Victor Szeto RGD, Creative Director at Green Living Enterprises, first attended DesignThinkers 16 years ago. With many conferences under his belt, Victor shares about his favourite talks over the years and what you should keep in mind if you’re attending your first conference.

You’ve been attending DesignThinkers for 16 years now! Where were you in your career when you first started attending?

I want to say that my first DesignThinkers would’ve been while attending design school at York/Sheridan, but I still have my old notebooks and it only dates back to 2006. I know I skipped a year or two attending, so maybe I was still in school or shortly after I graduated? In any case, it was fun to look back at all the themes throughout the years and all the effort into changing it up every time.

The design industry and the profession has changed a lot in the last decade and a half. How have you seen these changes reflected over the years at the conference?

The most noticeable difference for me is the range of micro-design disciplines the industry entails. Some of them are technically/software-based, but the ones I follow most are changes in the impact that design has on social change, behaviour and the planet. Given how politics have also gone bonkers over the last decade, I’ve noticed how design and politics have been intertwined more than ever. Going to design school, it never occurred to me how design could be a form of activism, but I see how it gets weaved in more and more over the years and I think it’s important that we recognize the significance of the work we do.

Do you have a favourite memory/speaker/session from DesignThinkers?

My favourite occurrences are when I have no preconceived notions of the speaker or session, and I leave feeling inspired and activated. A few that stood out for me in no particular order:

• Nancy Duarte from 2008 (changed my opinion about Powerpoint!)
• Jake and Pum Lefebure of Design Army from 2012
• Andrew Zolty of BREAKFAST from 2014
• Albert Shum of Microsoft from 2016
• Jessica Bellamy of GRIDS from 2018
• The various sessions where I got to introduce and/or interact with the speakers between 2019-2021

What keeps you coming back year after year?

It’s too easy to live and work in your bubble, whether you’re conscious of it or not. DesignThinkers is a tangible way to break out of it. For me, it’s like a forced break from the daily work grind without it counting towards vacation days, I’m listening to industry experts who I may not have otherwise met or heard of, and I get to geek out on specific topics with my people that I don’t typically get to geek out on in the office! The other big reason I keep coming back is to be inspired by speakers who are passionate about their projects and how it affects and shapes the world we’re living in.

What would you say to someone considering attending for the first time?

It’s easy and understandable to become overwhelmed by the volume of choices and sessions. Doing a little background research on the topics and speakers will help make decisions easier, but also go with an open mind and a have-fun attitude. Some of the best sessions I’ve been to were completely random selections where I had no expectations at all.

What are you most looking forward to at this year’s conference?

The last two years were a wonder in accessibility as everything went virtual, the content was spread out over two weeks and geography wasn’t a barrier. This time, I’m looking forward to concentrating all of that back to two days, and connecting with the people who I was only able to see on screen in real life!

John Baljkas (top left) is a Professor at Conestoga College. For years, John has attended DesignThinkers Toronto with his students. Below, John shares about why he finds the conference so valuable for himself as an educator and the emerging designers he teaches.

You’ve been attending DesignThinkers for over 10 years! Where were you in your career when you first started attending? 

I attended DesignThinkers for the first time when working in design studios in Toronto. At the time, I was two years into my career and was inspired and motivated to learn more about design practices, and specific speakers, their work and have new perspectives and approaches for my own design practice. There were gap years in attending the conference, but for the past 10+ years as a full-time faculty member, the value of DesignThinkers for myself and students is invaluable for defining future careers.   

How do you find DesignThinkers inspires or informs your work as an educator?

The presenters at DesignThinkers often show a balance of design skills and empathy in their projects. As an educator, this is inspiring and informs and expands our collective understanding of design practices in relation to other disciplines and communities. I’ve seen many talks that discuss design in relation to creative goals, business, accessibility, sustainability, cultural artifacts, social justice and technology. The curation of speakers from different parts of the design community offers different perspectives on the roles designers have in businesses, communities, and education.

Do you have a favourite memory/speaker/session from DesignThinkers?

