s Flickr albums. If using Flickr photos, please credit the photographer if they’re listed (at the top of the album when you are viewing it).

Deadline:

The contest is open until Friday, September 6. 25 winners will be selected at random, and then notified and announced by Tuesday, September 10. Only one post per entrant.

Roundtables are your chance to connect with other creatives in a small group setting. Led by senior design professionals, roundtables are being hosted on both conferences days from 8:15 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Bring your questions, offer advice and participate in conversations that will leave you feeling engaged and energized.

Here are the topics on this year’s schedule for Day 2:

November 8th, 8:15 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

• Work smarter, not harder: Strategies for creating great work, efficiently
  Designers do what they do best: design. By reducing administrative and mundane tasks, designers can focus on the project at hand. But how best to do this? Join this session to discuss techniques and processes that can help you.
• Mission possible: Finding purpose and passion in your work
  Do you yearn for a job where you can unleash your creativity and make a tangible impact every day? This roundtable explores the myriad of possibilities and personal satisfactions that come with working in an environment that aligns with your values.
• Who isn’t at the table? Designing for diversity, equity & inclusion
  Together, we will explore the vital themes of diversity, equity and inclusion as it relates to design and creativity. Let’s discuss the ongoing work, practical steps and visionary goals that bridge the gap to a more inclusive and representative future for design and creativity.
• Me, myself and I: Succeeding as a solo practitioner
  There is no blueprint to working for yourself. Let’s discuss the successes we’ve accomplished and failures we’ve endured, so we can all learn from each other and grow our businesses.
• Imposter syndrome who? Gaining confidence in your skills and abilities
  Let’s talk about some of the situations we’ve faced and share strategies you can pull from your back pocket when those negative feelings bubble up in the future.
• Challenges of being an in-house designer for government
  Designing for government and government agencies bring its own unique challenges. In-house designers for governments of all levels (municipalities, provincial, state or federal) are invited to join us to discuss and exchange strategies and solutions to address these challenges.
• Colouring inside the lines: Fostering creativity within the confines of a brand
  The same branding, same colours, same style day in and out. It can get boring. How do we foster that creative itch and stay motivated while adhering to our often strict brand guidelines? Join us to discuss techniques for pushing the brand envelope, trying out new, potentially radical ideas, all while still staying brand faithful.
• The gentle art of feedback: How to give it and get it
  Giving feedback can be difficult, especially when it’s not always glowing, but receiving it can be equally so. It works both ways, and to do it well requires shared respect and recognition of a common goal. We’ll share stories of giving and getting feedback, both good and bad.
• The comparison trap: How to revel in competition and celebrate other people’s success
  Who hasn’t fallen into the trap of comparing ourselves, and our work, to others and feeling pretty awful about it? Let’s discuss constructive ways to navigate this habit and build our confidence. We will learn tools and techniques for returning to what matters.
• User-centred design: Where humans reign supreme
  The application of user-centred design is constantly changing. Do you spend much of your time thinking about how the user can be better served by the designs you create? How do we ensure that users are the main focus of our designs, and that those users find our designs easy to navigate? Join us to discuss how design can be employed to make things easier, rather than just help address the bottom line.
• Show & Tell: Balancing aesthetics and accessibility
  Have you struggled to create trendy, eye-catching graphics while making sure they remain accessible? Have you found it hard to implement stakeholder feedback while still ensuring AODA compliance? How do we find that balance of stellar design, staying on brand and maximizing accessibility? Is there an elusive sweet spot or is the answer always compromise? Everyone who registers for this session will be asked to present a project that showcases the coming together of accessibility best practices and top-tier design and speak about their process, experience and key learnings for 5 minutes, followed by a brief Q&A with the group.
• Students only: Harnessing productive failure in design: navigating criticism, rejection and failure as a student
  Criticism, rejection and failure are part of every designer’s journey, but as students, how do you navigate these murky waters without losing your passion for design? Join us to learn how to interpret critique constructively, leverage rejection as a motivator and transform failure into productivity and innovation.

