Mentorship

The RGD runs several program providing students, emerging designers and practising professionals with opportunities to connect with industry professionals and benefit from their unique insight.

And, as part of this, we provide senior professionals with opportunities to give back to the community by sharing their knowledge and assisting future generation of design professionals.

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One-on-One Mentorship

Over a period of nine months, you have six to nine sessions with your Mentor, each about one hour in length. Once the pairing has been finalized, you and your Mentor are ready to start the program! The RGD will provide a list of discussion topics for each session, however, it is completely up to you and your Mentor what you'll want to cover in each session.

The deadline for applications for our Winter 2026 One-on-One Mentorship for Associate RGDs & Student RGDs has just passed and matching is underway. The next Round will open in early Summer.  Subscribe to the RGD Newsletter to get notified of when the next round is open.

After the application deadline, the RGD reviews all applications with our Mentors to create pairings. Then we will be in touch to connect you with your Mentor. Over 9 months, mentees schedule up to 6 one-hour sessions with their Mentors. Sessions can be in-person or virtual depending on the location of your Mentor. RGD provides suggested discussion topics but you and your Mentor can decide what to discuss in each session. If you are an applicant not selected by the Mentors listed in this round of our Program, the RGD staff will do its best to identify another Mentor in the industry that matches your goals/interests.

Project-based Mentorship

Teamwork, mentorship and experiential learning are key components of success within the design industry. This eight-week program aims to assist emerging designers in filling gaps in their portfolios with projects they haven’t had the opportunity to do in their school curriculum or professional workplaces. Emerging designers will develop skills such as art directing, giving and receiving feedback and rationale writing.

A Certified RGD acts as creative director, an Associate RGD acts as art director/project manager and 1-3 Student RGDs act as production designers. Each team will work on a mock project (proposed by the Certified RGD or the RGD). 

The next Round of Project-based Mentorship will open in March 2026
 

If you have any questions about the program or you would like to be a Mentor, email zaria@rgd.ca.