
The Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD) invites submissions of graphic design projects from around the world done under the theme of communication design for social good; work with the power to incite action and make meaningful change in the way we live our lives.
Today’s designers have an ever greater responsibility to visualize the significant issues facing our society and find new ways to incite change in the way we behave. When we approach these issues creatively, we can make a real difference in the world.
Past Awards Information:
Download the 2018 SoGood Catalogue here.
2018 Winners:
Domtar Award:
q30 design inc. (Toronto, Canada): Open Studio Brand Identity
Non-Profit, Client Initiated Projects:
Rethink (Vancouver, Canada): Ambush Advisories Campaign
Sid Lee (Montreal, Canada): Grand Jardin de Sainte-Justine Murals
FFunction (Montreal, Canada): (UN)TRAFFICKED Interactive Website
Rethink (Vancouver, Canada): Crash Coasters Campaign
The & Partnership (Vancouver, Canada): Assumptions Can Be Deadly Campaign
Entro (Toronto, Canada): Casey House Signage
ON THE CHASE! (Toronto, Canada): WellAhead Motiongraphic
Co-Effect Creative (Toronto, Canada): Unity Festival Campaign
Clear Space (Toronto, Canada): U of T Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education Awareness Campaign
Blok Design (Toronto, Canada): TIFF 2016 Annual Report
Overdrive Design Ltd. (Toronto, Canada): Sistering Logo and Website
BrandHealth (Peterborough, Canada): YMCA of Greater Toronto Sweat for Good Campaign
Frank Design Strategy (Calgary, Canada): She Who Dares Exhibit
Zoca Studio Inc. (Toronto, Canada): A Concert for Charlottesville Campaign
Hambly & Woolley (Toronto, Canada): On Balance
Gravity Inc. (Toronto, Canada): Fred Victor #HelpFredFillAHome Campaign
Engine Digital (Vancouver, Canada): Ocean Wise Website
Breck Campbell Design (London, Canada): EcoFolk 2018 Benefit Concert Poster
Ion Brand Design (Vancouver, Canada): Axis Theatre Identity
Sid Lee (Toronto, Canada): MaRS Visual Identity
For Profit, Client Initiated Projects:
Subplot Design Inc. (Vancouver, Canada): GATHER Pet Nutrition Identity & Packaging System
Capital One (Toronto, Canada): Gift the Code Hackathon Identity System
Mosaic (Toronto, Canada): BMO200 Interactive Sculpture
Studio Jaywall (Toronto, Canada): Good Investing Branding
EF Educational Tours (Toronto, Canada): Canadian Youth Ambassador Program 2018 Branding
Designer Driven Projects:
Tangible Interaction (Vancouver, Canada): OH! Interactive Installation
Tammy Le Provisional RGD (Toronto, Canada): Ipseity Web App
Marissa Korda (Toronto, Canada): The Loneliness Project
Underline Studio (Toronto, Canada): Our Home and Native Land
Jennifer McDougall (Waterloo, Canada) Nature Deficit Disorder Clinic (Team members: Berger Ebbi, Nourhan Hegazy, Prateeksha Singh)
Manoverboard (Winnipeg, Canada): Serving.Green Website
Forge Media + Design (Toronto, Canada): Recycling Matters Poster
Stephanie Hammond (Toronto, Canada): WWF Sea Turtle Print Ad
Trust Project
Government Initiated Projects:
Hangar18 Creative Group (Vancouver, Canada): Vancouver Votes WebsiteIntent (Toronto, Canada): Make It Kitchener IdentityIntent (Toronto, Canada): Inclusion and Diversity Identity & Blueprint DocumentCity of Mississauga (Toronto, Canada): Be A Good Neighbour CampaignThunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (Thunder Bay, Canada): 2018 Health & Wellness CalendarCanadian Museum for Human Rights (Winnipeg, Canada): Rights of Passage: Canada at 150 ExhibitCatapult Marketing (Edmonton, Canada): City of Edmonton Winter Cycling BrochureStudent Projects:Lauren Holden Student RGD, York Sheridan (Toronto, Canada): thingsithought.today WebsitePaul Twa Student RGD, University of Alberta (Edmonton, Canada): Give Your Food a Second Life: Composting Awareness CampaignParisa Yazdani Student RGD, York Sheridan (Toronto, Canada): Strong.Sarah Butt Student RGD, University of the Fraser Valley (Abbotsford, Canada): What is a Life Worth? PosterCooper Symonds Student RGD, University of the Fraser Valley (Abbotsford, Canada): FreshAid - Branding and Concept DevelopmentAngela Ip Student RGD, York Sheridan (Toronto, Canada): Beausoleil Packaging2018 Judges
Non-Profit, Client Initiated Category: Partner at Isometric Studio, Andy Chen; Principal & Creative Director at Clear Space, Will Hum RGD; Marketing & Communications Director at Toronto Botanical Gardens, Jenny Rhodenizer; Partner at Touque Ltd., Cai Sepulis, Creative Director + Designer at Maslany Creative, Amanda Maslany CGD.