I’ve had a lot of ‘aha’ moments over the past decade. For me, the great part of the conference is the ability to see a speaker’s talk and then talk to them after their presentation or contact them after the conference. It’s also a great time to meet up with former colleagues!

What keeps you coming back year after year?

I keep coming back to DesignThinkers for the speakers and sense of community built by the conference. There’s such a great energy in the theatre during the in-person/live talks. Personally, I enjoy hearing peoples’ perspectives on design and seeing their work.

What would you say to another design educator considering attending for the first time?

As design practices are continually changing, DesignThinkers and associated events are extremely relevant to maintaining a current [and up-to-date] curriculum. Students attending the conference, studio tours and social events get excited about the design field, their work, and inspired to pursue new paths in design they may not have considered before.

If you could sum up the experience of attending DesignThinkers in one word, what would it be?

Relevant.

Lauralee Sheehan is a design thinker and digital addict, but above all, an artist. In advance of her session at DesignThinkers Toronto, we asked her a few questions about her talk, switching careers and how you can stay grounded when the rate of change in the industry gets overwhelming.

You worked in the music industry for a number of years before moving into design. What prompted the switch?

I was realizing that experience design was something we were doing in the band. Digital and design were becoming a huge part of band life in 2015ish (digital posters, vid’s, web assets, social media, etc) and that opened up a lot of doors. Coming from an extremely creative and wild industry like music, I had an edge in how I thought about digital experience design and the concepting that goes along with it. AND … I needed a break from music. Sometimes you have to break up with your passion to rediscover and reimagine it for yourself.

Your talk is titled, “Design and Create Like an Indie Band, Circa 2008.” Without giving too much away, what can attendees expect from your talk?

Around 2012, the music industry was drastically changing with major digital disruptions. It maybe started with Napster back in the day and then MySpace, etc. I think musicians had to think about their art in a whole new way, and that meant from process to format to sustainability to intent. The digital and design space seems to be going through something similar now, with online content and consumption blowing up, as well as the impact of design communication. There are a lot of lessons to think about when being on the producing side, so I will give away some of my key lessons that helped me weather major disruption in music and keep my art process agile and responsive.

A common criticism of our hyper-digital world is that our connection on a human level gets lost. Do you agree? How can designers create in a way that’s human-centered yet digitally compelling?

This is a great, big question. And one that I think about a lot, having a digital company. Digital is great, but it’s not great for everything, always. Kind of like in film, I’m always trying to figure out how to “break the fourth wall” in our digital builds and design systems/visual communication. My team is really fantastic about what the experience will be for the user, and we think about how to layer in and embed connection, even in an asynchronous experience. It’s not easy and especially now, there is a lot of digital fatigue, but I always look at digital design as a way to augment and support IRL connection.

What would you say to someone who’s feeling overwhelmed about the amount of change and adaptation the industry is asking of us?

Keep your creative vision close to your heart and mind always. Through massive change, you can easily forget about your unique design style and perspective. Use your vision as a bit of an anchor, but also as a point of iteration. Maybe there are things you can try that you didn’t think about before that don’t take away from your design perspective but maybe, in fact, add more to that perspective and push you out of your comfort zone.

What are you looking forward to about coming to DesignThinkers in Toronto?

Everything! But mostly being in the room with people who really, really <3 design. There’s a buzz that happens when you gather to think about things, big and little, and DesignThinkers Toronto is always such a classy and thought-provoking space to do so!

Catch Lauralee’s talk on October 27 at 11:00 a.m.

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’s just a sample of the topics on this year’s schedule:

• Work smarter, not harder: Strategies for creating great work, efficiently
• Me, myself and I: Succeeding as a solo practitioner
• Good design is for everybody: Sharing accessibility tools, resources and processes
• Challenges of working in a non-creative environment
• Passion projects: Making work for fun, because it’s fun to do
• In-house brand management
• “Don’t you just make things pretty?”: Turning clients into design advocates
• Imposter syndrome who? Gaining confidence in your skills and abilities
• Champagne taste on a beer budget: Doing more with less

Mitch Goldstein is a designer, artist, author and educator based in upstate New York. In advance of his session at DesignThinkers Toronto, we asked him a few questions about his talk, making the most of imposter syndrome and what’s inspiring him lately.

