DesignThinkers Podcast (The Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD))

Welcome to the DesignThinkers Podcast! Join host and RGD President, Nicola Hamilton as she digs into the archives of the DesignThinkers conference, reconnecting with past speakers about their talks and ideas that have shaped Canada's largest graphic design conference. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

In this Bonus Episode of the DesignThinkers podcast, we hear from John Furneaux RGD. John is Managing Director, Toronto at PS&Co Brand Studio. He’s led his own firm, B3 Strategy and held executive positions at a handful of leading brand consultancies. I’m talking to John about his time at Karacters, who were our DesignThinkers Brand Partner in 2006. That means John helped lead the team who developed the conference identity that year—it turns out he was also RGD President in 2006. We revisit what he remembers about the conference, the identity and his experience being a part of both. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

In this episode, we sit down with the Paula Scher. Paula is one of the most acclaimed graphic designers in the world. Since 1991, she has been a partner at Pentagram New York, where her work for the Public Theatre, the Museum of Modern Art, Shake Shack and the High Line has become landmarks of modern branding. We talk about her early career, life at Pentagram, and how she’s still designing well into her seventies. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week, I sit down with designer, lettering artist, and muralist Lauren Hom. Lauren is best known for turning her passion projects into thriving design businesses. Over the past decade, Lauren has created work for clients like Vans, Target, Google, and Adobe. I’m catching Lauren at the tail end of her most recent side quest: a year-long adventure into the culinary arts. Lauren talks about balancing culinary school with her freelance practice and shares some tactics for committing to personal projects and building creative confidence. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week's episode features Annie Atkins, a leading voice in the world of graphic props and design for film. Based in Dublin, Ireland, Annie has designed graphic pieces for multiple Oscar-nominated films: including the animated feature The Boxtrolls, Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies and West Side Story, and Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs, French Dispatch, and the Grand Budapest Hotel – the latter which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Production Design. We talk about her early career which was full of fits and starts as she found her niche. You can hear her love of history and research throughout the conversation, especially when she talks about designing in character—and the way imperfect assets feel more real. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

Welcome to our first bonus episode of the DesignThinkers podcast! Each year, RGD asks a different Canadian agency or studio to tackle the conference identity. In these shorter episodes, I’ll be speaking with some of those folks—our past DesignThinkers Brand Partners.  In this episode, I have pleasure of chatting with Vanessa Eckstein, founder of blok design. Vanessa and the team at blok design were our Design Partner in 2002, but Vanessa was involved with the conference since it's very beginning.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week’s guest is the one and only Sagi Haviv. Sagi is a partner and designer at Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv—a firm responsible for some of the most famous logos of all time. Their clients include Chase Bank, NBC, State Farm, OBS, NYU, Animal Planet and the US Open to name a few. Sagi also teaches Visual Identity Design at the School of Visual Arts in New York and has penned a couple of books on the topic of identity design. It’s his dedication to crafting beautiful symbols and his deep knowledge of brands that have made Sagi a compelling DesignThinkers speaker. In this episode, we talk about his early career working under legends Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar, what it means to design a logo today and why presentations are so valuable for our clients. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week’s guest is Ellen Lupton. Ellen is a designer, writer, and educator. She’s written and contributed to at least thirty books including Thinking With Type and Extra Bold: A Feminist, Inclusive, Anti-Racist, Nonbinary Field Guide for Graphic Designers. She teaches in the Graphic Design MFA program at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore (MICA), where she serves as the Betty Cooke and William O. Steinmetz Design Chair. She is Curator Emerita at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City, where her exhibitions included Herbert Bayer: Bauhaus Master and The Senses: Design Beyond Vision. Ellen’s practice is really varied, and we talk about what it’s like to wear all the hats she wears and the joy she experiences saying yes to all of the things. She also talks about her role as a design educator, and the challenges and opportunities of teaching an international student body. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week's guest is Forest Young. Forest just announced his new position at Fundamentalco, where he leads the design discipline for new economy clients as part of a senior business acceleration team, with singular focus on value creation. Prior to that, Forest has been the Global Head of Brand at Rivian and the Chief Creative Officer at Wolff Ollins. In this episode, we talk about the past, present and future of design. We cover his comfort level as a speaker, the responsibility of designers working in innovative tech spaces, and what transitioning between agency and in-house environments has taught him about making work.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

