Emerging designers and students design mock projects with help of RGD mentors — Fall 2025

“I was very impressed to watch this team grow over the course of this assignment. The goal, for me, was to expose the team to different processes for approaching an ambiguous design problem. To start the project, we did an exercise that included a product definition workshop that sketched out why the product existed, how it behaved and when it showed up in the world. We explored naming, tone of voice and the brand's visual language. Each step of the way, the team actively engaged in the process by contributing ideas and supporting their teammates. Each person stepped out of their comfort zone to explore unexpected conceptual territories and then to bring those ideas to life through illustration, typography, motion design and product design. Each of these designers—Helen Nguyen Associate RGD, Mya Rock, Hyeri Jeong and Hazel Nguyen—have a promising career ahead of them and I look forward to seeing more of their work out in the world soon.”

“This mentorship has been such a meaningful experience. I've learned a lot about branding design through Brian's guidance and through collaborating with peers on the project. It was both challenging and exciting, and it pushed me to think more deeply about strategy, storytelling and how design can communicate ideas in a more intentional way. I also gained a better understanding of how research and experimentation play a big role in shaping strong branding. I'm really grateful for everything I've learned and would love to participate again in the future!”

“This program was a very valuable experience for me. As a recent grad, I wanted more real-world experience, especially in a collaborative setting. Over the 12 weeks, I stepped out of my comfort zone and refreshed my skills in motion design, UX design, mood boarding and planning. Brian was an incredible mentor. He was knowledgeable, humble and always encouraging. He gave us valuable insight into what the industry is really like and was very easy to work with. I also had the chance to learn from my fellow mentees, who were all very talented and brought different approaches to design problem-solving. I highly recommend this program to any emerging designers seeking industry-level experience.”

“I had the pleasure of mentoring Kexin, Maddy and Leen. The success of the project reflects a blend of natural talent, hard work and true collaboration—with clear growth at every stage of the design process and a genuine sense of fun throughout. They're a great group of emerging designers who consistently push themselves, support one another and show real dedication to their craft.”

“As a recent grad trying to find my footing in design, this experience helped me reconnect with my passion. The connections I made with other designers guided me in ways I didn't expect, and I came out of it feeling much more confident, especially in presenting my ideas and working collaboratively.”

“The program was an excellent opportunity to collaborate with fellow designers on a topic that genuinely interested me. The structure, feedback and insights our mentor brought to the process were invaluable in keeping the project on schedule and ensuring an amazing outcome. I would highly recommend the program to other student and early-career designers as a way to build connections, develop skills and create meaningful design work.”

“As someone coming from a non-graphic design background, this Program was invaluable in connecting me with other designers and allowing me to participate in a design and branding project. Ray was an amazing mentor, with a lot of great insights into the process and the ways of thinking about experiential design. It was amazing to work alongside such enthusiastic designers and learn from them. It was also great to be able to see how my skills in interior design translated to the project.”

“What stood out was how the process allowed a broad set of ideas to evolve and connect over time. As designers we were exposed to each other's creative insights, their work evolved alongside them. Rather than forcing a direction early, the work began to inform itself, with those connections ultimately guiding the project to its final design.”

“Working with our team allowed me to really flex my design abilities, especially overseeing an intensive branding project from scratch. I'm grateful to Scott for guiding us through the James Webb Young's creative process, as it is an exciting new tool in my designer skillset. With the creative process, we got to see our insights merge and evolve even before drafting iterated concepts. The end result is a clean and cohesive visual identity, ready for real-world application.”

“It's been an absolute pleasure to be stretched as a leader and inspired as a creative by this talented group of designers. I'm impressed by their penchant for good design, hard work and willingness to learn and adapt to the ebb and flow of branding and app-building processes. As a result, we accomplished what we collectively set out to do for Distro Disco. I envision success for each of them in this industry!”

“From research and ideation through to completion, the project helped build my understanding of the whole design process. Working with Gracelle, Ji Woo and Doğa, we built out an in-depth brand system and a detailed app centring on mutual aid. Our mentor, Gracelle, was incredibly kind, encouraging and pushed us to create a great product. I truly enjoyed my time in this program and was able to add a great project to my portfolio.”

“This was a very meaningful project to work on. Gracelle brought so much to this as our mentor. Her feedback was precise, she understood the work deeply and she pushed us to think harder and grow as designers. Caitlin and Ji Woo made it easy to show up and do great work—I couldn't have asked for a better team. Really grateful for this project and proud to have it in my portfolio.”

“As a freelance designer used to working solo, this team project was a refreshing and meaningful challenge. Collaborating with Caitlin and Doğa, and practitioners dedicated to the local community gave me perspectives I wouldn't have gained otherwise. I learned so much from Gracelle, especially around what it means to lead a team and build the design system from start to finish. I'm truly glad to have been part of this. It has helped me grow into a more collaborative designer with a much broader perspective.”

