DesignThinkers 2024 in Toronto: Who, what, when and more!

Into the Rabbit Hole is an invitation into the creative process—the dreamlike, unpredictable and unexpected world of endless discovery. 

Join us on November 7 and 8 for our Toronto DesignThinkers 2024 conference at Meridian Hall and the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts and prepare for an ever-changing future. Below, we share some of what is planned for this year's event.

DesignThinkers is an in-person event, but attendees can also attend virtually through the event platform Pheedloop, where they can watch live-streamed sessions and connect with other attendees.

Register now!

Canada's largest graphic design conference, DesignThinkers will bring together over 2,000 creative professionals, design educators and students with opportunities to connect with and learn from fellow attendees during the roundtable discussions, workshops, an exhibitor gallery, attendee party and more. 

November 7

• Designing in Character by Annie Atkins, Creative Director, Annie Atkins & Co
• Accidentally On Purpose by Nick Asbury, Creative Writer & Partner, Asbury & Asbury 
• What Is Design Fiction and Why Does It Matter For Visual Creatives? by Julian Bleecker, Researcher, Designer, Engineer & Entrepreneur
• Keynote by Mr Bingo by Mr Bingo, Artist and Speaker
• What Is Design Fiction and Why Does It Matter For Visual Creatives? by Ian Chalmers RGD, Design Director & Principal at Pivot Design Group
• The Next Frontier of AI by Ricardo Diaz, Chief Innovation Officer at Omelet
• Seeking Truth: From one-size-fits-all to tailored magic by Grace Hwang, Formerly Partner, Director of Device Research + Design, Microsoft
• Talk by Shaun Loftman by Shaun Loftman, Executive Creative Director, CEEMEA, Landor
• Drawing the Lines: Exploring Identity Through Art by Shantell Martin, Philosopher, Cultural Facilitator, Curator & Educator
• World Building: How to Make the Future Irresistible by Leland Maschmeyer, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Collins
• Creatives in Leadership by Robin McLoughlin, Founder, McL brand design inc.
• Talk by Sue Murphy by Sue Murphy, Senior Global Director of Design at The Coca-Cola Company
• The Next Frontier of AI by Thas Naseemuddeen, Chief Executive Officer at Omelet
• Talk by Johanna Roca by Johanna Roca, Creative Venture Partner at Accept & Proceed, Creative Director & Partner at My Big Moments
• Beyond the Logo: Unlocking the visual brand soul by Bruno Regalo, Global Chief Design Officer at TBWA\Worldwide
• Designing Stories That Matter to Your Audience by Nicola Ryan, VP of Product Design at Condé Nast

November 8

• Never Have I Ever — Panel by Julian Brown RGD, Owner & Creative Direction at ON THE CHASE! Motion Design
• Talk by Talia Cotton by Talia Cotton, Founder & Creative Director at Cotton
• Creating Customer Obsession & Memorable Experiences with Limited Resources by Johnny Cupcakes, Award-winning Brand Hysteria Expert & CEO of the world’s 1st T-shirt Bakery
• Nothing I Know Belongs To Me by Christopher Doyle, Creative Director & Founder at Christopher Doyle & Co.
• What Goes Around Comes Around by Elizabeth Goodspeed, Independent Designer & Art Director
• Demystifying AI in UX: Everything You Are Afraid to Know But Need to Ask by Magued Hanna RGD, UX & Design Leader
• Talk by Paddy Harrington RGD by Paddy Harrington RGD, Founder, Frontier
• Mind the Gap: A Designer’s Journey of Transformation and Growth by James Martin, Design Educator & Best-selling Author
• Keynote by Aries Moross by Aries Moross, Creative Director, Illustrator & Designer
• Sophy Regelous, VP & Managing Director, Consulting, Cella by Randstad
• On Gathering in Five Chapters by Mindy Seu, Designer & Technologist
• Keynote by Robert Wong by Robert Wong, VP, Google Creative Lab

The conference also features workshops by:

• Diana Varma RGD, Design Educator & Podcaster, Toronto Metropolitan University on Playful Printing (Nov 7)
• Dominic Prevost, Group Creative Director, Resonance on Discover Your Creative Archetype. Unlock Your Creative Potential. (Nov 7)
• Carl Shura, Designer & Educator on Type Design Crash Course: Crafting Unique Letterforms (Nov 7)
• Radim Malinic, Creative director, Designer & Best-selling Author, Co-Founder and Director, on Building Creative Confidence Toolkit (Nov 7)
• Guy Anabella, Creativity Professor, Designer & Drag Queen on Design Your Own Drag Character! (Nov 8)
• Eleni Beveratou, Creative Director, Dalton Maag on Typefaces for Logos (Nov 8)
• Rupsha Mutsuddi Associate RGD, Designer, Educator, Researcher & Artist on Bring Your Designs to Life with Augmented Reality! (Nov 8)
• Robin McLoughlin, Founder of McL brand design inc., on Lead with Confidence Workshop (Nov 8)

View and download the detailed schedule here

2024 Partners: Whitman Emorson (Branding Partner), Forge Media + Design, (Development Partner), Domtar (Paper Partner), Porter Airlines (Official Airline Partner), Flash (Print Partner), Minoh (Signage Partner), Storia (Video Production Partner)

Gold Sponsor:  MITCHELL, Genumark, Moveable, Cella, TBWA\Chiat\Day\LA, Stocksy, Deloitte

Silver and Bronze Sponsors: AR.IVAL, Dinamo, Mitchell Sandham, Swipe, WeirFoulds LLP, Ace Branding Company, Forest Stewardship Council, Issues Magazine Shop, StickerYou and York University SCS

Questions about travel, accommodations, volunteering & more are answered here!