November 8th, 12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

• Improving your leadership skills
  We will discuss how to inspire creativity, foster collaboration and effectively communicate to maximize your team’s potential. You’ll gain insights into strategies and tools for enhancing your leadership skills, as well as learn how to serve as the foundation and support of your team, fostering unity and facilitating growth.
• Speaking the same language: Building working partnerships in cross-disciplinary teams
  Designers today work in increasingly diverse teams. Come discuss how to work effectively with other creative and creative-adjacent roles such as writers, subject matter experts, media specialists and production. Share insights and strategies for articulating design decisions and resolving conflict.
• Beautiful, creative + accessible: Strategies for accessible design
  Join a discussion that will address questions that include:
  – When, and how, do you consider accessibility when you’re launching a project?
  – What is a piece of advice or information you learned that changed the way you think about accessibility?
  – What is your favourite tool for streamlining accessibility in your projects or organization?
• Colouring inside the lines: Fostering creativity within the confines of a brand
  The same branding, same colours, same style day in and out. It can get boring. How do we foster that creative itch and stay motivated while adhering to our often strict brand guidelines? Join us to discuss techniques for pushing the brand envelope, trying out new, potentially radical ideas, all while still staying brand faithful.
• Futuristic fantasy to practical reality: Leveraging AI tools in the design process
  Have you experimented with AI to enhance your workflow? Have you used AI to gain insights about user behaviour? Have you used AI to boost your creativity? Join us for a discussion of designers’ experiences with AI and what impact we think it will have on the design industry.
• All hands on deck: The designer’s role in combatting climate change
  “Saving our planet is now a communications challenge.” With David Attenborough’s famous quote as inspiration, we’ll discuss the role of graphic and communication design in shaping a more sustainable future. How are we uniquely positioned to address climate change? Who is doing inspiring work? Let’s discuss.
• The need for speed: Addressing time constraints within the design process
  In competitive markets, the need for efficiency in all areas of business has been steadily increasing. How do designers develop creative solutions and contribute to business success while remaining true to effective design processes and maintaining a healthy work-life balance? What role can AI play? What processes and strategies contribute to more effective cross-disciplinary collaboration and integration? Join us as we discuss the need for speed without sacrificing the quality of the work or our mental health.
• From concept to completion: Managing design projects in-house
  Dive into the different aspects of project intake systems and project management processes within in-house design environments. Share strategies, best practices and key challenges for navigating design projects efficiently and effectively. Benefit from group insights to optimize your workflow and elevate project outcomes.
• Design education: Nurturing an abundance of wonder
  What it means to be a designer is evolving. What once would have been the responsibilities of a wide variety of craftspeople is now expected from a single person. Frequently, job descriptions include requirements as far-ranging as print design, UI, UX, motion, web design and development, content creation, social media expertise and more. How does a new generation of designers, looking for their first job, develop all these skills before they’ve even entered the working world? Join us as we discuss how educators can nurture grads to be adaptable, empathetic, technologically-savvy and business-focused.
• Understanding the midlife transition: Navigating career change and personal growth
  The mid-career slump is a real and terrifying prospect. Figuring out a path through means reflecting on what you actually want next — not from your career, but in your life. Let’s discuss how to discover what you really want from your next career move, and how to leverage experiences and competencies to craft the fulfilling career you only thought possible in your dreams.
• 10 Show & Tell: Learning on the job
  Join us for an intimate (confidential) presentation of projects that maybe can’t be entered into awards or shared on social media, but that tell a story you’d love to share. Everyone who registers for this session will be asked to showcase a project related to the table topic and speak about their experience for 4–5 minutes, followed by a brief Q&A with others in the group.
• Students only: Group Projects: Stepping stones to a successful design career
  Group projects are here to stay—your journey toward a successful design career begins with how you navigate and collaborate in group projects today, as the teams only get larger at your workplace. Join us to discuss embracing group projects as valuable assets for your professional journey, understanding collaborative design work and how to contribute and communicate effectively.

Roundtables are your chance to connect with other creatives in a small group setting. Led by senior design professionals, roundtables are being hosted on both conferences days from 8:15 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Bring your questions, offer advice and participate in conversations that will leave you feeling engaged and energized.