For Profit, Client Initiated Category: Principal at ON THE CHASE!, Julian Brown RGD; Interactive Creative Lead at Google, Wade Convay; VP at Form:Media, John DeWolf RGD; Chief Marketing Officer at MEC, Anne Donohoe.
Government Initiated Category: Manager of Culture Operations at City of Mississauga, Sonja Banic; Christopher Brands RGD Emeritus; Principal & Creative Director at KIMBO Design, Kim Pickett CGD.
Designer Driven Category: President at Adler Design, Deborah Adler; National Creative Director at Rethink, Ian Grais CGD; Senior Designer at Saje Natural Wellness, Katie Maasik; Partner & Creative Director at Studio123, Nico Taus RGD.Student Category: Principal & Creative Director at Lauren Wickware Design, Lauren Wickware RGD; Product Strategy and Design Advisor, Valery Casey.
View photos from the Awards ceremony here.
2015 Judges:
Justin Ahrens, Principal at Rule29
Claude Auchu, VP and Creative Director at lg2boutique
Mooren Bofill, Design Director at john st
Richard Carmichael, VP Creative, Marketing and Communications at Zerofootprint Inc.
Flavio Carvalho RGD, Senior Visual Designer at Method
Ross Chandler Affiliate RGD, Principal at Ross Chandler Creative Projects
Monique Gamache, Design Director & Partner at WAX
Lisa Greenberg, SVP, Head of Art, Creative Director at Leo Burnett
Tina Mackenzie RGD, Creative Services Manager at City of Mississauga
Lisa Nakamura, Creative Director of Design at Rethink
2015 Winners:
Mohawk Award:Odgis + Company (NY, US): Sustainability From the Ground Up
Non-Profit, Client Initiated Projects:
Ellipsis Digital (London, Canada): Be Safe app
FFunction (Montreal, Canada): It's My Life! Stop cancer before it starts
hjc (Toronto, Canada): End of year Campaign
Intent (Toronto, Canada): Enabling Access Through Web Renewal Handbook
lg2boutique (Montreal, Canada): Festin de Babette - Book
lg2boutique (Montreal, Canada): Tous debout pour nos p'tits loups - Identity
lg2boutique (Montreal, Canada): Banques alimentaires Quebec 2012-2013 Annual Report
lg2boutique (Montreal, Canada): La Vittoria 2013 - Souvenir Booklet
Parcel Design (Toronto, Canada): This Book is Political
Parcel Design (Toronto, Canada): Canadian Civil Liberties Association 50th anniversary gala
The Office of Gilbert Li (Toronto, Canada): A Brave Spirit Makes All Things Possible
The Office of Gilbert Li (Toronto, Canada): Places, Please!
Rethink (Toronto, Canada): No Tankers DM
Tamm + Kit (Toronto, Canada): BLBC: Strategic Brand Design
Zulu Alpha Kilo (Toronto, Canada): Blind Cane
Zulu Alpha Kilo (Toronto, Canada): People for Good
For Profit, Client Initiated Projects:
ALSO Collective (Toronto, Canada): Gallery 44 Visual Identity
Blok Design (Toronto, Canada): Let It Shine
Polygraphe (Montreal, Canada): De Gaspé
Polygraphe (Montreal, Canada): L'Écurie brand identity
Sid Lee (Toronto, Canada): Blue Goose
Thought Cafe (Toronto, Canada): Dive Deeper (The Water Brothers)
Thought Cafe (Toronto, Canada): I Am Me
Vox Pop Labs (Toronto, Canada): Alberta Issues Map
Government Initiated Projects:
Bureau (Sudbury, Canada): Downtown Sudbury Branding, Campaign and Website
Optimus Creative Media (Mexico City, Mexico): Mobile Interactive Museum: “Live Science!”
