Emerging designers design mock projects with help of RGD Mentors — Part 2
Written by Emma Hodgson Associate RGD and Rupsha Mutsuddi Associate RGD, Rupsha Mutsuddi
The RGD Project-Based Mentorship Program is a twelve-week initiative where emerging designers work in teams to develop designs led by a senior designer. In some teams, an Associate RGD also has the opportunity to play a leadership role, mentoring Student RGDs and other Associate Members.
Applications for the fall round of the RGD Project-Based Mentorship Program will launch at the end of this month!
This second feature showcases the work of seven of the teams that worked across design disciplines, including branding, design for social good and UI/UX.
The Ripple Effect Campaign by Projectless
This campaign is dedicated to motivating Canadians to be more conscious about consuming fast fashion items. The challenge posed was presenting information in a hopeful light and showcasing simple, actionable acts of change that can make big waves.
The team designed digital posters, social media graphics and a website directing the target audience to obtain valuable insights and view concrete examples of ways to reduce the consumption of clothes, benefiting not only the environment but also labourers involved in textile production.
Our designs drew inspiration from ripples, waves and nature, making use of curves, a collage style and a cool colour palette that aligns with the campaign’s theme and objective of promoting sustainable consumption in simple and accessible ways.
Through this project, we discover the potential for collective effort and action; small feats add up to greater results—much like the Ripple Effect Campaign. In the end, our final designs are purpose-driven and impactful despite their simplicity.
Find additional visuals here and on Instagram
Creative Director/Mentor:
“It’s been incredibly rewarding to return as an RGD mentor for and have the opportunity to collaborate with three talented and driven designers—Lindsay, Zeal and Gerard. Their dedication, creativity and collaborative spirit were evident in every stage of the project. It was inspiring to see how each of them brought their unique strengths and perspectives, resulting in a cohesive outcome. Congratulations to the team on a job well done—I’m proud to have been part of your design journey!”
Raymond Cheah RGD
Art Director:
“Participating in this program as Art Director was a rewarding opportunity to grow as a creative leader. With Raymond’s help, I guided the visual direction and collaborated closely with the team to develop a cohesive, accessible brand identity. This experience strengthened my leadership, communication and feedback integration skills.”
Lindsay De Sando Associate RGD
Designer:
“Through this project, II learned how to pair bold typography with thoughtful design choices and how to use colour palettes effectively to make social media posts stand out. This project not only sharpened my skills but also left me inspired to create with purpose.”
Zeal Kinkhabwala Student RGD
Foundry
The Foundry is a design-driven creative community, built for artists, designers and makers. It is more than a group of buildings. It is a place where creative minds meet, ideas take shape and culture is made. The Foundry a workspace where people and ideas intersect in a flexible, design-focused environment.
The brand identity reflects this spirit. The logo is bold and structured, reflecting creative and contemporary energy. The accent colours, neon green, blue and magenta represent experimentation and the evolving rhythm of a dynamic creative community. The commas act as a key visual metaphor symbolizing openness, connection and creative momentum. They represent a pause, what comes next, where paths meet and change begins.
Find additional visuals here
Creative Director/Mentor:
“It was a privilege to lead my team through their first branding project rooted in place making. Together, we explored what it means to build a brand for a creative community, from research and positioning to naming, visual identity and marketing. My goal was to offer a real-world perspective on how studios approach community branding. I was incredibly proud to see the team embrace the process with passion, curiosity and collaboration. Their growth and enthusiasm made the experience truly rewarding.”
Michael Gioffre
Art Director:
“Participating in the Foundry project was a meaningful, rewarding experience that helped me grow as a designer. With Michael’s mentorship, I gained a solid understanding of the key elements of place branding, along with valuable insights into project flow and the diverse perspectives involved in the design process. As the design manager and a designer, I had the opportunity to collaborate closely with fellow designers from early planning through to execution. The role challenged me to expand my skill set and gain a deeper appreciation for creative teamwork. I'm truly grateful for Michael’s thoughtful leadership, the passion of our team and the support of the RGD for making this opportunity possible.”
Julia Juyon Song Associate RGD
Designers:
“This experience pushed me out of my comfort zone and into a space where I felt both challenged and supported. The feedback was honest and constructive, which helped me grow creatively and gain confidence, not just in my design skills, but also in presenting my ideas and trusting my instincts. Being treated like a professional and having someone believe in my potential motivated me to think bigger and aim higher.”