In this Bonus Episode of the DesignThinkers podcast, I sit down with Glenda Rissman and Darrell Corriveau of q30 design. Glenda co-founded q30 design with Peter Scott in 1991, Darrell joined as Creative Director Interactive, in 1993. Today Glenda is a regular civilian, having retired from the industry, while Darrell is still at q30 as their VP of Digital. We caught up about the DesignThinkers identity they worked on in 2007, one that was a big step forward into the world of interactivity.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week's guest is Pentagram partner, Michael Bierut. Michael has been at Pentagram for more than 30 years. He's led projects for clients like The New York Times, MIT Media Lab, Mastercard, Princeton University, and the New York Jets. He's also the cofounder of the Design Observer and has authored countless books on graphic design. In this episode, we talk about his early career landing in New York City in 1980. We discuss his first job, working at Vignelli Associates, and what it was like to unravel that influence later in his career.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week’s guest is a DesignThinkers favourite. Aaron Draplin lives and works in Portland, Oregon. He makes work, under the moniker Draplin Design Co., for rock bands, comedians, restaurants, festivals and leftie politicians. He also makes typefaces, for the recently launched DDC Fonts, and has a DDC merch line that’s produced over 350 products. In 2016, he published his first book, titled “Pretty Much Everything”. It’s now in its twelfth printing! In this week’s episode, we talk about the immense privilege of living a creative life, the value of making work for the big bucks and not so big bucks, and what Aaron is thinking about now as he enters his next decade.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week’s guest is Erin Sarofsky. Erin is an internationally heralded creative, regularly chosen by brand and entertainment titans to lead their most artful storytelling projects. Erin launched Sarofsky Corp in 2009, in Chicago’s West Loop. The firm has forged long standing relationships in the advertising and entertainment industries, but they’re best known for their main title sequences for movies like: “Peacemaker,” “The Staircase”,  “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “We Were the Lucky Ones,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and, of course,  “Community.” In this episode, Erin and I talk about the challenges of bouncing between our creative and business brains. We spend a lot of time talk about what it takes to build a sustainable creative business, (i.e. cash flow). And we wrap up by talking about The Skrimps, Erin’s adorable and hilarious AI-generated characters. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week’s guest is Steven Heller. Steven is the co-chair and co-founder of the School of Visual Arts MFA Design program. He was a senior art director at the New York Times for 33 years. He is the author or co-author of 200 books, mostly on design and pop culture, and has been contributing editor to PRINT, BASELINE, EYE and other design magazines. You'd know his writing best under the slug The Daily Heller at printmag.com. In this episode, we talk about how he got started, how he’s seen the industry change, and the value of chronicling things to better understand our experiences. It’s a meandering conversation—the best kind of conversation in my opinion.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

Each year, RGD asks a different Canadian design agency or studio to tackle the conference identity. In these shorter episodes, I’ll be speaking with some of those folks—our past DesignThinkers Design Partners. In this episode, I chat with Mike Kelar and Mikey Richardson. Their titles are both Co-Founder and Co-ECD at Jacknife. In 2008, the year they were our Design Partner, Mike and Mikey were working as AmoebaCorp. They took a very hands-on approach to the work but I’ll let them tell you more.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

Each year, RGD asks a different Canadian design agency or studio to tackle the conference identity. In these shorter episodes, I’ll be speaking with some of those folks—our past DesignThinkers Design Partners. In this episode, I sit down with Dominic Ayre RGD. Dominic is the Creative Director at Hambly & Woolley, who worked on the conference identity in 2009. Dominic also plays a big role in helping RGD identify DesignThinkers speakers each year, so you’ll hear a little bit about that process too.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

