Locations: Vancouver
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 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.
Christopher Doyle
Creative Director & Founder at Christopher Doyle & Co.
With over 25 years’ experience, Christopher has worked at some of Australia’s leading brand and design agencies.
Based in Sydney, his eponymous, independent design studio specializes in visual identity, naming and verbal identity, creative direction, campaigns and digital design. Often irreverent, always intelligent, Christopher Doyle & Co. is known for distilling communication in curious and beautiful ways, collaborating with creatives, writers, strategists, photographers, motion designers and developers to create award-winning work for a diverse range of brands across multiple platforms. The firm’s clients, particularly from the worlds of theatre, music, architecture, cuisine, visual arts, film and photography, have included Tsu Lange Yor, Spotify, TikTok, The Jezebels, Bell Shakespeare, and Theatre Royal Sydney. Christopher also once found a piece of Nutri-Grain breakfast cereal that looked like E.T. and sold it on eBay for a thousand dollars. True story.
Elizabeth Goodspeed
Designer, Writer & Educator
Elizabeth is the U.S. Editor-at-Large for It’s Nice That, where she writes a popular monthly column on graphic design.
Her writing on design history and visual culture has appeared in Fast Company, PORT, The Architect’s Newspaper and Eye on Design. Her criticism and commentary have been cited in The New York Times, New York Magazine, Dwell, CNN, Eater, Vox and Business of Fashion, among other publications and media outlets.
As a designer, she works independently across brand identity, editorial and art direction projects, often drawing from archival research and visual history to inform contemporary design systems and print work. Her clients include A24, Herman Miller, Phaidon, HBO and The Whitney Museum, as well as design studios like Pentagram, Interbrand, Mythology and Porto Rocha.
She publishes Casual Archivist, a newsletter about ephemera, and teaches at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and Parsons. In 2024, she was selected as a Young Guns winner by The One Club for Creativity.
Dalit Shalom
Director of Product Design at The New York Times
Dalit oversees the creation of new formats, spaces and tools that advance the future of storytelling at The New York Times.
She also leads design and strategy for various workstreams for the company’s AI Initiatives. Previously Dalit focused on trust and credibility, collaborating with newsroom desks and the masthead to develop features that clarify The Times’ journalism for its readers. An educator as well as a practitioner, she teaches design thinking classes at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering and ITP.
Mustaali Raj
Independent Creative Director, Graphic Designer & Visual Artist
Being both a third culture kid and an avid traveller, Mustaali’s sense of belonging extends well beyond geographic boundaries.
This multi-faceted sense of belonging and experiences play an important role in how he explores the intersection of identities through his work. He is a circle, living in a square, drawing triangles.
Dominic Prevost
Executive Creative Director at Resonance
Dom is Group Creative Director at Resonance and also teaches at IDEA School of Design (Capilano University) and Miami Ad School.
With a multi-disciplinary approach and years of international experience, Dom has created award-winning, fully-integrated campaigns for some of the world’s most iconic brands including Nike, adidas, Benetton, lululemon, Foot Locker, Mercedes, Ford, Johnnie Walker, Red Bull, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Ministry of Sound, Playstation and Ubisoft. Originally from Montreal, he has worked in advertising and design agencies in London, Paris, Sydney, Melbourne, Treviso, Toronto and Vancouver. While challenging, each journey amplified his skillset as a creative and kept him open and curious. His work has been recognized in the industry’s major award shows, including the Cannes Lions, One Show, London International and ADCC.
Elana Rudick RGD
Founder & Creative Director of Design is Yummy
Elana is the Founder of Design Is Yummy, an award-winning Montreal-based design studio known for their bold, impactful graphics.
For over 15 years, her team has helped businesses and organizations communicate their values with clarity. Rooted in respect for the rich histories and identities of the communities they serve, the studio approaches every project with care, curiosity and a commitment to helping clients connect more deeply with their audiences.
Believing that design is most effective when it serves people first, Elana collaborates with clients across arts and culture, education, healthcare, hospitality and government, including the Segal Centre for Performing Arts, the Cree Nation, Moxy Hotel and Myra’s Kids Foundation. Doing great work for great people making a difference in the world is what fuels the studio. Under her leadership, the women-led team has built a reputation for professionalism, reliability and outstanding creative that delivers results.
A seasoned creative leader, Elana has built and led design teams, worked with countless creatives and cultivated a studio culture grounded in shared purpose. Whether guiding clients through complex brand challenges or mentoring emerging designers, she advocates for the power of thoughtful design.
Elana is a speaker on design and the business of running a studio, sharing insights on authenticity, partnership and building a fulfilling career. She also mentors within the creative community to support growth and encourage creative confidence.
Diana Varma RGD
Design Educator & Podcaster
Diana is an award-winning lecturer by day, and an avid podcaster by night.
She teaches within the School of Graphic Communications Management (GCM), as well as the Master of Digital Media (MDM) program at Toronto Metropolitan University where she helps students connect their technical left brains, creative right brains and entrepreneurial hearts for fulfilling careers in creative industries. Diana is also an advocate for living your most confidently creative life, having recently produced a course for Domestika on the topic. Diana has 150+ published articles in Graphic Arts Magazine, as well as through the RGD. She firmly believes that more problems should be solved by “lip-syncing for your life.”