Your DesignThinkers talk is titled, “I Have No Idea What I’m Doing.” Without giving too much away, what can attendees expect from your session? 

Mostly what I want people to learn from my sessions is this: expertise is overrated, and you can exploit your own amatuer-ness, lack of knowledge, and newness at stuff to try things you normally would not. Leaning into this is a gift that should not be wasted!

You advocate for finding joy in imposter syndrome. Have you always felt this way? 

It took me a while to realize that what we call ‘imposter syndrome’ is really just ‘being human’ — everyone I have ever admired admits to feeling like that sometimes, so I think it is simply part of the human condition; and when we can use this feeling to our advantage, that’s when it becomes useful and fun.

Emerging designers often feel imposter syndrome the most. How does your mindset about curiosity and managing self-doubt inform your work as an educator?

Endlessly and always. As an educator, part of my job is to be actively curious. Realizing that not knowing exactly how to do something is not necessarily a good reason to not try it is a game changer. This is especially important for new designers — if you only did exactly what you know how to do… you would not get to do much!

Speaking of being curious, what’s piquing your interest lately?

I have been focusing mostly on my MFA thesis in Furniture Design, which I should (hopefully) finish this Spring — what I am looking at is manifesting life’s chaos, complexity, and unpredictability in visual art.

What are you most looking forward to about coming to DesignThinkers in Toronto?

I have not been to an in-person conference in almost 4 years! It will be amazing to see a bunch of people, all interested in similar things, all together for 2 days — I am very much looking forward to seeing people.

Catch Mitch’s talk on October 28 at 2:15 p.m. ET.

Art Director, Information Officer for the ADO, Tom attended the very first DesignThinkers in Toronto in 2000, and he’s attended every single conference since! We spoke with Tom about how the conference has changed over the years, and what keeps him coming back 20+ years later.

You first attended DesignThinkers in 2000! Where were you in your career at that time?

By 2000 I had 14–15 years of experience, but no career development since college. Computers were starting to take over the industry like a wild fire and changing everything about the industry.

The design industry and the profession has changed a lot since 2000. How have you seen these changes reflected over the years at the conference?

RGD recognized this critical distinction and redirected its focus to developing our profession as a business first and helped us realize that digital technology needed to follow, not form, the direction of our creativity.

Do you have a favourite memory/speaker/session from DesignThinkers?

I’ve really loved seeing some of my design idols presenting, as well as being introduced to new ones.

You’ve attended every DesignThinkers conference since its inception. What keeps you coming back year after year?

The desire and need to continue learning keeps me coming back to DesignThinkers.

What would you say to someone considering attending for the first time?

This is one of the few things I’d say you can’t afford to miss, if you are serious about being a communications professional – regardless if you’re a student or seasoned professional.

What are you most looking forward to at this year’s conference?

Definitely the in-person aspect this year is very exciting for me for 2022. Even though I’ll probably wear a mask.

Jennifer Taback RGD and Meggan Van Harten RGD, Co-Founders of Design de Plume Inc., have been attending DesignThinkers since they were students. Now running their own firm, they not only continue to attend the conference, but they also bring numerous members of their Sudbury-based team.

We spoke with Jenn (L) and Meggan (R) about why they prioritize attending DesignThinkers with their staff.

As a firm owner, why do you invest in this opportunity for your team?

Jenn: I’ve found so much of value at the conference, all the way from being a student to a firm owner. I want my team to experience the same information, excitement and inspiration I have on their own creative journeys. There is nowhere else I can find such broadly informative sessions for all levels of my staff.

What is the make-up of your team that attends?

Jenn: It varies by year; this year the team is a bit smaller, but we usually have 2 to 3 graphic designers and 3 firm owners (Jenn and Meggan co-own Design de Plume with Mélissa Deschênes RGD, above centre).