Karin Fong is an Emmy award-winning director and designer. She’s a founding member of Imaginary Forces, where she works at the intersection of live-action, design, and animation. If you’ve watched shows like Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Little Fires Everywhere, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, or feature films like Spider-Man: No Way Home or Slumberland—you’ve encountered Karin’s work. She’s also helmed spots for major brands, including LEGO, Lexus, Target, Google, PlayStation, and Herman Miller. At the root of it all, Karin is a visual storyteller and in this episode, we talk about all the ways the film industry has changed and all the ways it’s stayed the same. Plus, Karin takes us behind-the-scenes and really breaks down the process of designing film titles.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week’s guest has been named “one of the most creative people in business” by Fast Company, “one of the most influential designers working today” by GDUSA, and a “Woman of Influence” by Success magazine. It’s author, educator, curator and podcast pioneer, Debbie Millman. I first interviewed Debbie in 2020 as part of our pandemic-era, Virtual DesignThinkers, where we talked at length about Debbie's professional history. (If you're an RGD Member, you can access that conversation at rgd.ca.) But in this episode, we’re talking about how Debbies splits her time between hosting Design Matters, one of the first and longest running podcasts in the world; Being the chair of the first-ever Masters in Branding Program at the School of Visual Arts; Supporting PrintMag.com, where she’s a co-owner and Editorial Director; and working on her own design, art and writing projects. We discuss turning down big, shiny, professional roles, the value of growth and risk in your work, and why she believes personal branding is a misguided concept.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

Each year, RGD asks a different Canadian design agency or studio to tackle the conference identity. In these shorter episodes, I’ll be speaking with some of those folks—our past DesignThinkers Design Partners. In this episode, I catch up with Tina Mackenzie RGD Emeritus. Tina is a very accomplished graphic design manager. In 2012, the award winning in-house graphic design team at the City of Mississauga—which Tina was leading—was invited to be the first ever, in-house group to design DesignThinkers. Listen in as we talk a bit about the importance of that moment both internally and within the industry at large.

If you're curious to see and read more about the 2012 DesignThinkers branding, you can do that here.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

Khoi Vinh is a Senior Director of Design at Adobe. He’s been a leading figure in the design community for more than two decades. He has led design teams at large companies and startups across the industry. I first sat down with Khoi during our pandemic-era, Virtual DesignThinkers conference. We had a pretty in-depth conversation about the intersection of design and technology. (If you're an RGD Member, you can access that conversation at rgd.ca.) But in this episode, we’re diving right in artificial intelligence. We talk about all the wonderful ways AI and machine learning are accelerating the creative process. We also talk about the things we might lose during that acceleration. We talk about the things that can’t be automated. And of course, we take a quick detour into Khoi’s love of film.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week's guest is Oakland-based designer, lettering artist and NYT best-selling author, Jessica Hische. If you're a child of the internet, you're probably already familiar with Jessica's work. She kicked off her career working at Headcase Design and later as a senior designer working under the great Louise Fili. In 2009, Jessica stepped out on her own as a freelancer. You might remember her Daily Drop Cap project—or more recently, you've likely seen her tidying up some of your favourite wordmarks. In this episode, we look back at Jessica's early days as a creative, the process of reclaiming artist as a title, and about her transition into children's books and shop ownership. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

Each year, RGD asks a different Canadian design agency or studio to tackle the conference identity. In these shorter episodes, I’ll be speaking with some of those folks—our past DesignThinkers Design Partners. In this episode, I catch up with Hans Thiessen RGD. Hans leads the design team at Rethink—an agency that’s been named AdAge’s Creative Agency of the Year, one of Fast Company’s Top 10 Most Innovative Creative Agencies, and Strategy's Creative & Design Agency of the Year five years in a row, and counting. Rethink was our DesignThinkers Design Partner in 2017 and Hans was on the team that executed that work. Listen in as we recount that process—and the speed bump they hit along the way.

If you're curious to see and read more about the 2017 DesignThinkers branding, you can do that here.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week's guest is Liza Enebeis, Partner and Creative Director at Studio Dumbar/DEPT®. Studio Dumbar is an award winning international agency with Dutch heritage. They specialize in visual branding and motion and Liza is directly involved in all their main projects. Liza also co-founded and co-hosts Typeradio.org, a podcast on type and design, and co-initiator of the Design in Motion Festival, also known as DEMO. In this episode we talk about her early career and the value of a little discomfort in our process. She also spills the beans on DEMO 2025, which will happen in January. There will be screens around the world—and for the first time ever, also in Vancouver. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week's guest is Michael Johnson. Michael set up Johnson Banks in 1992, after a decade learning design, branding and art direction across the globe. His company is known for how they define, then design, brands that make a difference. ‘Do great work for good people’ is their mantra. He’s produced an enviable portfolio of work and received countless awards, including D&AD’s highest honour, the President’s Award in 2017. In this episode, we talk about starting and sustaining a design business, the value of strategy in our practice, and the criticism the internet lobs at rebrand projects.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

