DesignThinkers 2023
It had been a few years since I was able to attend an RGD DesignThinkers conference for work. I had actually forgotten just how educational, inspiring, and genuinely fun this local graphic design conference could be.
From the second you walk into the venue, you’re slapped in the face by bright, creative design that opens your mind.
As someone who designs in-house, sometimes my brain can get bogged down by brand standards and how things are “supposed” to be done.
Getting the opportunity to throw those guidelines out the window and really exercise your creative thinking is so vital for that professional growth.
Day One of the two-day conference in Toronto, I sat in on some pretty incredible sessions.
👋🏻 Natural Born Seller with Chris Do: learning how to sell your skills as a freelance designer
💻 Total Agency with Forest Young: inspiring the artist in me to find my style
🗺️ Positive Impacts of Typography on Society with Peter Bil’ak: learning about the importance of having all languages around the world represented in digital typefaces to keep them from disappearing
✍🏻 Designing for Trust with Dalit Shalom: learning how layout and design can make a news story look like fact, and how to design an opinion piece to ensure readers know it is an opinion
🎨 Interplay of AI and Creativity in Design with Paul Trani: inspiring me to learn about Adobe AI tools and engage in creative play with these tools
Onto Day Two, where the sessions were just as engaging.
🌈 Creativity is a Discipline of Optimism with Tina Roth Eisenberg: inspiring me to approach every project with pure creativity and potential
💻 Accessibility in Digital Typography with Eleni Beveratou: learning about what makes a typeface accessible, and how to ensure design is easy to read
🗺️ I Never Had a Plan with Mike Schnaidt: teaching me that it is so rare to actually have a life plan and follow it; your life will fall into place if you leave yourself open to opportunities
✊ The Racial Politics of Graphic Design with Neela Imani: learning about how design perpetuates racial stereotypes, how to identify these visualizations, and how to actively design more inclusively
🙋🏻♀️ Building a Better Digital You with Dorothea Bozicolona-Volpe: learning how to stand out as an individual as a digital creator online
🧠 Reskilling in the Age of AI with Hajj Flemings: learning how to embrace the change that AI brings and add it to your skillset rather than fight it
Overall, I had such a great time at DesignThinkers absorbing so much from so many amazing creative minds.
Since then, I’ve been facing my fear of AI tools and started playing with AI in Illustrator and Firefly. Attending the conference really helped me to remember the importance of stretching my creative muscles on a regular basis, and appreciating the process of creating for the sake of creating.