Here are the topics on this year’s schedule for Day 1:

November 7th, 8:15 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

• Overcoming creative burnout
  For designers and other creatives, the line between work and play is often difficult to define. As a result, the threat of burnout is particularly complicated. What happens when the thing that brings you so much joy becomes a source of so much stress and anxiety? Join us for a discussion about tactics and strategies to avoid burnout and to recover when you actually hit that wall.
• Good design is for everybody: Sharing accessibility tools, resources and processes
  Join this conversation about the role of accessibility in design and how it can benefit us all. We will share our knowledge and experiences with each other, whether you’re a seasoned accessibility advocate or new to the concept. We’ll focus on the latest tools and technologies available for designers and developers to create accessible products, along with tips and tricks we can use in our everyday practices.
• Futuristic fantasy to practical reality: Leveraging AI tools in the design process
  Have you experimented with AI to enhance your workflow? Have you used AI to gain insights about user behaviour? Have you used AI to boost your creativity? Join us for a discussion of designers’ experiences with AI and what impact we think it will have on the design industry.
• Mental health and creative sustainability
  When we’re mentally balanced, we’re more likely to approach problems creatively, be more patient with the design process and be more accepting of feedback. Join us as we talk openly about our mental health challenges, contemplate how being a designer may exacerbate them and consider how employers and colleagues can be more supportive.
• Data-driven design: Leveraging analytics for design effectiveness
  While data-driven design helps to create user-centric solutions, designers must balance it with the importance of creativity and intuition in the design process. How do we use data with creating design that lacks originality and innovation? Join us as we discuss ways to use data while still trusting our instincts and expertise.
• The business of design: Aligning design practices with business mindsets
  It can often be challenging for designers to balance our creative visions with successful business outcomes. Whether it be for our clients, who would like to understand the ROI behind every project, or for ourselves, focusing on setting up our own businesses to be financially viable, there is a constant struggle between left and right brain. Let’s chat about how we can combine the best of both worlds.
• Future-proofing your design career: Skills for the next decade
  As technology advances and consumer preferences shift, adaptability emerges as a critical trait for designers. We delve into the importance of mastering not only the latest design software and tools, but also fostering a deep understanding of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design principles. Our conversation will touch on the rising significance of ethical and sustainable design practices, emphasizing the role designers play in addressing global challenges. Join us to gain insights into how to navigate the dynamic design industry and ensure your career remains future-proof.
• Unmute yourself: Strategies for speaking up and being heard
  In this discussion, we will explore communication and presentation techniques designed to captivate your audience’s attention. You’ll discover how to refine your storytelling skills and effectively integrate data, anecdotes and visuals to convey your message with greater impact. We’ll also share valuable insights and best practices to help you become a more persuasive and engaging communicator.
• Inclusive design research
  In today’s data-driven world, understanding all users is paramount to design effectiveness. Gathering valuable insights from target audiences refines products or services, enhance experiences and allows for more informed decisions. Join us as we explore essential considerations for building and managing meaningful design research, discuss the complexities of decolonizing research practices and the importance of inclusive participation in design research.
• Design for social good: Creating a better world
  Our world is fraught with challenges, and design plays a considerable part in tackling them. Ultimately, design is about communication. So, how do we design experiences that help users understand, learn and derive meaning from the world around them? These are communication, industrial design and educational problems, and how designers tackle these spheres has a massive impact on changing lives. Let’s discuss how we embrace these subjects to become better members of society and ensure that we wield our skills for the betterment of all.
• Students only: Navigating creative challenges and burnout in your student journey
  In this ever-changing design world, where creative blocks and burnout can be all too familiar, how do you constantly create, learn and excel as a student? Join us to explore and discuss strategies to understand and overcome creative hurdles, establish effective design routines, and navigate burnout gracefully.