Each year, RGD asks a different Canadian design agency or studio to tackle the conference identity. In these shorter episodes, I’ll be speaking with some of those folks—our past DesignThinkers Design Partners. In this episode, I catch up with Michael Romaniuk. Today, Michael is an Associate Creative Director at Zulu Alpha Kilo. After leaving pre-med in 2018, he executed a surprising direct mail stunt disguised as a FedEx delivery man. He was hired on the spot by Zulu Alpha Kilo and briefed within half an hour. That first brief? It was DesignThinkers. Listen in as Michael recounts that experience.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week's guest is Jennifer Kinon. Jennifer founded Champions Design with Bobby C. Martin, Jr in 2010. Today, Jennifer leads business, design and strategy at Champions. For more than a decade, the firm has crafted meaningful brand strategy and visual identity systems for some of the world’s best brands. At every point in her career, Jennifer has tackled big systems. She served as Design Director of Hillary for America in 2016, Design Director of New York City’s 2012 Olympic Bid and worked in Pentagram’s New York City office with Michael Bierut. In this conversation, we start with the early parts of her career and make our way through the ups and downs she's experienced as a designer and as a business owner.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week's guest is Robert Wong. Robert was born Chinese, grew up Dutch, was Canadian, and is now American. While studying to become an accountant in Toronto, Robert woke up one day, flew to New York, and became a graphic designer instead. Robert is best known for his time leading design at Starbucks and as one of the co-founders of Google Creative Lab, where he still works. In this episode, we retrace his steps to becoming a designer, we discuss how the Google Creative Lab operates, and we dive into how he's thinking about AI.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

Each year, RGD asks a different Canadian design agency or studio to tackle the conference identity. In these shorter episodes, I’ve been speaking with some of our past DesignThinkers Design Partners. In this episode, I catch up with Jonathon Yule and Thomas van Ryzewyk. Both Jonathon and Tom work at Concrete here in Toronto. Jonathon functions as their Director of Design and Tom as Creative Director. Together, they lead branding for DesignThinkers in 2019. We revisit that process—and yes, I ask them about the toonie.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

Brian Collins has presented memorable DesignThinkers talks dating back as far as 2006. Brian is a designer and co-founder of COLLINS, the business transformation company based in San Francisco and New York City. Brian co-founded COLLINS with Leland Maschmeyer in 2008 with a focus not on what they would make, but what they would make possible through design. In this episode, we talk about some of his past presentations, the importance of language in our work and we riff on the idea of risk taking.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

Each year, RGD asks a different Canadian design agency or studio to tackle the conference identity. In these shorter episodes, I’ve been speaking with some of our past DesignThinkers Design Partners. My guest this week is Mo Bofill. Mo is currently a Partner and Executive Creative Director of Design at 123w. In this episode, I’m asking Mo to reflect back on her experience as Executive Design Director at john st where she helped lead the DesignThinkers branding in the chaotic year that was 2020. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

My guest this week is graphic designer and writer Chip Kidd. At Alfred A. Knopf—where he has worked for over 38 years—Chip has designed thousands of book covers. A writer as well, Chip has authored two novels—‘The Cheese Monkeys’ and ‘The Learners’, both national bestsellers. His bio also includes lines like: He was an extra in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ and an answer on Jeopardy in 2002. In this episode, we talk at length about designing book covers. We get into why Chip got into books in the first place, what his process looks like and all the trends he’s avoiding. We also talk about loss and the ways it does or doesn’t affect your creativity. This one is pretty special. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

Getting to chat with Gail Anderson is a dream. Gail is a designer, writer, and educator. And today, Gail Anderson is Chair of BFA Design and BFA Advertising at the School of Visual Arts. She spent the first part of her career working in publishing: books and then stints at The Boston Globe Sunday and Rolling Stone. She went on to make poster art for Broadway and off-Broadway productions at SpotCo before starting her own small design firm, Anderson Newton Design. She’s also one of the most influential Black designers in the game. In this episode, we roll it way back to the early days of her career. We talk about the value of mentors in our early days—and modelling success later in life. We talk about the challenges of switching lanes within the design realm. And of course, we cover her experience teaching design at the School of Visual Arts. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

