As Chief Creative Officer, Diti is best known for producing elegant and evocative work for the firm’s clients in fashion, retail and luxury goods. She also leads the firm’s involvement in startup ventures and business partnerships focused on the development of innovative lifestyle and luxury brands. She frequently lectures on design topics, serves as a faculty advisor at design schools and judges international competitions in her field.

Q: What made you want to get involved with RGD?

When I was a young designer there were very few things happening at all for the design community. I wanted so much to have a more design-focused organization that I could learn from. I am involved with RGD today because I believe in the importance of participating. 

Q: How would you describe the role of RGD within the design industry? 

To me, RGD is a hub for people in our industry. It is a resource, a support group and a resource for both young designers and more seasoned designers to share information and ideas.

Diti's Ask an RGD video. The series provides honest answers from experienced professionals to a variety of career-related questions directly from Provisional RGDs

Q: What is your view of the current design industry and what would you like to see change in the next 5-10 years?

I would love to see our form of design, visual identity / graphic design / branding, to be understood in a way that has more depth. We don't just make things look pretty. That is the basic entry-level design anyone should be able to do. There is so much more to any project than the final visual implementation.

The thinking behind the visual is always strategic and I think many people take that for granted. Design has become a very cheap word. I do think hearing stories from other designers through conferences such as DesignThinkers helps show that we don't just pick colours. 

Q: What has been the biggest challenge in taking on the DesignThinkers conference branding for 2019?

Designing for your own industry is always the hardest thing to do, but everyone wants to do it! The biggest challenge is always how to communicate our particular thoughts, theme and point of view to a audience of your peers.

Q: What have you gained from being an RGD volunteer, and why would you recommend it to other members who might be thinking of getting involved?

I think RGD offers an amazing amount of information from various points of view, particularly through the DesignThinkers Conference. I know it's easy to just go online and find information, but there is nothing like meeting and listening to people in person. It gives you a totally different energy which usually ends up being very inspirational.
 

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