Daniel Santos Student RGD
“This was a great experience and addition to my portfolio. I had a good time connecting with my peers, learned a lot about how branding projects actually work and gained a lot of presentation confidence. Thank you for this opportunity!”
Raeda Sarwar Student RGD
Freeshy
Freeshy is a digital grocery and meal-planning platform that helps users reduce food waste, save money and make more mindful food decisions. Designed for young to middle-aged working adults with busy schedules, the app makes it easy to track pantry items, discover recipes based on what’s already at home and adapt suggestions to individual dietary preferences.
The project began with market research, competitive analysis and user interviews, uncovering a shared frustration: food is often forgotten or wasted, leading to unnecessary costs and environmental impact. These insights shaped our goal—to create a solution that makes kitchen management effortless, practical and rewarding.
Freeshy’s design is guided by three principles: clarity, convenience and sustainability. The information architecture enables users to quickly check their inventory, browse personalized meal ideas and generate budget-conscious shopping lists. A clean, approachable identity uses fresh colours, friendly iconography and clear typography to convey an optimistic and motivating tone.
More than just a grocery app, Freeshy is designed to be a helpful daily companion. By blending functional tools with a friendly, engaging interface, it empowers users to make small, consistent choices that lead to meaningful savings, better nutrition and a lighter ecological footprint.
Want to see the team’s work in more detail?
Creative Director/Mentor:
“As mentor on Freeshy, I had the pleasure of guiding the team through the challenge of creating a solution that balances everyday convenience with environmental responsibility. Watching their ideas grow from early research into a polished, user-friendly product was incredibly rewarding.”
Anya Hamman
Design Manager:
“Working on this project was incredibly rewarding. I’ve learned more about UI/UX design—not just from my amazing mentor, who was always supportive and helped keep us on track—but also from working alongside a thoughtful and collaborative peer. The project was challenging and exciting and it helped me grow as a designer, listener and thinker. I wish I’d had more opportunities to explore advanced prototyping and experience the full, real-world project cycle, but overall, I’m deeply grateful for everything I’ve learned. I’m looking forward to taking part again in the future!”
Helen Nguyen Associate RGD
Designer:
“Anya's guidance and feedback were invaluable in building the foundation for how we should approach mobile design work and how to cater to the user and their experience. I thoroughly enjoyed working with designers who had way more experience than I did which helped me a lot in my growth as a designer. I love how our project came out and look forward to refining it further in the future!”
Faith Innes Student RGD
SUPR (Single Use Plastic Regulation)
SUPR is a public-facing extension of Canada’s Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations (SUPPR), developed to help bridge the gap between policy and everyday practice. Created to encourage sustainable lifestyles alongside federal environmental agency, the project explores how branding and design can support clearer communication, producer accountability and more sustainable consumer choices.
The team set out to translate complex government regulations into a visual identity and brand system that could be understood and used by a wide range of audiences from individuals trying to reduce waste to businesses adapting to circular economy principles. Central to the project is the idea that producers should be more accountable for the packaging they create and that good design can help make sustainability more practical and accessible.
The outcome includes a visual identity, packaging concepts, digital tools and a governance framework that works in step with national policy goals. Rather than treating branding and regulation as separate, SUPR demonstrates how they can inform and strengthen each other — making it easier for people to understand their role in reducing single-use plastics and shifting toward long-term, systems-based solutions.
Creative Director:
“As mentor on SUPR, I had the privilege to guide Rachel and Jamie, two very talented designers, through a complex brief, watching their ideas evolve into a thoughtful, systems-based design solution that connects policy to people. This project reinforced my belief that design must be sustainable and that designers have a responsibility to use our skills to create solutions for a better future.”
Amelia Nash RGD
Design Manager:
“Designing for SUPR really illuminated the role of design for me; both shaping the world via its systems and also the communication in getting people to notice them! I learned a lot about the circular economy and knowing Jamie and Amelia are eco-conscious designers too makes me a little more hopeful for a cleaner future.”
Rachel Xu Associate RGD
Designer:
“This project strengthened the skills I need to be a successful, eco-conscious designer! From researching about circular economies to designing for government policy, working on SUPR allowed me to practice intentional and purposeful design. I’m very grateful to have worked alongside Rachel and Amelia!”
Jamie Arcega Student RGD
Nova Harbour Transit App
For this project, the team developed a transit app for a fictional small town. The app serves residents and tourists, offering intuitive journey planning, real-time bus and train updates and a guide to local points of interest. It connects Nova Harbour Transit (NHT) bus lines with the local GO train system. Usability remains a key focus for students (18–25), older adults (65+) and users with varying levels of tech experience.