Pilot PMR (Toronto, Canada): The 519
Designer Driven Projects:
AmirrezaChabouk Provisional RGD (Toronto, Canada): Curtain
Brock Donaldson Provisional RGD (St. Thomas, Canada): The Kitsune Board
Cambrian College Graphic Design Program (Sudbury, Canada): aboutface
Daria Shmitko (Isia, Urbino): Tactile Tools for Wayfinding
Design Studio M-Kvadrat (St. Petersburg, Russia): Propaganda: Aren't Fed Up?
HivelyDesigns (Brooklyn, USA): IH8War.com
Institute without Boundaries (Toronto, Canada): The Atlas of One Delta
Jennifer Zhang Student RGD (Toronto, Canada): Society's Greatest Fear: Loneliness
Jessica Lambe Provisional RGD (Sudbury, Canada): PRISM
Lilian Leung Student RGD (British Columbia, Canada): Molecure Personal Mental Health Awareness
The Litter Letter Project (Franklinton, USA): The Litter Letter Project
Nicole Mannell Student RGD (Toronto, Canada): Mental Health Awareness Package
Studio Jaywall (Toronto, Canada) & LOKI (Montreal, Canada): Reading/Writing the Junction
Sunny Hye Sun Lee Student RGD (Toronto, Canada): DASH personal medical data
Tracy Baker Student RGD (Toronto, Canada): LifeBox
Partners:
Download the 2014 SoGood Catalogue here.
2014 Judges:
Non-Profit, Client Initiated Category: Manager of Communications at AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT), Kyle Greenwood; Designer, Mario Mercier DGA; Founder of Studio Myerscough, Morag Myerscough; Art Director and Principal at Riordon Design, Shirley Riordon RGD
For Profit, Client Initiated Category: Design Director at Duffy & Partners, Joseph Duffy; Creative Director at Blok Design, Vanessa Eckstein RGD; Head of Corporate Citizenship at Manulife Financial, Chris Ouellete; Principal and Creative Director at Subplot Design Inc., Roy White
Government Initiated Category: Book Designer, Irma Boom; Creative Director at the City of Calgary, Brent Mykyte; Principal at Domino Creative, Nicole Vallee RGD
Designer Driven Category: Kickstarter Co-Founder Charles Adler; Founder of Draplin Design Co., Aaron Draplin; Creative Director and Partner at Underline Studio, Fidel Pena RGD; Creative Director at St. Bernadine Mission Communications, Andrew Samuel
2014 Winners:
Non-Profit, Client Initiated Projects:
Intent (Toronto, Canada): 'She Deserves It' Campaign
Blok Design (Toronto, Canada): Coalition for Engaged Education Identity
The Public Studio (Toronto, Canada): Elder Abuse Prevention Campaign
GenesisXD (Toronto, Canada): KLINK Coffee Social Enterprise Branding
Parcel Design (Toronto, Canada): Camp Quality Identity
rtraction (London, Canada): 1,000 Acts of Kindness Campaign
We Are Michael Jackson (Rotterdam, Netherlands): MAFIFA Poster
Thought Cafe (Toronto, Canada): Approval Voting Video
Projektor Brand Image (Toronto, Canada): Not Far From The Tree 2013 Yearbook
Hambly & Woolley (Toronto, Canada): Teresa Group Identity
ALSO Collective (Toronto, Canada): SickKids Pediatric Orthopedic Fellowship Annual Report
9 Lives Design (North Bay, Canada): UCycle Campaign
STUDIO JAYWALL (Toronto, Canada): Jane's Walk Print Campaign
For Profit, Client Initiated Projects:
The Works Design Communications (Toronto, Canada): RESPECT Report
Thought Cafe (Toronto, Canada): Crash Course Education Series
Trapeze Media (Toronto, Canada): KRAFT Celebration Tour Website
Helena Ng Design (Markham, Canada): Animal Protection Stamp Collection
Pivot Design Group (Toronto, Canada): 1in3.ca Website
Government Initiated Projects:
ON THE CHASE! Motion Design (Toronto, Canada): #BeOurAlly Campaign Video
Bureau (Sudbury, Canada): OBWC Brand and Website
Ontario Science Centre (Toronto, Canada): Banting Best Lab Exhibit
Blok Design (Toronto, Canada): Lab Ciudad Identity
Una Lee Design (Toronto, Canada): Feathers of Hope Campaign
City of Mississauga (Mississauga, Canada): Mississauga Earth Days 2014 Campaign
Flipside Creative Inc. (Vancouver, Canada): Golden Spruce Trail Experience
Gravity Inc. (Toronto, Canada): Ontario Clean Water Agency Annual Report
Designer Driven Projects:
Katie Maasik Student RGD (North Vancouver, Canada): You Are Not Al(one) Campaign
Heather Luscher Student RGD (Toronto, Canada): 'Meat of the Matter' Print Piece
Ottawa Bicycle Lanes (Ottawa, Canada): Ottawa Bicycle Lanes Campaign
Lauren Coutts Student RGD (North Vancouver, Canada): Colour Blind Awareness Campaign
Marissa Korda Student RGD (Toronto, Canada): Reel Women Film Festival Identity
Chloe Blanchard Student RGD, Joyce Dang Student RGD & Alaa Abuamra Student RGD (Toronto, Canada): Beyond 40 App
Adademia di Belle Arti di Firenze (Italy): 'Bring Salvation to All Living Things' Poster
Nathakorn Kittananthawongs Student RGD (Toronto, Canada): 'Against Animal Testing' Infographic
Sylvie Leveiller Student RGD (Sudbury, Canada): The Basket Challenge Campaign
Damon Pfaff, ACCESS (Toronto, Canada): Youth Making A Difference (YMAD) Campaign, Fall 2013
Camille Pomponi Student RGD (Toronto, Canada): Camoni Tea and Coffee Packaging
Chloe Silver Student RGD (Toronto, Canada): 'What's Your Beef?' Brochure
Partners:
Design Partner: Forge Media + Design
Paper Partner: Rolland Enterprises Inc.