My guest this week is Grace Hwang. Up until very recently, Grace was working at Microsoft as Partner Director of Device Research + Design. That role encompassed Device Design, Mixed Reality hardware and software, Accessibility, and Sustainability. She believes in the power of human-centered design to cultivate positive change in people, systems, and society—and she brought that belief to that role. In this conversation, we talk about our responsibility as designers, the future of computing, and the ways we bring our own behaviours into our work. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

Each year, RGD asks a different Canadian design agency or studio to tackle the conference identity. In these shorter episodes, I’ve been speaking with some of our past DesignThinkers Design Partners. My guest this week is Partner and Chief Creative Officer at BMD, Laura Stein. In this episode, I’m asking Laura to go back in time to 2020. Bruce Mau Design was our Design Partner in 2021, which meant they were working through the conference branding in the depths of a global pandemic—and the myriad of other crises we experienced during that time. What came out of their process was our DesignReThinkers conference. Listen in as we revisit the process that led us there. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

My guest this week is Partner, Executive Creative Director & Managing Director at BaseNYC. Min Lew was born in Germany, raised in Seoul, and now lives in Brooklyn. Min brings 20 years of experience across culture, technology, luxury, fashion, and more. Her impressive portfolio includes collaborations with clients like Apple, The New York Times, JFK T4 Terminal and MoMA. In this episode we talk about Min's path into design, how to move up the ladder within agency environments and what Min looks for in solid client relationships. Plus, Min lays out some advice for emerging designers. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

Every year, RGD asks a different Canadian design studio or agency to tackle the conference identity. In these shorter episodes, I’ve been speaking with some of our past DesignThinkers Design Partners. My guest this week is Howard Poon, VP of Design at DDB Edmonton. In 2022, Howard and the team at DDB Edmonton tackled the conference identity for our triumphant return to in-person conferences. The execution was a restrained approach packed with iconography. In this episode, Howard and I go back in time to discuss the process that got them there. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

Our guest this week is a global brand leader. Greg Hoffman is the former Chief Marketing Officer at Nike. For 28 years, Greg held marketing, design, and innovation leadership positions at Nike. His role in the rise of marketing and design through that period was recognized when Fast Company named him one of the Most Creative People in Business. Today his primary role is as founder and principal of the brand leadership platform, Modern Arena. In that position Greg advises Fortune 500 brands, startups, and nonprofits about creating brand strength, business growth, and social impact. He engages teams ranging from Apple, Google, and Netflix, to Lego, and Target, on how to build stronger emotional bonds through branding and creativity. In this episode, we’re talking about his years at Nike. That includes what it takes to manage and steer a 600-person design team, how to grow in big corporate environments, and why exploring interest outside of design makes us better designers. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week's guest is Christoper Doyle. With over 22 years of experience, Christopher has established himself as one of Australia’s leading brand and design talents. Based in Sydney, his independent studio, Christopher Doyle & Co., is celebrated for its sharp approach to visual identity, creative direction, campaigns, and digital design. Known for blending curiosity and beauty in his work, Christopher collaborates across disciplines to deliver award-winning designs for clients in music, architecture, film, and the visual arts. We caught up with Christopher for a live recording ahead of his DesignThinkers presentation. We talk about his best and worst projects to date, why he doesn't have a formalized process, the value of openly sharing ideas and how he balances work and family life. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week, it gives me great pleasure to introduce you, our DesignThinkers audience to Vincent Wanga. Vince is new to the DesignThinkers universe. He’ll be joining us on stage in Vancouver next month to talk about creative audacity. Vince is one of those multi-hyphenates—In this episode, we joke that “I do a lot of things” is our shared tagline. He runs a couple of different businesses and has his hands in a myriad of projects. For the purposes of our conversation, Vince is a design leader, a serial entrepreneur and brand consultant. As former VP and head of creative for one of the fastest-growing technology start-ups in North America, he oversaw corporate brand strategy and creative during a period of unprecedented growth. He was with the company from before their Series A to their achievement of a $1 billion “unicorn” valuation. But what Vince is most passionate about right now is creative leadership. In this episode, we dive into his career trajectory. We talk about overcoming adversity, the delusional optimism that he’s gained from those tough experiences and how valuable that delusion can be for entrepreneurs. Wealso  talk about what it means to become a good creative leader and how those leaders should be thinking about new technologies like AI. Enjoy this one!

