.jpg)
RGD's Annual General Meeting took place on April 30 to review the Association's accomplishments over the past year and elect Directors to the Board for 2015/2016. In addition to our returning and re-elected Board members, the Association is excited to welcome two new Directors: Jesse Gibb RGD from London and Vanessa Eckstein RGD from Toronto.
The RGD Directors re-elected to the Board are Donna Braggins, Julian Brown, Tina Mackenzie, Wendy Millard and Karen Satok.
President Stussy Tschudin RGD and our Committee Chairs presented reports on the organization's progress in 2014 and so far in 2015. Notable achievements included:
- Transition of the RGD Certification Exam to a completely virtual format, accessible from anywhere in the world.
- The Student Committee #MyTimeHasValue initiative in response to the government's logo contest for the 150th anniversary of confederation
- Launch of accessibility resources, including A Practical Handbook on Accessible Web Design
- Launch of RGD's 7th biannual national salary survey, receiving the highest number of responses and widest geographical coverage to date
- Publication of the new edition of The Business of Graphic Design
- Best ever attended DesignThinkers Conference with over 1,800 participating over four days of activities
- Expansion of Future By Design virtual panels, reaching 21 cities across Canada
- Growth of RGD's online presence with an increase of 4,000 followers across Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest and an average of 1,500 visits to the RGD website per day
- Exhibits for RGD's Student Awards and So(cial) Good Design Awards on display at Canada's busiest airport
- Cross-promotional partnerships established with client-focused associations including IABC, CPRS, ICA and IDC
- CEO of Harry Rosen, Larry Rosen awarded second DesignThinker of the Year Award
In 2015, RGD will focus on:
- Changes to the RGD Certification Exam to include a section on Accessible Design (replacing History) and new questions for the Business section based on the new edition of The Business of Graphic Design
- Public relations campaign including media roundtable, national and regional business profile pitches, spokesperson training, key message development and more
- Development of new programs and opportunities for RGDs and Prov. RGDs attending DesignThinkers, including speaker opportunities, new networking sessions and roundtable discussion lunches
- Launch of RGD's new Design at Work Program in communities across Ontario
- Development of a special workshop event to coincide with DesignThinkers where professionals, who have been recognized in our So(cial) Good Design Awards, come together to develop human-centered design solutions to problems that challenge our community.
- Other programs and initiatives designed to build awareness of the RGD designation, raise standards in our industry and support the adoption of best practices across our community and beyond
RGD 2015 Board of Directors consists of:
Officers
President: Stüssy Tschudin RGD, Toronto
Past President: Lionel Gadoury RGD, Toronto
VPs: Julian Brown RGD, Toronto (Ethics); Bob Hambly RGD, Toronto (Communications); Tina Mackenzie RGD, Mississauga (Membership); Karen Satok RGD, Toronto (Education)
Secretary: Wendy Millard RGD, Kingston
Treasurer: Randal Boutilier RGD, Toronto
Directors: Donna Braggins RGD, Toronto; Russell Gibbs RGD, Dundas; Brent Long RGD, Markham; Umar Shahzad RGD, Markham;
Ex Officio: Sam Campbell Student RGD, Kingston; Christina Dery Provisional RGD, Toronto
For more information on RGD's Board of Directors, click here.
For details on RGD's Committees, click here.
A recording of the Annual General Meeting is available for Members of RGD to view online here (visit the Members Only section for the password).