Print Partner: Somerset
Exhibit Partner: Resource Integrated
Download the 2013 Catalogue here.
Judges David Berman RGD, author of Do Good Design: How Design Can Change our World; Frances Edmonds, Director of Environmental Programs at HP Canada; Ben Hagon RGD, Founder and President of Hagon Design; and Dmitri Siegel, VP of E-commerce & Executive Creative Director at Patagonia selected 42 winning projects from 190 entries submitted from 7 countries.
The projects listed below effectively promote action in support of social change with originality, creativity and the use of sophisticated design concepts. 2013 winners are featured in a printed catalog and free iPad app and were recognized at the 2013 DesignThinkers Conference.
Winners 2013:
Not-For-Profit Client-Initiated Projects:
- Cossette (Canada): Habitat for Humanity 2011 Annual Report
- On The Chase! (Canada): 'What is Social Innovation?'
- Aveda (Canada): 'iWalkForWater'
- Lyubava Fartushenko, Student, University of Alberta (Canada): 'Community-Based Design Education'
- Anita Feng, Student, UQAM (Canada): 'Fukushima'
- Faren Agency (Canada): 'Heading Home? Must be nice. Campaign for Tokens4Change for Youth Without Shelter'
- Hambly & Woolley (Canada): 'Participaction's Bring Back Play Mobile App'
- smashLAB (Canada): 'The Vancouver Aquarium Website'
- Dalida Karić-Hadžiahmetović: 'Woman Is Not An Object'
- Orangetango (Canada): 'Dr. Julien Foundation 2012 Fundraising'
- Tamm + Kit (Canada): 'Global Development Volunteer Campaign'
- K10 art+design (Canada): 'The Defi Canderel Event 2012/13 Fundraising Campaign'
- Helena Ng Design (Canada): 'Alzheimer Society of Ontario - Finding Your Way Program Campaign Design Series'
- Juniper Park (Canada): 'Story Planet: Intergalactic Travel Authority'
- AIDS Committee of Toronto (Canada): 'My Sex Life: Info for Young Pox People'
- Riordon Design (Canada): 'Street Level Website'
- SQUAB Creative Studio (Canada):'The Professional's Guide To Becoming a Champion'
For Profit Client-Initiated Projects:
- Projektor (Canada): 'Switchback Cyclery Brand Identity'
- ALSO Collective (Canada): 'Urban Ecologies Conference 2013'
- Orangetango (Canada): 'Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation: Detecting Changes'
- Orangetango (Canada): 'La Ligne Bleue - Branding Promotion and Web'
- Russell Shaw (USA): 'Skylight Farm'
- Corktown Seed Co. (Canada): 'Canada's Land Watch'
Designer Initiated Projects:
- Chantal Abdel-Nour, Student, Cambrian College (Canada): 'Smart Little Seeds'
- Jessica Baratta, Student, York University (Canada): 'A Cup of Reality'
- Jillian Ditner, Student, York University (Canada): 'Visualizing Bird Migration'
- Jillian Ditner, Student, York University (Canada): 'Seed Saving Info Wheel'
- Key Gordon (Canada): 'Gratitude Bag'
- Heather Goulter, Student, York University (Canada): 'Drink. Drive.'
