Locations: Toronto
Marjorie Malpass
Founder & CEO, Nerve Strategic
Marjorie Malpass began her career on stage—touring internationally in theatre, improv, comedy and acting in film, TV and voice work.
Temi Coker
Visual Artist
Temi Coker is an absolute force of creativity, depicting layers of his Nigerian culture with colours, patterns, dimensions and textures.
Finding his style by merging a love for photography and graphic design, he creates powerful experiences that move and challenge beauty standards. His work is a movement. His clients include Adobe, Apple, Google, HBO and the Oscars.
Lauren Wong Lee & Gabby Lord
Founders of SUPER KEEN
Lauren Wong and Gabby Lord founded SUPERKEEN in 2021 to create the kind of studio they always wanted to work for.
As Creative Director, Gabby creates story-led brand systems that are based on a strategic foundation. Prior to SUPERKEEN, Gabby worked at leading design studios across Sydney, Berlin and NYC. She has worked on brands like Apple Music Awards, Ableton, Netflix, and RBMA. Gabby curates a directory called OMGLORD that shares thoughts on design, creativity, and handy resources. As Strategy Director, Lauren helps founders translate their vision into clear strategy and compelling creative work. She has worked with big global brands like Samsung, Google and Airbnb as well as dozens of founder-led startups like Propel, Oura and Tempo. Lauren taught at Parsons School of Design and mentors at New Inc, an arts and technology incubator from New Museum.
Edel Rodriguez
Artist & Author at Edel Rodriguez Studio
Known for his bold, politically charged illustration, Edel Rodriguez uses a variety of materials in his work. He has created covers for TIME, The New Yorker, Communication Arts and Der Spiegel, and has collaborated with The New York Times and the US Postal Service.
Other clients include Billboard Magazine, Conde Naste Traveler, Esquire, Fortune, Hyperion Books, Los Angeles Times, McGraw-Hill, MTV, New York Magazine, Nike, Pepsi, Rolling Stone, The New Republic, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, University of Chicago Press and Vibe. He is the recipient of both a Gold and a Silver Medal for editorial illustration from the Society of Illustrators. He has illustrated three children’s books, Mama does the Mambo, Oye Celia, a biopic about Celia Cruz, and Float Like a Butterfly, a story about Cassius Clay. His 2023 memoir, Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey tells his story of migration and identity.
Thomas Hull
Chair of Graphic Design at Savannah College of Art and Design
Prior to joining SCAD, the largest and most influential graphic design program in the US, Thomas Hull was Partner and Design Director of Rigsby Hull, a communications brand consultancy where he worked with a diverse range of Fortune 500 companies and organizations including Dell, Sappi Fine Papers, Thornton Tomasetti and the Union of Concerned Scientists.
His work is part of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum’s permanent collection, the Denver Art Museum and Columbia University. The New York Times’ art critic Steven Heller profiles Rigsby Hull’s work in his A Century of Design Milestones. And in each of its 40th, 50th and 60th Anniversary issues Communication Arts has cited Thomas’ work as among the most influential in American Graphic Design.
Serena Wong
Calligrapher & Lettering Artist
Serena Wong is a self-taught calligrapher and lettering artist.
With a background in marketing and a full-time career in the toy industry, she offers custom calligraphy and lettering for brands and events, blending creativity with strategic impact. Since beginning her lettering journey in 2017, Serena has specialized in modern brush calligraphy and expanded her practice to include pointed pen, engraving, painting, foiling and embossing on a wide range of surfaces. Inspired by her father’s Chinese calligraphy, she finds joy in creating personalized experiences—whether it’s a custom gift, a live brand activation or edible calligraphy on her hand-decorated sugar cookies.
Jamie Chang
Founder, Manic Type
Jamie Chang is a seasoned type designer who champions bold and expressive letters and the spirits they can embody.
He designs letters that give brands and ideas a voice of their own. Jamie is a graduate of the York/Sheridan Joint Degree Program and Type@Cooper, and holds an MA in Type and Media from The Royal Academy of Art in the Hague. He has created work for Apple, Canada Type, DINAMO and The Northern Block. His work can be found on Adobe, Type Network and Future Fonts.
Andrea Rodriguez RGD
Creative Designer & Mural Artist
Andrea Rodriguez is known for transforming spaces into vibrant storytelling canvases.
With over 13 years of experience in graphic design and art direction, Andrea has built a thriving freelance practice collaborating with top-tier organizations, cultural institutions and community groups. Drawing inspiration from her Colombian-Canadian heritage, her murals and design projects are celebrated for their bold colours and meaningful narratives. Andrea actively mentors emerging designers through organizations such as the RGD, Workman Arts and OCAD University. Passionate about empowering the next generation of creative entrepreneurs, Andrea’s workshops blend practical strategies with genuine insights, equipping designers with the tools and inspiration to turn their passion into sustainable, profitable careers.
Valentina D’Efilippo
Information Designer
Valentina D’Efilippo is a designer, creative director and author renowned for her ability to inspire, move and connect people through data-driven experiences.
Her work includes the critically acclaimed The Infographic History of the World and the innovative Britannica’s Encyclopedia Infographica, a children’s encyclopedia filled with facts and infographics about the universe, wildlife and human anatomy. Valentina’s creativity and insight have led to collaborations with diverse organizations, from startups to global brands, in various fields and formats, including theatre performances, exhibitions and digital platforms. Beyond her projects, Valentina is passionate about education and knowledge sharing, offering coaching to corporate teams, lecturing at institutions like Columbia Business School and running popular Masterclasses. Her contributions to the field have been internationally exhibited and are part of the permanent collection at the Weltmuseum in Vienna. She was named one of Campaign’s 30 Future Creative Female Leaders in 2018.
Adam J. Kurtz
Best-selling Author & Artist
Adam JK is a Toronto-born, Honolulu-based artist whose illustrative work is rooted in honesty, humour and a little bit of darkness.
His books and journals, including Things Are What You Make of Them, have sold over a million copies in 20 languages worldwide. Obsessed with aphorisms and ephemera, Adam’s work seeks to craft new reminders from familiar sources, offering his brand of “back-handed optimism” as a token of encouragement and camaraderie for other creative, emotional and deeply human people.