Full-day: $110
One Session Only (2 Time Slots): $50

- Certified RGDs attend FREE (Email for details)

Non-Members
Full-day: $160
One Session Only (2 Time Slots): $75

Cancellation & Attendee Substitution Policy: If you cancel on or before Feb 24, a $10 plus HST fee will apply or you may transfer your registration to another person before this date. After Feb 24 no refunds will be processed and if you would like to transfer your registration to another person, there is a $10 plus HST fee.

A) PRESENTATION: Everyone Else Is Already Taken presented by Isabel Urbina Pena

In a country where the creative force is close to one million, how we present our work to the world and who we are as designers is as important as the work we do. The strategy for making a lasting impression should start with our own identity. Isabel Urbina Peña talks about how having a unique approach when presenting your work can make you recognizable and set you apart.

Isabel is a letterer, graphic and type designer, originally from Venezuela, now based in Brooklyn. She has worked at Penguin Random House, C&G Partners LLC, American Museum of Natural History and for clients like The New York Times, Harper Collins, Variety and Campari. In 2015, she was named a New Visual Artist: 15 under 30 by PRINT. Her book cover design for All Our Names was featured in The New York Times Best Book Covers of 2014.

B) PANEL: The Future Designer

What will the design field look like over the next 10 years? Will the very definition of the designer loosen up and will  designers be called upon to re-think the entire way businesses function, from how teams collaborate to how corporations are structured? Even though we can't predict the future, it's fun to try! This panel examines current trends, predicts the future of the field and identifies the skills that the future designer will need to flourish in this brave new world.

Moderator: Mandy Gilbert, Founder and CEO at Creative Niche

Panelists:

- Christopher Moorehead RGD, Director of Information Design at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

- Laura Sellors RGD, Director, Business Development at Entro

- Marko Zonta RGD, Principal & Creative Director at Zync

C) ROUNDTABLES: Speed Mentoring

Get together and make connections. In a series of 15-minute sessions, delegates gather for mentoring advice from 4 RGDs. A selection of questions will be your starting point for discussions, covering a range of topics from portfolio presentations to pricing creative work.

Mentors:

- Mooren Bofill, Design Director at John St

- Ben Hagon RGD, President at Intent

- Gigi Lau RGD, Art Director at Harlequin Enterprises

- Brent Roth RGD, Creative Director, Graphics at Perennial Design

D) REVIEWS: 3 One-on-One Portfolio Reviews

Have your work reviewed by firm owners, creative directors and senior design professionals from top studios and agencies. Get feedback on your work and get advice how to make your portfolio and your presentation of it the best it can be.

A) PRESENTATIONS: You’re Not Being Paid to Think. But You Should Be presented by Doug Dolan

Design problems usually begin life as communications or even basic business problems: how do organizations hope to get people to feel or act, and what unique value do they offer in return? Helping them work those problems out starts with thinking. But not all clients or employers understand that. Or they may not believe you can deliver. Or they see your ideas as a welcome bonus they don’t have to pay for. So getting them to think differently about all of this can be a problem. A designer problem. Doug Dolan offers ways to solve it.

Doug is a communications strategist and writer who partners with designers, developers, video producers and other creative types on everything from brand and marketing programs to corporate reports and fundraising campaigns. He’s worked with corporate, public-sector and not-for-profit organizations in all corners of the client universe, including financial services, technology, education, research, healthcare, loyalty marketing, luxury goods, travel, mining, architecture, real estate, law, media and innovation strategy. Along the way, various awards have been won and everyone has felt pretty good about the results. 

B) PANEL: Presenting Your Ideal Portfolio

Whether physical or online, your portfolio is your career calling card. Panelists offer frank advice about developing and presenting your portfolio.

Moderator:

- Megan Oldfield, Creative Director at Field Design Office

Panelists:

- Eleni Alpous, Design Lead at Doblin

- Bob Hambly RGD, Creative Director at Hambly & Woolley

- Gilbert Li RGD, Principal at The Office of Gilbert Li

- Brent Roth RGD, Creative Director, Graphics at Perennial Design

C) ROUNDTABLES: Process Workshops of In-House Success

D) REVIEWS: 3 One-on-One Portfolio Reviews

Have your work reviewed by senior design professionals in your areas of interest. Get feedback on your work, ask questions about portfolio best practices and develop key contacts in the industry.

