DesignThinkers Toronto 2026: Who, what, when and more!

October 19: Studio Tours

Get an all-access guided tour of top creative studios in downtown Toronto the day before the conference kicks off.

Date: Monday, October 19 Pricing (per tour): RGD Members/DT attendees – $20 | Non-Members – $25

• 9:00–11:00 am Tour A, King/Spadina: Made by Emblem, Thinkingbox, Humanity and T1
• 12:30–2:30 pm Tour B, Liberty Village: Mosaic, Gale and MJMA
• 3:00–5:00 pm Tour C, Sterling/Dundas W: Q30 Design, Pivot Design, Cartel and Blok Design

At each studio, we'll tour the space, meet members of the creative team, learn about the studio's structure and history and check out recent work.

Register for Studio Tours

October 20

Talks

• Ideas for Lectures by Bráulio Amado, Graphic Designer & Illustrator
• Tasty Stories by Erika Barbieri, Packaging Designer & Co-Founder at OlssønBarbieri
• The Abundance Paradox: When more creative creates less impact by Jason Boyer, Senior VP, Advisory and Transformation at Aquent Studios
• Probably Right: Designing in the age of AI agents by Maggie Chen, Principal Product Manager at Ada
• Make It Exist by Temi Coker, Visual Artist
• Let's Speak Data by Valentina D'Efilippo, Information Designer
• The Art of Seeing: How letter design changes the way you see the world by Martina Flor, Lettering Designer & Author
• Out of Trends: How going offline from global aesthetics made me a global creative by Guillermo Flores Pacheco, Art Director, Illustrator & Designer
• Stupid People Start Companies All the Time by Lauren Wong Lee & Gabby Lord, Founders of Super Keen
• Freedom, Risk and Reward by Edel Rodriguez, Artist & Author at Edel Rodriguez Studio

Workshops

• Spectacular Results: The one print tool every designer should know by Dominic Ayre RGD, Partner & Creative Director, Hambly & Woolley
• Trading Busywork for Better Work: Design faster without looking like everyone else by Lee Eldridge, Designer, Educator, Researcher and Author
• InDesign to Acrobat: A practical guide to accessible PDF workflows by Eric Forest RGD, Designer, Educator and Maker
• The Art of Showing Up: The anti-awkward networking rehearsal by Marjorie Malpass, Founder & CEO, Nerve Strategic
• Creative Recess: A play lab for designers by Lauren McConnell, Creative Business & ADHD Coach
• Making Your Mark: Exploring sustainability through hands-on creation by Rachael Seatvet RGD, Graphic Designer, Art Director, Illustrator and Maker
• Pirate Printing by Diana Varma RGD, Design Educator & Podcaster
• See the Streets! by Jay Wall RGD, Associate, Communication Design, O2 Planning and Design—a walking tour

Other Programming

In Conversation: Martina Flor

Part of the Engage Stream, this live session takes place October 20 from 3:15–4:00 pm in the Lower Lobby at Meridian Hall. Nicola Hamilton RGD sits down with Martina Flor, an award-winning lettering designer, author and educator, to record the final episode of season five of the DesignThinkers Podcast. In this live interview, with time for audience Q&A, Nicola and Martina will cover how Martina got her start in lettering, her approach to education and teaching, how she's created a distinct and successful online presence and more.

Branding Awards Ceremony

Join us as we recognize the winners of the RGD's 2026 Branding Awards! View the winning work on the big screen, see what's getting noticed in the world of brand and identity design today and, most importantly, celebrate the designers and creative teams bringing it all to life.

The ceremony takes place October 20 from 3:15–4:00 pm in the Jane Mallett Theatre at the St. Lawrence Centre. Register for the Branding Awards Ceremony.

Party

Join us for drinks on October 20 from 6:00–9:00 pm at CRAFT Beer Market for our Delegates' Party! Enjoy food and drinks and engage in valuable in-person connections with conference speakers and creative colleagues from Canada and beyond. DesignThinkers delegates can attend for free, but must wear their conference badges.

October 21

Talks

• Personal Branding for Creative Introverts by Goldie Chan, Best-selling Author of Personal Branding for Introverts
• Creativity Loves Context by Jeff Chemeres, Director of Marketing and Sales at Function Point
• Let's get close! by Nikki Gonnissen, Founding Partner & Creative Director at Thonik
• Elevation, Not Reinvention: Making a respected brand contemporary without losing trust by Paul Jen, Managing Partner at Paul Jen Communications (PJC)
• What lies. A head? by Chip Kidd, Author & Book Designer at Penguin Random House
• Personal Work: Art for fun, profit and whatever comes next by Adam J. Kurtz, Best-selling Author & Artist
• Your Arabic is Showing by Maya Moumne, Co-Founder, Creative Director at Studio Safar
• From Idea to Campaign: Building visual stories with Firefly Boards by Lucas O'Keefe, Social Media Strategist, Teacher & Adobe Express Ambassador
• Fearless by Design by Barrington Reeves, Creative Director & Founder of Too Gallus
• How to Design a City by Benji Wiedemann & Alex Lampe, Co-Founders of Wiedemann Lampe
• Form, Function and Feeling by Christina Worner & Alice Shaughnessy, Founder & Creative Director, Producer & Operations at Dada Projects

Workshops

• How are Pop-up Books Made? Make a Pop-up to find out! by Kelli Anderson, Designer, Author & Educator
• Humanist Letterforms by Jamie Chang, Founder, Manic Type
• Second Skin by Guillermo Flores Pacheco, Art Director, Illustrator & Designer
• Practical Uses for AI with InDesign by Eric Forest RGD, Designer, Educator and Maker
• Panel Discussion on AI with Nicola Hamilton RGD, Maggie Chen, Wendy Millard RGD and Jacqueline Lane RGD
• The Geometry of Form: Building Letterforms from Scratch by Thomas Hull, Chair of Graphic Design at Savannah College of Art and Design
• From Sketch to Wall: Designing Murals and Lettering for Public Space by Andrea Rodriguez RGD, Creative Designer & Mural Artist
• Meet your Monster: How to conquer perfectionism, imposter syndrome and career paralysis by Robert Smith RGD, Branding Expert, Author & Speaker
• The Designer's Mini MBA by Mike Ukstins, Director, Managed Services at Cella by Randstad Digital
• Basics of Modern Brush Pen Calligraphy by Serena Wong, Calligrapher & Lettering Artist

Other Programming

We are also hosting a photobooth by Snaptique on the second day of the conference, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Stop by between sessions to connect with colleagues and capture a few moments along the way. Tag us at @rgdcanada and we may share some of our favourites!

View the detailed schedule here.

Are you travelling to Toronto for the conference? With the discounts we've lined up, you can save on your airfare and hotel stay.

2026 Partners: Daughter (Branding Partner), Forge Media + Design (Web Development Partner), Porter Airlines (Official Airline Partner), Domtar (Paper Partner), Flash Reproductions (Print Partner), MINOH (Signage Partner), Akran Marketing

Platinum Sponsors: Adobe, Function Point

Gold Sponsors: Aquent, Cella, Moveable, Paul Jen Communications, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Silver Sponsors: belairdirect, Conference Media, David Pike Photography, FSC Canada, Hemlock Printers, Manic Type, The Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Toronto, WeirFoulds

Media and Community Partners: ADCC, AIGA, Applied Arts, Graphic Artists Guild, Interior Designers of Canada, Issues Magazine Shop, PRINT, Slanted, strategy, swipe design | books + objects

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