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RGD's 2020 by the Numbers
Membership
• 2,396 new Members
• 55 Certified RGDs
• 155 Committee and Board Members
• 5,501 posts/messages on Member Slack Workspace
Communications
• 40 e-newsletters sent to 23,500 subscribers
• 38,000 followers on our social media (6,500 increase)
• 28 Featured Members
• 103 jobs on the RGD Job Board
Professional Development
• 49 webinars with 8,000 attendees
• 1,990 attendees at virtual conferences
• $3,000 in cash and free registrations for DesignThinkers Scholarships
Awards
• 51 Social Good Design Awards from 300 entries
• 812 Student Award entries from 400 entrants with $23,000 cash prizes
• 16 RGD Awards to graduates from RGD's Partner Programs
Mentorship
• 2 Designathons (pre-pandemic) with 38 students/grads designing
for 12 non-profits with 9 mentors
• 130 emerging designers received Mentors
• 200 virtual and in-person portfolio reviews
RGD's 2020 Achievements
Perhaps more importantly, RGD continued to advocate on behalf of the profession and raise the profile of graphic design across Canada. In 2020, RGD:
• Pivoted RGD events to online formats incl. DesignThinkers, Creative
Directions and In-House Design Conference
• Adopted a new joint Code of Ethics with GDC and SDGQ
• Formed a Diversity & Inclusion Committee to ensure equity and
respect for all is reflected in RGD operations and programming
• Hosted RGD's first-ever virtual Annual Meeting for Members
• Elected Nicola Hamilton RGD as President, who connects with
Members by monthly President's Messages emails and IG Lives
• Launched Virtual Communities to connect designers in similar work
settings, with similar backgrounds or similar interests
• Published updated results for our Creative Earners Survey
• Presented RGD's Design Educator Award to Aidan Rowe
• Launched the UltraBold Awards for designers 35 and under
• Launched a new In-House Design Webinar Series
• Adapted RGD's Mentorship Program as Internship Edition
• Launched Freshly Certified Webinars with newly-Certified RGDs
presenting their Certification case studies
• Published Skills Testing Guidelines
• Published Sustainability Guidelines
• Provided resources, webinars and tools to support designers in the
pandemic
• Launched a Creative Earners Survey to understand the impact of the
pandemic on Canadian designers (complete by JAN 8, 2021)
RGD's 2021: What's Next
Stay tuned for more information on the exciting new initiatives and returning programs coming up in 2021.
2021 Initiatives
• Launch Member Dues Relief for Certified RGDs & Provisional RGDs
experiencing financial difficulties
• Add fields to Directory for preferred pronouns and demographics
• Collect demographic information from Members to better understand
our community
• Reconceive our Design Educators Award to make it easier for
students and educators to nominate their instructors/colleagues
• Develop speaker guidelines to ensure presentations are diverse,
accessible and reflective of our community
• Launch new Mentorship Program for RGD Certification Candidates
• Provide presentation outlining RGD for students and educators
• Re-conceive our Designathons for the virtual world
• Provide a new Certification Sticker for RGD Emeritus Members
Events
• Design Educators Conference, January 13–15
• In-House Design Conference, April 12–16
• Creative Directions Conference, May 3–7
• DesignThinkers Conference, November 8–19
• New Accessible Design Webinar Series
Awards