The team thoroughly explored the design process through ideation sessions and workshops, allowing them to explore and solve user problems.
Find additional visuals here
Creative Director:
“Working with this talented group of junior designers has been an absolute privilege. Their dedication, creativity and collaborative energy made every step of the process productive and enjoyable. Mentoring them was a pleasure! They brought fresh perspectives, asked thoughtful questions and consistently delivered excellently.”
Josh Skinner RGD
Design Manager:
“As Design Manager, I led my team, shaped our shared vision and ensured our work stayed cohesive and user-centred. I guided the development of our design system, led critiques and helped move the team from early concepts through to polished deliverables, all while fostering open collaboration and clear communication. Throughout the process, we were guided by our mentor Josh, whose insight and support helped sharpen our thinking and push the work further. This experience was an amazing introduction to design leadership and confirmed how much I enjoy bringing structure, clarity and creative support to a team.”
Eve-Lareine Dandan Associate RGD
Designers:
“This program was a rewarding experience that taught me invaluable lessons I’ll carry with me throughout my career. Being guided by our insightful mentor, Josh, and working alongside a talented design team, eager and hungry to learn, was incredibly motivating. Through this project, I gained a deeper understanding of UX/UI and what it means to build something from the ground up. It wasn’t just about making something that looks good. It was about creating something meaningful, research-driven and intentional. Finishing a project like this deepened my drive to pursue meaningful work in design and I’m very grateful to this program for that.”
Savannah Baraniuk-Thomas Student RGD
“Each team member contributed their unique strengths to this project. And our collaboration became a model of thoughtful, creative synergy. With the guidance and encouragement of our mentor, we worked as a cohesive design studio—engaging in strategic thinking, user-centred design and meaningful peer review. This experience deepened my professional skills and left me with a lasting sense of connection to an inspiring and supportive creative community.”
Sofia Sanzharovska
Canadian Awards for Reporting Excellence
The project involved branding the (fictionalized) 2026 Canadian Awards for Reporting Excellence (CARE). This non-profit organization celebrates outstanding achievements in Canadian journalism, raising money to support programs for journalists in danger. The designers were tasked with developing the identity and implementing five deliverables that demonstrated the identity across various analog and digital outputs, including email communications, a sponsorship deck, social media posts, onsite banners and posters and a web page.
Additional details and visuals of the project can be viewed here.
Mentor:
“Having mentored and participated a second time, I find it remarkable how differently the results turned out this year. It’s inspiring to see how a new collective fosters different ways of thinking. These designers come from diverse backgrounds and skill sets and I felt very fortunate that they supported each other, managing the challenge of creating a unified project while leading their own parts. The outcome is a portfolio case study that they can be proud of. I also hope that the journey was equally rewarding and beneficial for learning about teamwork and collaboration.”
Victor Szeto RGD
Art Director:
“Being able to step into this role was an incredible opportunity. I loved being able to bounce ideas back and forth and collaborate with such passionate, driven designers. This project allowed me to flex my creative muscles and try new things, including a new program (Affinity Publisher) and it was incredibly satisfying to see how all of our work fit together. In a few short weeks, we managed to create a cohesive branded event with countless pieces of collateral. I’m so proud of our team!”
Danielle Martin Associate RGD
Graphic designers:
“This is my first year with the RGD, and I had a fantastic experience taking part in this program. It has been nearly 2 years since I've been able to work with a senior designer and the feedback, tips and guidance were exactly what I have been craving since I finished school. Working with other Associate RGDs at different stages of their design journey allowed for a great exchange of knowledge on production and presentation processes. I come away from the program with a portfolio piece I am proud of in a medium I wasn't overly confident in before.”
Camille Gan Associate RGD
“I absolutely adored this project! It was a lot of fun and I learned a great deal. Working on the web, there were many challenges to overcome, like matching the digital to the print pieces and creating the structure for the website. One of the biggest challenges was learning a new web builder and learning the limitations that come with it, being unable to do what I imagined and having to pivot so often. I am so happy with the outcome and the process it took to get here. It helped me grow and become a better designer”
Duaa Suhail Student RGD
“I developed a sharper eye for details from team critique, and also learned both analytical and analogical thinking on what works and what doesn't work in design thinking. I enjoyed showing my creative process with the group and seeing what they were working on, all of which inspired me to improve myself. And hopefully I inspired the team with my creative enthusiasm and spark. We worked really well together.”