November 7th, 12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

• Passion projects: Making work for fun, because it’s fun to do
  What really piques your curiosity? Come join our conversation as we explore the significance of passion projects, discuss the habit of chasing curiosity and find ways to carve out time for creative fun, without getting stuck in a perpetual cycle of productivity.
• Future-proofing your design career: Skills for the next decade
  As technology advances and consumer preferences shift, adaptability emerges as a critical trait for designers. We delve into the importance of mastering not only the latest design software and tools, but also fostering a deep understanding of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design principles. Our conversation will touch on the rising significance of ethical and sustainable design practices, emphasizing the role designers play in addressing global challenges. Join us to gain insights into how to navigate the dynamic design industry and ensure your career remains future-proof.
• Building stronger design processes
  Process is the key to profit, but a good process often takes years to nurture and is often tailored to an individual, especially in the design world! We will discuss topics like defining chinks in the armour, identifying problem areas, the importance of trying new things and using technology to help build more robust systems and easily replicable processes.
• Tell a stronger story: Strategies for effective communication and presentations
  In this discussion, we will explore communication and presentation techniques designed to captivate your audience’s attention. You’ll discover how to refine your storytelling skills and effectively integrate data, anecdotes and visuals to convey your message with greater impact. We’ll also share valuable insights and best practices to help you become a more persuasive and engaging communicator.
• User-centred design: Where humans reign supreme
  The application of user-centred design is constantly changing. Do you spend much of your time thinking about how the user can be better served by the designs you create? How do we ensure that users are the main focus of our designs, and that those users find our designs easy to navigate? Join us to discuss how design can be employed to make things easier, rather than just help address the bottom line.
• The power of strategic design and the evolution of the “thinking” designer
  Through a traditional lens, design is about crafting visual outputs and tangible artifacts. Yet there is a world of opportunity that opens up for businesses and organizations who view their customer experience through the lens of interconnected systems that can be optimized by thoughtfully applying design to everything we see, touch and experience. How do designers shift from light-touch Jack-of-all-trades practitioners to strategic thinkers who thoughtfully apply their design skills throughout the human experience?
• From concept to completion: Managing design projects in-house
  Dive into the different aspects of project intake systems and project management processes within in-house design environments. Share strategies, best practices and key challenges for navigating design projects efficiently and effectively. Benefit from group insights to optimize your workflow and elevate project outcomes.
• We are all brand ambassadors: Getting your organization on board
  How many times have you heard “I’m tired of those colours, that style or that branding element”? If you’ve been working with the same stakeholders for a while, then probably more than once. Or how about people who don’t like your organization’s rebrand? Join us for a discussion on turning naysayers into brand ambassadors.
• Colouring inside the lines: Fostering creativity within the confines of a brand
  The same branding, same colours, same style day in and out. It can get boring. How do we foster that creative itch and stay motivated while adhering to our often strict brand guidelines? Join us to discuss techniques for pushing the brand envelope, trying out new, potentially radical ideas, all while still staying brand faithful.
• Show & Tell: Projects we can’t believe we got done
  Is there a project you’re particularly proud of? That you completed under an incredibly tight timeline or with never-ending scope creep, or maybe there were tech issues along the way and all your files got corrupted? Maybe a similar campaign launched days before yours, and your team had to pull together an entirely new campaign in record time? Join us for an intimate (confidential) presentation of projects that maybe can’t be entered into awards or shared on social media but that you are so super-proud of and you’d love to tell its story. Everyone who registers for this session will be asked to showcase a project related to the table topic and speak about their experience for 4–5 minutes, followed by a brief Q&A with others in the group.
• Students only: Embrace your design identity and build your creative confidence
  Confidence is key to becoming a successful designer, but how do you garner confidence in a world of criticism and imposter syndrome? Join us in this roundtable to discuss simple tips and tricks to build creative confidence that will help you navigate your early career as a student and designer.

Playful Printing
Hosted by Diana Varma RGD
Date/time: November 7, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM

What do you get when you cross an iconic kids toy with a 500 year-old communication technology? Playful printing! In this workshop, you’ll experience printing infused with play; conceptualizing, assembling and printing your very own letterpress art. As you create, you’ll also learn about the history of letterpress printing and the ways in which it’s making a resurgence today. Join us for this hands-on workshop that will make your inner child (and Gutenberg!) proud.