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

In this episode, I'm zooming into The Meg Lewis Fun House! Meg is an artist, performer and educator transforming the world through joy and playful design. Their bold designs burst with colour, bringing an explosion of energy to brands like Dropbox, Meta, Target and Pinterest. With a background in design, improv, clown, music and stage combat, Meg creates uniquely playful experiences through workshops and talks that spark laughter and inspiration. Meg guides both corporations and individuals to reshape how they work and create, inspiring audiences to tackle life's biggest questions through joy, creative exploration and career strategy. This conversation feels a bit like a pep talk. We explore the idea of leveraging your quirks to scare away the wrong kinds of clients, to ultimately, build the right kind of career for you.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

In this week’s episode, I’m catching up with typeface designer Eleni Beveratou. While working toward her MA in Typeface Design from the University of Reading, she developed an interest in the science of reading for the partially sighted. Her research and findings were published in Digital Fonts and Reading by World Scientific. Today, Eleni works at Dalton Maag, an independent type foundry in London, England. Eleni has worked on projects with brands such as Airbnb, Oracle and Facebook. I’m always excited to geek out with Eleni! Her knowledge base is deep and she’s incredibly skilled at explaining complicated typographic ideas in plain language. Listen in as we discuss the qualities of a good typeface, how Eleni stays on top of—and integrates—changing technology into her work, and the complex world of licensing a font. Plus, near the end, Eleni gives us a little preview of her DesignThinkers Vancouver presentation.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week’s guest is illustrator, art director and fine artist Carson Ting. Carson kicked off his career in Toronto before moving across the country for a dream job at Rethink. Today, Carson is best known as an artist and founder of Chairman Ting. He’s a bit of a legend in Vancouver, where his murals are plentiful and on occasion span entire city blocks. I’m catching up with Carson on the heels of a career reset. While Chairman Ting isn’t going anywhere, he’s doubling down on his fine art practice. We talk about his transition from advertising to fine art, his distaste for client feedback, and how much he loves the kind of procrastination that manifests as play. Plus, I ask him about the role bunnies have played in his life and work—something he’ll be talking more about in his DesignThinkers workshop, titled “Great designers don’t just create; they leave a mark”.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week, I’m sharing my conversation with Catalina Estrada. Catalina is a Colombian illustrator now based in Barcelona. She reinterprets Latin American folklore and expertly documents the natural world in her stunning, and extremely colourful, artwork and patterns. Catalina has worked for major brands like Disney, Netflix and Coca-Cola but she’s also done heaps of self-initiated work for a host of global causes. In this episode we talk about her transition from design into illustration—a story that’s full of childlike curiosity and moments of kismet—and the ways her signature style has evolved over the years. My favourite bit is near the end, where Catalina talks about the value of active patience for creative people. She’s not the kind of patience where you sit on the couch quietly, but instead the kind of patience where you diligently do the work until something magic unfolds. 

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

We’re back and so excited to bring you a second season of the DesignThinkers Podcast! 

DesignThinkers is Canada's largest graphic design conference. Since the year 2000, the Association of Registered Graphic Designers has been bringing together visionaries from a range of disciplines to explore creativity and the design process live and on-stage. 

This podcast is an extension of that mission. We’re here to talk about process, creativity and the business of design with past and present DesignThinkers speakers. Join me, Nicola Hamilton, for a season of candid conversation with creative legends like Meg Lewis, Carson Ting, and Adam JK.

If you like what you hear, join us at one of our conferences in 2025. DesignThinkers in Vancouver is happening this May 13 and 14, and DesignThinkers in Toronto will take place on October 1 and 2. You can find all the details at designthinkers.com.

Tune in on Wednesday, March 26 for our first episode. We’ll have a new episode for you every Wednesday. Follow us on Instagram at @rgdcanada or visit us online at RGD.ca. And if you loved our first season, please leave us a review. It really helps!

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.