Elaine Tat Associate RGD
“As a student working alongside designers at various career stages was humbling and inspiring. I learned so much under Victor’s leadership and the entire team, who gave me a glimpse into life in the real world. It was a privilege to be part of this experience.”
Cassidy Torraville Student RGD
Lumora
This project focused on building Lumora, a conceptual Canadian wellness and lifestyle brand. The team was responsible for every aspect of the brand’s development, starting with selecting a name that reflected its values of sustainability, safety and holistic living. Inspired by the luminous beauty of the Northern Lights, “Lumora” evokes clarity, warmth and natural radiance, guiding the brand’s calming, nature-infused visual language.
With a focus on ingredient-conscious consumers, Lumora offers a curated line of eco-conscious wellness products, including skincare, supplements and home essentials, all sourced from Canadian natural resources. The team worked through design explorations and iterations, listening, collaborating and refining at each stage to find the best fit for the brand and its audience.
They developed a comprehensive system with a refined colour palette, custom typography and a flexible packaging structure designed to scale with future product expansion. Real-world applications were explored through social media mock-ups and sustainable packaging designs, ensuring the brand remained cohesive across both digital and physical touch points.
Every detail was carefully crafted to strike a balance between sophistication and approachability, resulting in a modern brand that conveys purity, trust and care for the environment. Bilingual compliance and thoughtful material choices further support accessibility and sustainability.
Additional details for the project can be found here.
Creative Director/Mentor:
“It was a pleasure working with this talented group. Their fresh perspectives, creative energy and thoughtful approach to problem-solving brought the brand to life in such an exciting way. The team demonstrated strong collaboration throughout the process, ensuring everyone’s ideas were heard, thoughtfully reviewed and collectively shaped into a cohesive direction that truly aligned with the brand’s vision. I was impressed by their dedication to iteration, openness to feedback and the care they put into every detail. I hope they’re incredibly proud of what they’ve accomplished over the past twelve weeks. I have no doubt they’ll continue to grow and thrive in their next creative challenges.”
Amanda Wood RGD
Design Manager and Art Director:
“Working on this project, I gained hands-on experience managing a project, leading a team of designers, assigning tasks and fostering open collaboration. One of the aspects I appreciated most was how each designer actively contributed to the creative process—sharing ideas and making decisions aligned with the project’s goals and objectives. Regular communication with our Creative Director and consistent progress updates played a key role in keeping the project on track and ensuring we met all deadlines smoothly.”
Arezu Ahmadi Associate RGD
Designers:
“Through this program, I learned how to work better with others, incorporate feedback and explore different ideas as a team. I really enjoyed seeing how creative everyone was and it helped me open up and see design from new perspectives. With Amanda’s guidance, along with support from our Design Manager and my teammates, we completed the project with everyone’s ideas coming together really nicely.”
Nguyen Ha Le Ly Student RGD
“Working on this project with incredible designers was an amazing learning experience. We each brought different ideas and strengths to the table and, even through challenges, we stayed committed to creating something strong and meaningful. This experience has taught me what it's like to design projects that are executed by a team. Having Amanda as our mentor really pushed our work to the next level. I'm proud of what we accomplished together and grateful for the growth this project brought.”
Valeria Alejandra Barrera Orellana Student RGD
The Program is co-organized by the Associate RGD and Education Committees with consultation by the UX Advisory Group. Thanks to Logan Chapman RGD, Roxanne Hammond Associate RGD, Emma Hodgson Associate RGD, Samiksha Makhijani RGD, Rupsha Mutsuddi Associate RGD and Preet Soni Associate RGD for their organizing efforts.
Emma Hodgson Associate RGD
Emma Hodgson is a designer, artist and design researcher who recently graduated from York University's Master of Design program. Emma’s research for her master’s thesis incorporated design history, science and technology studies, feminist theory, parody branding and the history of athleisure to critique everyday self-optimization practices and the ideals that they promote.
Rupsha Mutsuddi Associate RGD
Rupsha Mutsuddi
Rupsha is a Designer specializing in Human-Centered Design, an Emerging Design Educator, and an Emerging Design Researcher. Rupsha is pursuing her Master of Design at York. Her work involves looking at the intersection of design, accessibility, and everyday health management. Her research focuses on designing interventions in augmented reality to assist with everyday activities for people living with early-stage dementia aiming to enhance their quality of life through the integration of rituals and habits. Supported by the Government of Canada Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant, she is working with people with dementia, their care partners, and community organizations across Ontario to design better ways to support people living with dementia in everyday life.
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