- Marissa Korda, Student, York University (Canada): 'Teens Need Better Sex Ed'
- Linda Nakanishi, (Canada): Japan Earthquake Poster'
- Design Can Do (USA): 'Design Can Do'
- Kaitlyn Pannunzio, Student, York University (Canada): 'Flat Packed Sustainable Birdhouse'
- Alison Rowan, Student, OCAD (Canada): 'Buy a Dictionary'
- Kyuha Shim, Student, RISD (USA): 'Google 8bit AQI'
- Agnieska Ziemiszewski, PhD Student, Academy of Fine Arts (Poland) 'Nothing Personal'
Government Initiated Projects:
- Catalyst Workshop (Canada): 'MNR Endangered Species of the Day Widget'
- City of Mississauga (Canada): 'Monster Fitness Circuit'
- Acart Communications (Canada): 'Personal Space'
2013 Partners
- RGD was gratified by the community's response (over 200 submissions from 11 countries), the quality of work and the passion of the designers.
The winning projects were on public display at The Gladstone Hotel in November, with a reception held on November 10. See pictures from the exhibit here. A catalogue featuring the winning work is also available. Click here to view a digital version.
2012 Winners:
Not-For-Profit (Client Initiated Projects):
- Youth-led Community Organizing Reports. Design by Una Lee for Laidlaw Foundation
- Side by Side Conference Branding. Design by Hagon Design for St. Joseph's International Outreach Program
- 2007 Hungry City - Make Your Own Campaign. Design by Pivot Design Group for the Daily Bread Food Bank.
- Women Lovin': A Sexual Health Guide for Queer Women. Designed and Illustrated by Jayme Spinks for ACT (AIDS Committee of Toronto) & CATIE (Canada's source for HIV and hepatitis C information).
- Not Myself Today Campaign. Designed by Blok Design for Partners for Mental Health.
- SHE Branding. Designed by Blok Design for SHE (Sustainable Health Enterprises)
- Girl Guides of Canada 100th Anniversary Logo. Designed by AmoebaCorp for Girl Guides of Canada.
- Observance and Memorial Exhibit. Designed by Emilio Genovese for Royal Ontario Museum.
- Voice of Industry Website. Designed by Gil Martinez for Voice of Industry.
- ArtHouse Branding. Designed by Branding for Good for ArtHouse.
- Mozilla Webmakers Video Series. Designed by Smart Bubble Society Inc. for Mozilla Foundation.
- Fare Share Food Bank Branding. Designed by Limelight Advertising & Design for Fare Share Food Bank.
- Our Dreams Matter Too Report. Designed by Una Lee for Children and Youth.
- Do The Happy Campaign. Designed by Oxygen for SickKids Foundation.
- Mosquitoes Suck Tour. Designed by Naomi Francois for SoChange.
- Equality Ping / Equality Deng Posters. Designed by Sha Feng.
- Branksome Becomes Campaign. Designed by Clear Space for Branksome Hall.
For-Profit (Client Initiated Projects):
- Ensemble Branding. Designed by TAXI for Brand Aid Project.
- Niagara Region Wind Corporation Branding. Designed by Clear Space for Niagara Region Wind Corporation.
- Food Drive Poster. Designed by Jose Garcia and Tomas Hinojosa for PosterOne.
- Una Lee Business Card. Designed by Una Lee for Una Lee.
- Level Ground Branding & Packaging. Designed by Subplot for Level Ground Trading.
- Gebran2005 Headline Typeface. Designed by Nadine Chahine.
Designer Initiated Projects:
- Dolphin's Smile Campaign. Designed by Antonia Goga.
- Mexico Ciudad Futura Book. Designed by Blok Design.
- Difference Engine Initiative: Ripple Effect Poster. Designed by Una Lee.
- "To Be" Exhibition. Designed by Atanas Bozdarov.
- Congo Awareness Poster. Designed by Audrey Chia.
- Rape is Not Love Poster. Designed by Samantha Dirksen.
- Vegan Please Mobile App. Designed by Kate El-Bizri.
- Toronto High School Rebranding. Designed by Yana Stepchenko.
- Riceland Branding and Packaging. Designed by Qiannan Zhao.
- Concepts for all Online Image Bank. Designed by Nelu Wolfensohn.
- Secrets of the Magic School Book. Designed by Monika Krupa.
2012 Partners:
- Design: Clear Space Design & Communication
- Print: Flash Reproductions
- Paper: Cascades
- Bindery: Anstey
- Exhibit: Sign Design & Graphics
- Editorial: Spellingbee Communication