DesignThinkers is Canada’s largest annual design conference, and one of the most respected in the world, welcoming professionals from the creative and business communities alike.

The theme for this year’s event, developed by the in-house design team at the City of Mississauga and writer Doug Dolan, is The Sacred Order of Alternative Ideas with the Latin motto finire cogitationes ad infinitum: limit your thinking to the limitless. The campaign’s visual language revolves around optical illusions, which are images that appear to be two different things simultaneously.

Twenty-five speakers, from New Zealand, Italy, England, Spain and more, will impart their wisdom to an audience of over 1,300. The diverse line-up includes:

• Glenn John Arnowitz, Director of Global Creative Services, Pfizer
• Susan Bradley, Film Titles Designer, Pixar
• David Butler, VP, Innovation, Coca-Cola Company
• Tom Esligner, Worldwide Creative Innovation Director, Saatchi & Saatchi NY
• Francesco Franchi, Art Director, leading Italian daily newsmagazine Intelligence in lifestyle
• Jake & Pum Lefebure, Co-founders, Design Army
• Jonah Lehrer, Author of New York Times best-seller Imagine: How Creativity Works
• Harry Pearce, Partner, Pentagram UK
• Julia Hoffmann, Creative Director, Advertising/Graphic Design, MoMA
• Lisa Strausfeld, Global Head of Data Visualization, Bloomberg

In “the era of design”, as Forbes labels it, DesignThinkers celebrates creatives, businesspeople, marketers, communicators and all those who are on the cutting edge of innovation.

The conference also boasts parties, workshops, studio tours and more. Through strategic partnerships with TIFF, The Gladstone Hotel and others, related events will run throughout the week, rendering Toronto a hub for creativity and design thinking.

RGD invites press from all mediums, and is happy to facilitate pre, during and post conference interviews with conference speakers and delegates.

The Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD) is the professional body for graphic designers in Ontario. Representing over 2,800 members, RGD is an industry hub, setting standards of professional practice and accrediting graphic designers who qualify with the designation Registered Graphic Designer (R.G.D.).

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For more information and to register for a Press Pass, contact Michelle Pereira, Communications Coordinator, RGD, 1.888.274.3668 x 26, .

Visit RGD's Flickr page for pictures from DesignThinkers 2011.