Meggan: We offer the conference to not only design staff, but also project managers and developers. Team empathy is very important for laying down trust and if everyone is exposed to new ideas and ways of thinking, it can only further team trust.

How has it been valuable for your team to attend as a group?

Jenn: Having a shared experience where we can cover different ground and come together to chat about how those ideas might impact our own work is so valuable to us. Even hearing the same talk, each member of the team takes away something different, and it’s really exciting to develop those different perspectives.

What keeps you coming back year after year?

Jenn: The variety of speakers, the great topics, and the amazing amount of energy that’s contained for a brief moment during the conference. It is one of my favourite times of the year!

Meggan: Being able to connect with the design community at large and seeing the growth of the industry on a large scale.

What would you say to a firm owner who might be interested in bringing their team?

Jenn: Make it a fun team trip, spend the day learning and soaking in ideas and have a great dinner to chat about where everyone’s thoughts are at afterwards!

If you could sum up the experience of attending DesignThinkers with your team in one word, what would it be?

Jenn: Renewing.

Invest in your team’s learning at DesignThinkers Toronto. Groups of 3+ people can register at the Group rate, and groups of 10+ receive even deeper discounts. Email Heidi at [email protected] to enquire.

In the coming weeks, RGD President Nicola Hamilton will chat on Instagram Live with a few DesignThinkers speakers about their work and upcoming sessions at the conference.

All are invited to tune in to this series to learn, ask questions and get excited for our first in-person conference in Toronto since 2019.

Current Schedule

• Thursday, September 15 at 4:00 p.m. ET

Jolene Delisle, Founder & Head of Creative at The Working Assembly

• Thursday, September 22 at 3:00 p.m. ET

Eric Hu, Independent Creative Director & Typographer

• Thursday, September 29 at 12:00 p.m. ET

Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, Co-Founders of Studio MinaLima

• Thursday, October 6 at 3:00 p.m. ET

Patrick Thomas, Graphic Artist, Author & Educator

• Thursday, October 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET

Morag Myerscough, Artist & Designer

Where to find us

The IG Live series is taking place on the RGD’s Instagram. Follow us to make sure you don’t miss any updates.

First attending DesignThinkers in 2002 as a student, Kathleen Scott RGD, Creative Strategy Team Lead at Bruce Power (L), now attends the conference alongside her team. We spoke with Kathleen about attending with her colleagues and why it’s a value experience for everyone.

What was the process like for getting approval for your team to go?

We’re fortunate that we work for a company that prioritizes continuous learning and professional development opportunities. Before our team registers, I have a conversation with our manager to confirm we are able to attend.

What is the make-up of your team that attends?

Four graphic designers from our team attend.

How has it been valuable to attend as a group?

Our team took advantage of various virtual conferences during the pandemic, but nothing beats the shared experience of getting out of the office, spending time in downtown Toronto and watching inspiring design presentations together. We always return to work with new ideas and our creative batteries recharged.

What keeps you coming back year after year?

The quality of speakers and their presentations keeps us coming back to DesignThinkers year after year. I often say how lucky we are to have this world-class design conference right here, in Canada. The conference also allows us to see old colleagues and classmates that we may have otherwise lost touch with. It’s a fun reunion and great networking opportunity each year.

What would you say to a creative lead who might be interested in bringing their team?

If you’re a creative lead who is interested in bringing your team, definitely do it! It creates space for your team to learn, meet other design teams and provides exposure to current trends in the industry. I would also recommend checking to see if your company or department has a portion of their budget set aside for professional development to use for the conference. If not, see if attending DT can be included in next year’s budget.

If you could sum up the experience of attending DesignThinkers with your team in one word, what would it be?    

Recharging.

Grow together and learn as a creative team at DesignThinkers Toronto. Groups of 3+ people can register at the Group rate, and groups of 10+ receive even deeper discounts. Email Heidi at [email protected] to enquire.