“This was my first time participating as a mentor in RGD's project-based mentorship program, and it was a rewarding and insightful experience. Natasha and Jingwen demonstrated strong dedication, persistence and enthusiasm throughout the project, and it was especially encouraging to see their confidence grow as they began to think more strategically and clearly articulate the rationale behind their work.”

“This was an excellent experience that provided a solid introduction to web design, including working with WordPress, using Figma and understanding the strategic thinking behind redesigning a website. Aaron brought extensive knowledge to the table, offering valuable tips, clear explanations and thoughtful reasoning behind best practices. Whenever challenges arose, he was patient and supportive, taking the time to guide me step by step and mentor me through the process.”

“It has been an enjoyable and rewarding experience to participate in this mentorship. I gained valuable hands-on web design skills and had the opportunity to connect with talented peers in the field. Aaron's mentorship was outstanding. He guided us patiently step by step, sharing practical techniques and real-world insights into web design. I'm truly grateful to have worked with such a creative and supportive team on this project.”

“As Creative Director for this mock project, my goal was to develop a brief that felt distinct from traditional student assignments that addressed a real-life challenge many single people face: how to step away from dating apps and build meaningful connections in real life. Most importantly, I wanted the concept to feel genuinely fun and engaging for my mentees to work on. I led the strategic visual direction, mentoring two emerging designers as they translated the creative brief into a cohesive and scalable brand system across digital, print and experiential touch points. Over the 12-week program, Lisa and Caidence collaborated closely on the GreenLight visual identity. We began by unpacking the creative brief, aligning on timelines and brainstorming conceptual directions. Each designer presented initial ideas, including logo concepts, colour palettes and imagery, which we reviewed together, combining strengths from both into a unified creative direction. The team created vector logos in Illustrator, developed branding guidelines in Figma and applied the visual identity across print and digital platforms. Midway through the process, we paused refining our concept to present our work-in-progress during Project Review Nights, sharing our work with the RGD panel and fellow participating teams. This experience allowed us to refine the work based on feedback and develop essential professional soft skills such as presenting, articulating design rationale and communicating ideas clearly. These capabilities are just as critical as craft in real-world practice. The final outcome demonstrates how a clear creative strategy rooted in psychology, behaviour and accessibility can translate into a meaningful real-world activation. I'm proud of what we accomplished together and hope the team carries forward the learnings from brand development to cross-platform applications in their future practice. I love the GreenLight concept and am incredibly happy with how the designers brought it to life.”

“Working with Dominique and Caidence, I learned a lot about designing a brand and activation. This experience pushed me to think more strategically and helped strengthen both my design thinking and communication skills.”

“I was so impressed with the team and how they tackled this increasingly complicated assignment together. I aspired to bring in a systems-thinking and sustainability perspective to what at first seemed like a straightforward design problem, and challenge them to think beyond a simple object redesign. They went above and beyond, fully exploring the multiple mapping and research activities I kept throwing at them, interviewing industry service providers and potential audience for their product and thoughtfully digging deep into the complexity of what they were creating. They expanded the boundaries of the initial concepts and integrated a community and socially activated component to build skills and knowledge. The team was engaged and dedicated despite pressing academic requirements, and showed up with not only creative skills, but professional project management and collaboration abilities. It was a pleasure to not only work with them all, but to witness their work together.”

“I'm so grateful for this experience. I had the chance to collaborate with talented designers from other programs and learned so much from our mentor, Emma. She is a true force in sustainable and responsible design, and is deeply committed to educating others on these important topics. This experience changed the way I think about design, and opened my eyes to the range of meaningful work designers can be a part of.”

“Sustainability is something I have been interested in, but my knowledge was limited and I was not aware of how much of an impact designers could make when it came to sustainable design, even in technology. I am deeply grateful to Emma for leading us through this project, and her guidance has helped me shape the way in which I approach research, design and asking for feedback. This project has opened a new avenue for me, which I aim to integrate and pass on in my design journey. It was amazing working with and getting to know my team members, Carla and Luiza, and I wish them success with their goals!”

“As a student, most of my college projects were individual, so this opportunity expanded my learning not only in graphic design, but also in teamwork and sustainability. I believe these are essential qualities of a strong professional: the ability to collaborate, work collectively and remain curious about diverse topics. I'd like to express my sincere thanks to our mentor, Emma, and to my teammates, Carla and Uswa, three attentive, dedicated and respectful designers who made this experience even more meaningful. Here's to a future with greater care for our planet and a deeper appreciation for art, design and human-made work.”