Type Design Crash Course: Crafting Unique Letterforms
Hosted by Carl Shura
Date/time: November 7, 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM

Discover your Creative Archetype. Unlock your Creative Potential.
Hosted by Dominic Prevost
Date/time: November 7, 2:45 PM – 3:30 PM

Creatives know how to come up with solid ideas, but the creative process is often messy and inconsistent. Sure, we can blame it on the timeline, the brief, the team or the lack of sleep… But have you ever taken the time to think about how you think? The creative process is not one size fits all, and there are many different ways to harness our creativity. Which is yours? Let’s find that out together. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll be answering a series of prompts — backed by some real-world anecdotes from Dominic’s experience working in design studios and ad agencies, big and small, to figure out your “Creative Archetype,” and how to tap into your traits to make the best of your inspiration. We’ll discuss procrastination, late nights, stress management, organization, ideation, creative rituals and triggers (both good or bad). The list goes on… Think Myers-Briggs, but for the creative process. At the end of this workshop, you’ll have a completed questionnaire that will outline your “Creative Archetype:” your strengths, challenges, a road map of goals/improvements and a deeper understanding of what gets your creativity flowing.

Building Creative Confidence Toolkit
Hosted by Radim Malinic
Date/time: November 7, 3:45 PM – 4:30 PM

This workshop cultivates creative resilience and enhances collaborative skills through practical exercises, with participants working in pairs throughout. Using interactive techniques, attendees learn to centre themselves, improve communication and embrace bold ideas without the fear of being wrong. These habits boost creative confidence, spark innovative thinking and nurture a supportive collaborative environment. The idea is to recognize simple tools to overcome creative blocks, generate fresh perspectives and turn collective brainstorming into impactful outcomes

Key features: 

• Enhance listening skills: Learn active listening techniques to deepen understanding, build trust and strengthen relationships.
• Develop effective communication: Cultivate clarity, empathy and confidence in speaking to convey ideas with impact and influence.
• Heighten awareness: Practice mindfulness breathing techniques and self-reflection to increase focus and foster greater self-awareness.
• Embrace failure and uncertainty: Shift perspectives on failure and uncertainty as opportunities for learning, innovation and personal growth.

You’ve been in the design industry for over 20 years. What inspired your shift from client work towards focusing on educating and mentoring designers?

I am always eager to take on new challenges and believe my mission for the next 20 years is to infuse realism and honesty into design education. I grew up in a design environment that valued craft, patience and perseverance. However, social media has led a generation to believe that these qualities no longer matter. Many now focus on meaningless productivity rather than meaningful action. The proliferation of AI prompts, outdated college curriculums and productivity hacks from design influencers fail to prepare real designers for the real world. I believe that if I can help designers navigate the unpredictability of dealing with actual clients, the predictable aspects of design will become second nature.

Where does traditional design education fall short? How is your approach addressing these gaps?

Traditional design education often emphasizes theoretical knowledge over practical experience. While students may graduate with strong technical skills, they often struggle to apply these skills in real-world situations, particularly when dealing with clients and project constraints. The curriculum focuses heavily on essential elements such as typography, portfolio development and the history of design. Although this foundational knowledge is important, the curriculum insufficiently addresses communication, soft skills and the unpredictable traits that define a successful professional in the real-world design industry. Furthermore, there is limited emphasis on entrepreneurship, leaving graduates unprepared for the multifaceted roles they must assume to stand out in a competitive field.

Shifting to brand design, can you share a bit about a pitch that went really well? What was your biggest takeaway from it?

I have never pitched for work. To me, the idea of giving away a load of ideas for free, especially when competing against five others also working for free, has never made sense. There only ever seems to be one winner in these scenarios, and it’s rarely the design teams pitching. My biggest takeaway for anyone reading this is that you can build a successful and fulfilling design career without ever needing to pitch for work. Instead, I’ve always focused on becoming a niche. My strategy revolves around creating a pull towards my services, rather than pushing my services onto others. While pitching can be effective for some, it’s not a path I have personally aligned with.