A) PRESENTATION: Going Out On Your Own

Seven firm owners, from a one-person shop to owners of larger firms, share their experiences starting their own businesses and offer their best advice for your success.

Presenters:

- Glenda Rissman RGD, Principal at q30 Design

Do you have what it takes to have your own business? Glenda helps you assess if business ownership is right for you and how you can prepare yourself to get there.

- Nico Taus RGD, Creative Director at Studio 123

- Cai Sepulis RGD, Creative Director, Illustrator, & Owner of Ballyhoo Media. 

Having been self-employed for the past 15 years, Cai discusses the ins and outs, the safety nets and the bridges to consider when starting out on your own.

- Anthony Furia RGD, Founder of Furia Branding & Design

Anthony talks about the five things he practiced on a regular basis that helped his firm survive its first 12 months.

- Cathy Ledden RGD, Principal of Ledden Design iT.

Going out on your own takes courage and perseverance. Cathy explains how to clear your mind and challenge any negative thoughts, review your track record of successes and connect to supportive colleagues and mentors.

- Evelyn Csiszar RGD, Founder of Evi Designs

Evelyn shares tips on how to maximize your value and make money doing what you love.

- Brent Long RGD, Director, Client Happiness at Fusion Design Group

Brent talks you through his journey building a 22 year old creative studio. A “How to…” chat that will probably include lots of cursing, because nothing worth doing comes easy. And Brent’s journey DEFINITELY wasn’t easy

B) PANEL: Not A Whiny Millennial Panel

Our Millennial designer panelists discuss how they feel about these labels and what they are doing to position themselves in the industry and build their career futures.

Panelists:

- Antonia Goga Prov. RGD, Senior Designer at TAXI

- Nicola Hamilton RGD, Deputy Art Director at Chatelaine

- Ashley McCarthy RGD, Graphic Designer at IMAX Corp

- Jay Wall, Creative Director at Studio Jaywall

C) ROUNDTABLES: Process Workshops for Design Inspiration

D) REVIEWS: 3 One-on-One Portfolio Reviews

Have your work reviewed by senior design professionals in your areas of interest. Get feedback on your work, ask questions about portfolio best practices and develop key contacts in the industry.

A) PRESENTATION: The Upside of Frustration, presented by Jillian Adel

As humans, but especially as creative minds and visual communicators, we can all relate to the feeling of dissatisfaction and its amplified cousin, frustration. We've all experienced these feelings in our jobs, creative work, and life situations, sometimes in short and intense moments and sometimes in more subtle ways over long, extended periods of time. While this feeling is never comfortable, it can be the most powerful motivator to make changes that aren't necessarily easy, but incredibly beneficial to the work we make and our daily lives. In this talk, Jillian will share how this was the case is most of the decisions she's made in her life and career, including by not limited to the college to career transition, her move from NYC to LA, and in her journey through exotic dance, tarot, and releasing her zine, Divine, which explores the intersection of art, sex and self love.

Jillian Adel is a freelance art director, designer and typographic illustrator based out of Los Angeles. With roots in the music and entertainment industries and branches in the pole dancing and spiritual communities, she aims to bring the emotion, story and soul out of any project. She also speaks, writes and educates on topics such as vulnerability, experimental typography and the often blurry lines at the intersection of personal and professional life.

B) PANEL: Diversity & Inclusion In Design

Race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual identity, ability/disability, location. Our panel discusses the importance of diversity and inclusion in our industry. What does it mean? Why does it matter? How do we transform our industry to ensure its future strength and relevance?

Panelists:

• Adam Rallo RGD, Creative Director and Principal at Catalyst Workshop

• Sheila Sampath, Principal and Creative Director at The Public Studio Inc.

• Umar Shahzad RGD, Designer at Fusion Design Group Inc.

• Jennifer Taback RGD, Partner at Design de Plume

C) ROUNDTABLES: Speed Mentoring

In a series of 15-minute sessions, delegates gather for mentoring advice from 4 of 8 RGDs. A selection of questions will be your starting point for discussions, covering a range of topics from portfolio presentations to pricing creative work.

