Creatives from across Canada came together for DesignThinkers 2025 in Vancouver
The RGD's 6th DesignThinkers Conference in Vancouver took place May 13 and 14 at the Vancouver Playhouse with almost 700 attending.
The event featured talks and workshops covering a wide range of topics on the evolving landscape of visual communication. For those who preferred to participate remotely, a live-streaming option was also available.
As a precursor to the conference, on May 12, the RGD offered guided tours of top creative studios in Vancouver—Engine Digital, Lost & Found, ZAK, Very Polite Agency and Thinkingbox.
The first day of the conference featured talks by Eva Cremers, Valentina D’Efilippo, Meg Lewis, Yo Santosa, Natasha Jen and others. Speakers explored a variety of topics, including Designing 3D Fun, Transforming Data into Knowledge, Creating for Change and Branding the Future Before It Exists. The day also included a talk by Domtar titled Taking the Guilt Out of Using Paper, along with hands-on workshops such as The Lab-Born Mind: The Responsibility of the Creator and Ethical AI by Anahit Lou and Creative Direction Clinic by Dominic Prevost. Day 1 finished with The Pint Vancouver, where attendees and speakers connected over delicious hors d'oeuvres, drinks and conversations.
Day Two was equally full of inspirational presentations and creative workshops. Adam J. Kurtz, Vincent Wanga, Carlos Segura, April Greiman, Matt Luckhurst and Erin Sarofsky took the stage to share insights on topics such as Perfect Isn’t Better, Unlocking Creative Audacity and more. The day also featured workshops, including My Type of Collaboration by Diana Varma RGD and Stop Overthinking, Start Creating: Shut Your Mind Up and Take Action by Catalina Estrada.
In addition to the regular conference sessions, delegates had the chance to get their books signed by speakers. Attendees connected with peers over breakfast and lunch, participated in lively roundtable discussions and engaged with industry suppliers in the Designer Marketplace.
Post-conference, two additional workshops were held with Eleni Beveratou: Wordmarks – From Sketch to Digital Typography and Designing for a Global Audience – Understanding Cultural Nuances in Typography. And Educators met at a special Design Educators Summit hosted by Capilano University.
Registration for DesignThinkers 2025 in Toronto, taking place October 1–2, is now open! Register by June 27 to take advantage of Advanced Early Bird rates.
Thank you to our event photographer, Photos by Kateland!
Thank you also to Industry Partners: The Garden (Branding), Elite Digital (Web Development), Porter Airlines (Airline), MET (Print), Spicers (Paper), TINT'D (Signage) and Vancouver Community College.
Gold Sponsors: Hemlock, MITCHELL, Northeastern University and Pangram Pangram Foundry.
Silver & Bronze Sponsors: Dalton Maag, Porchlight Press, Issues Magazine Shop and Photos by Kateland.