You have over 750k followers on Instagram! Your community is engaged and you’re always sharing content that’s both entertaining and useful. In your experience, what makes a designer worth following? Do you have advice for designers who want to share more of themselves and their work online? 

Firstly, remember that no one will remember you on your deathbed for having an Instagram following, so don’t measure your success by audience size. Many successful designers aren’t even present on social media. However, social media can be a great way to connect with others and establish yourself as a consistent contributor to the design community.

Always remember why you’re sharing your work. Is it to attract clients? To educate others? Knowing your purpose is crucial. Storytelling and offering value are effective ways to engage with your audience. Finally, keep in mind that no one cares as much as you do. Done is better than perfect, so just post your work and move on.

This year’s conference theme is “Into the Rabbit Hole.” Is there any topic or idea that you’ve been diving into lately? 

Human behaviour is my constant obsession. Understanding the biology and reasoning behind our choices and actions absolutely fascinates me. One of the main reasons I want to dive deeper into the education space is because many people adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to pricing, selling, creativity, and business. They often believe their way is the only correct way.

By learning more, I’ve embraced a one-size-fits-one approach, which has profoundly benefited me as a designer, educator and human. Recognizing that everyone I meet is different makes the idea of treating them all the same feel ludicrous.

While Paula Scher, at 75, declared that she is not done yet, Chris Do provided practical tools to master your next sales pitch — on November 2–3 the creative industry came together for our DesignThinkers Conference to celebrate everything design.

Hugs were exchanged, ideas shared and connections made — in what was our highest attendance ever; the energy was electrifying.

With an option to choose from three streams of talks, attendees also had opportunities to join studio tours and hand-on workshops, engage in conversations with peers on pertinent topics at the roundtable discussions, participate in speed networking and much more.

The conference also had the option for live streaming for those who preferred to attend from their home or office. All attendees have access to presentation recordings until the end of January, after which time they will be made available to RGD Members. You can still register to get access to the recordings on Pheedloop.

Pre-conference programming featured Accessibility Workshops by Meggan Van Harten RGD and Davide Dorigo Provisional RGD from Design de Plume, guided tours to leading creative studios in Toronto and a ceremony celebrating of the winners of the 2023 Branding Awards.

Day 1 of the Conference began with keynotes by Chris Do and Forest Young and featured talks by speakers who included Emmi Salonen, Farai Madzima, Noel Cottrell, Rejane Dal Bello, Renato Fernandez, Dalit Shalom, Paul Trani, concluding with delegates’ favourite talk by Paula Scher. Day 1 closed with a Party at Bier Markt, where delegates and speakers connected over delicious hors d’oeuvres, drinks and conversations.

Day 2 was packed with as much inspiration as the first with keynotes by Tina Roth Eisenberg and Eleni Beveratou and talks by Lauren Scully & Brian Studak, Min Lew, Catalina Estrada, Zipeng Zhu, Jay Demetillo, Dorothéa Bozicolona-Volpe, Krys Blackwood, Hajj Flemings, ending the day with a Keynote by Stefan Sagmeister. The day also featured a panel discussion on collaborative design workflows and a Never Have I Ever session with Stefan Sagmeister, Min Lew, Forest Young, Eleni Beveratou and Tina Roth Eisenberg hosted by Julian Brown RGD.

Delegates and speakers were invited to share thoughts on social media using the hashtag #rgdDT.

Registration for DesignThinkers 2024 Vancouver taking place on May 28-29 will open in December. Stay tuned!

Thank you for our volunteer photographers Nadia Otake Provisional RGD & Eric Forest RGD for day 1 and day 2 of the conference

Thank you also to Industry Partners: Adobe, Acumen (signage), Flash, Mohawk, Forge Media + Design (website) Porter (travel) and Sid Lee (branding); to Gold Sponsors Cella, CtrlPrint, Deloitte, Domtar, Monotype, Moveable, Rightsleeve, The Futur, York University School of Continuing Studies and Silver & Bronze Sponsors AZURE, Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Dalton Maag, Issues Magazine Shop, Mitchell Sandham, StickerYou, Swipe Design and WeirFoulds LLP.