Mentors:

• Scott Christie RGD, Partner and Creative Director at BLVD Agency
• Anthony Furia RGD, Founder and Principal Designer at Furia Branding & Design
• Lionel Gadoury RGD, Principal / Creative Director at Context Creative
• Angelo Morano RGD, Creative Director at Morano and Associates
• Jennifer Weaymouth, Creative Director at Weaymouth Creative

D) REVIEWS: 3 One-on-One Portfolio Reviews

Have your work reviewed by senior design professionals in your areas of interest. Get feedback on your work, ask questions about portfolio best practices and develop key contacts in the industry. You may register for up to three review sessions over the course of the day.

Reviewers include:

- Illustrator at Ben Weeks

- Founder of Breck Campbell Design

- Creative Director of Capital One

- UX Lead at Critical Mass

- Design Director, Information Design, at Deloitte Canada

- Principal & Creative Director at Field Design Office

- Interactive Studio Manager of Grip

- Partner, Creative at Jacknife

- Creative Director, Design at McCann Canada

- Senior Design Director at Normative

- Creative Director, Graphics at Perennial Design

- Director, Information Design at PricewaterhouseCoopers

- VP, Creative Director at Shikatani Lacroix Brandesign

- Principal & Creative Director at Sherpa Creative

- Designer at Sportsnet Magazine

- Partner & Creative Director at TBD Studio

- Design Director at The Garden Collective

- Director of Experience Design at Tribal Worldwide

- Manager, Graphic Design at United Way of Greater Toronto

A) PRESENTATION: Design with Guts presented by Bobby Martin Jr. & Jennifer Kinon, OCD

Bobby Martin Jr. and Jennifer Kinon talk about how they approach design, using heart, guts and grit, and how it has driven their work and the decisions they have made to create successful designs, and help their business succeed.

B) PANEL: The Art of Selling Out

Building a creative career is hard enough. So why do so many of us make things even more difficult by kowtowing to some notion of “not selling out”? Maybe some version of selling out helps you realize your next goal? Maybe it gives you more freedom to concentrate on your craft? Or, maybe it makes you a better designer? Join our panel for an honest, judgement-free conversation about money and design.

Moderator:

- Lionel Gadoury RGD, Principal/Creative Director at Context Creative

Panelists:

- Robin Honey RGD, Chief Creative Officer at Arcane

- Ciabh McEvenue, Creative + Managing Director at Tamm and Kit

- Barry Quinn RGD, Chief Creative Officer at Juniper Park TBWA

- Cai Sepulis RGD, Creative Director, Illustrator,  & Owner of Ballyhoo Media

C) REVIEWS: 3 One-on-One Portfolio Reviews

Have your work reviewed by senior design professionals in your areas of interest. Get feedback on your work, ask questions about portfolio best practices and develop key contacts in the industry.

A) PRESENTATIONS: What Creative Directors Know

Seven Creative Directors each share the most important lesson they've learned in their illustrious careers.

Presentations by:

- Scott Christie RGD of BLVD Agency talks about the Inspiring, the Terrible and the Great Influencers. Scott offers stories from great Creative Directors he has worked with: Michael Peters, Michael Johnson, Diti Katona RGD, John Pylypczak, Chris Campbell.

- Robin Honey RGD of Arcane talks about How to be Heard.The CD-client relationship revolves around an assignment – it culminates in the reveal of the big idea. In order to be heard, you have to listen. You need to listen to the client, and to the clients’ audience, to make sure you understand the problem. Only then can you sell your ideas successfully and position yourself as a valued partner.

- Michael MacVicar of Capital One

- Barry Quinn RGD of Juniper Park TBWA

- Jennifer Weaymouth RGD, Creative Director at Weaymouth Creative talks about Lessons I've learned: 5 Things your Creative Director never wants to hear. Jennifer provides insights on how to become a better designer and ultimately gain respect from creative leaders.

B) PANEL: Kick in the Door: Seize the Career You Want

Nobody cares that you got top marks in your professional practices course or were voted most likely to succeed. After you receive your diploma, you enter a war where the hiring for every new job is a battle and many casualties are lost along the way. And school doesn’t give you a plan for how to survive nevermind be victorious. This panel equips you with actionable advice on how to take control of your career within the design industry. Kick in the door, come on in and have a seat.