“Impact reports often tend to bury the lead under charts no one reads. We wanted to flip that. The prompt I gave the team was essentially: what does it feel like to need this service, and how do we make a funder feel that before they see a single number? Food insecurity in Toronto is well-documented but is still under-felt. That tension is exactly where good design can do something useful. Arash and Yuuri brought real curiosity and generosity to the work. They came with ideas, took feedback seriously and pushed the project further than the brief required.”

“I had a lovely time working alongside Jacob and Yuuri as we brought the concept of Laneway Pantry to life, and I'm super proud of what we were able to accomplish together. This project gave me an opportunity to brush up on my Figma skills as well as learn how to purposefully design for the nonprofit sector, something that I hadn't had the chance to explore previously. I really appreciate the opportunity that this initiative provided me to share my perspective with Jacob and Yuuri and learn from their experiences and perspectives as well. Laneway Pantry really turned out to be an amalgamation of all of our individual talents and I'm excited for everyone else in the RGD to check it out!”

“Bridging the gap between raw data and human dignity pushed me to think differently about my work. This mentorship allowed me to refine my visual storytelling through constant iteration and expert feedback—something rarely available to solo freelancers.”

“A huge thank you to my mentor, Miriam Smit, for showing me the ropes of professional UX thinking, and to my partner, Horasha Smith, for his support and collaboration throughout the program. I've learned so much about teamwork in design from both of you.”

“As mentor on this project, I supported a small team through the development of Ember's identity and mobile app concept. We started with two mentees and transitioned to one, yet both demonstrated an impressive level of collaboration and creativity from December through March. Behind the visuals was thoughtful persona research and brand archetype work that informed the design direction. For me, it was also a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the skills designers need beyond the craft itself—how we guide teams and clients through a project from start to finish, navigate challenges along the way and ultimately deliver work we're proud to present. I'm incredibly proud of Zhanna and Gerard; they were a pleasure to work with and are both talented designers.”

“Being part of this program was an invaluable experience. Shannon is an amazing teacher and designer. She helped me develop stronger brand-building, storytelling and presentation skills. I learned to think more strategically about my design decisions and ensure that I could justify each one through research, not just feelings. This mentorship also taught me to communicate my ideas more confidently and approach projects with a more professional, client-focused mindset, preparing me for real-world design challenges.”

“I had the privilege of mentoring four talented young designers to create a well-rounded product brand from ideation through to launch. It was interesting to see how they interpreted the brief and see their ideas take shape while I was able to provide real-world context and challenge them to think beyond the screen to consider the broader impact of their design decisions. It was a pleasure collaborating with this team, and I hope it was a valuable experience for them to explore the many moving parts and details that go into a complete brand campaign.”

“As Design Manager, I really enjoyed working with everyone in the creation of the branding and packaging for Horizon Energy Plus. Each member of the team brought their own unique perspectives and talents, all of which culminated in a project we are all proud of. I'm glad I was able to be part of such a challenging and rewarding experience that has helped my growth as a designer.”

“Branding for non-profits doesn't tend to elicit the same level of enthusiasm from emerging designers, so this project came about to try and instil a bit of excitement for something as weighty as food insecurity. Being able to utilize some insider knowledge, it was a worthy challenge to design something that appealed to not only potential donors but also food bankers who would theoretically use this fictional hub as well. Both Phoenix and Martina jumped in enthusiastically and created an eye-catching and ultimately worthy visual representation for this new non-profit organization. It was a fulfilling experience to impart some of my day-to-day food banking knowledge and help instil a sense of what dealing with clients in non-creative fields might actually look like for the mentees in future positions—a skill that no one quite prepares you for as an early career professional.”

“As someone who currently works with non-profit clients, working on Valley Harvest Food as a Design Manager/Creative Director was an exciting challenge. Working alongside and reporting to a seasoned designer like Wade was incredibly rewarding. His feedback pushed my growth as a leader and shaped many of our creative decisions. Working alongside Martina was equally fantastic! She brought amazing creativity, strategic problem-solving and a positive attitude to the project. Together, this mentorship has strengthened my leadership skills and reaffirmed my passion for purpose-driven design. Super proud of our team for all the hard work and endless hours on this project!”

“I really had fun working with Wade and Phoenix to conceptualize the visual identity for this food hub. It's my first time working for a non-profit organization, so there were definitely some new things I had to learn, especially when it comes to prioritizing a much older audience as the main target. Wade was very helpful when it came to giving us feedback and design advice, which helped set the expectations needed for the target audience. Phoenix was also really helpful as the design manager. She definitely hard-carried the team, especially when it came to workflow and organization of files. Couldn't have asked for a better team for this project!”