Moderator:

- Wendy Millard RGD, Manager, Design Services at Empire Life

Panelists:

- Sabrina Alaimo, UX Lead at Critical Mass

- Mark Buchner RGD, Partner & Creative Director at TBD Studio

- Brent Long RGD, Director, Client Happiness at Fusion Design Group

- Mikey Richardson RGD, Partner, Creative at Jacknife Design

C) REVIEWS: 3 One-on-One Portfolio Reviews

Have your work reviewed by senior design professionals in your areas of interest. Get feedback on your work, ask questions about portfolio best practices and develop key contacts in the industry.

I arrived at the 2016 Creative Directions Conference with the question, “where do I fit in the design industry?” My goal, therefore, was to leave with some insights to lead me on a clearer path to specializing my work. Specifically, I was hoping to obtain a better understanding of the connections found in three main areas—my design education, personal experiences and the advice and insights of industry professionals. Between the studio tours, the mentoring sessions and pecha kucha presentations, I felt that I was well on my way to achieving these goals.

The Studio Tours were structured so that each studio was able to provide hands-on insights into their operations and creative processes, work focus and span. They also opened the floor to any questions, which I certainly took advantage of! As someone living and learning outside of Toronto while considering a career in the Toronto area, I found the tours very helpful in providing a better understanding of what I should expect and what I would like to look for in my future workplace.

The roundtable Process Workshops were a great opportunity to get a feel for real projects in specific areas of the design industry from conception to completion and all the other factors that occur in between. The wide variety of projects allowed for a better understanding about areas of which I was less familiar, and inspired an even stronger interest in design areas I previously hoped to pursue in my future career. I gained many great resources as well networking was less intimidating in the smaller groups. I will definitely look for similar opportunities in the future; I highly recommend these!

Finally, the pecha kucha-style presentations in the final session tied everything together for me. They were a great way to end the conference, by allowing me to bring together and expand on those three puzzle pieces I had entered the conference with. To summarize the main points I took from this last session:

• Speak up. Asking for help is ok; you need to actively look for the answers to your questions to get to where you want to be.
• Never get too comfortable because it hinders your learning. Don’t be afraid to fail.
• Those connections you make (personal, mental, networking) will help you to develop your personal and professional self.
• Finding your passion can be difficult, but make sure you stay active and balanced in your other personal interests because every skill is useful.

I was so happy to have the opportunity to attend this year’s Creative Directions conference. It was my first time participating in any RGD event and it was truly an eye-opening experience. I can honestly say I learned something new from each panel and presentation!

The first day of the conference was filled with interesting studio tours. It was great to be able to walk in and see a bustling design studio at work. Everyone was so positive and welcoming; it really felt like we were part of the RGD community!

The first session I attended at the conference was “How to Build the Perfect Portfolio”. The panelists went over everything from how to present your work to what employers look for in an applicant’s portfolio. One of the best pieces of advice that all panelists repeated was not to apologize for your work. As young designers it so easy to feel like your work is inadequate or that it could be better if only you had more time, but presenting your portfolio with confidence is much more important. Another takeaway was the importance of explaining the design challenges and solutions of your piece instead of just describing the work. I used this approach in the portfolio reviews later that day, and found it was so much easier to present my work with confidence this way.

The portfolio reviews were also a really great (although nerve-wracking!) experience. The reviewers were positive but provided great feedback on things to change or improve in my portfolio. As a second-year student, I have not had the opportunity to show my portfolio before, and  presenting to three industry professionals provided an absolutely immeasurable boost to my presenting abilities.

The “How to Survive Critique” panel was another wonderful learning experience, full of helpful tips for emerging designers. The panelists shared stories about their best and worst portfolio reviews when they were junior designers and what they learned from those experiences. They all agreed that you can’t let one bad review change your career path. An important note was to remember that you are not your work, your work is a time capsule product of you. Embrace critique and know that each piece of feedback is meant to make your work stronger!

One of my favourite speakers from the conference was Vincent Galante RGD. He spoke about the importance of a work-life balance. He said, “being a designer is not what you do. It’s who you are.” By that, he meant that as a designer, you will find a way to be a designer in every aspect of your life. He also said, “tenacity is more important than talent.” He said that the best designers have failed more than the worst designers because they keep putting themselves out there, trying new things and embracing uncertainty. As Vinceent said, “sometimes great work has to start out like crap!”

I want to thank Greenmelon Inc. for providing the scholarship and the opportunity to participate in such a wonderful event. It is so great that a local design studio in Ottawa supports emerging designers!