Volunteer of the Month: Evelyn Csiszar RGD

The RGD thanks Evelyn Csiszar RGD this September for her contributions to the community.

“Evelyn is an amazing volunteer and her work for the Ethics Committee has been incredibly helpful. She has a talent for providing solutions to problems that designers and firm owners have, which has skillfully been transferred into useable pieces for the RGD members. Her advice is always insightful and her commitment to helping other designers shows in the hard work that she does on a regular basis. I have been lucky to get a chance to work with her and I admire the work that she does on behalf of our members.”

Jennifer Taback RGD

How long have you been volunteering with the RGD and in what capacity?

I’ve been volunteering with the RGD since 2014. I originally got involved with the Associate Committee and then joined the Ethics Committee once I became a fully registered RGD. I’ll be switching over to the Membership Committee starting this month.

What contribution are you most proud of / What experience/memory stands out for you?

My most recent contribution has been the development of the Skills Testing Guidelines which are set to be released soon. Employers giving skills tests to candidates have become increasingly common and I feel like the practice is often misused or abused. I hope the creation of these guidelines will help designers understand what employers can reasonably ask of them during the hiring process and when they should refuse to partake in them, while also providing employers with best practices for how to conduct fair and ethical skills tests if they choose to conduct one.

What is the most surprising/unexpected thing to come out of volunteering with the RGD?

How much I love to be a part of something bigger! I’ve always been a lone wolf, but I really look forward to our monthly meetings and working together with the committee to contribute to the design community at large. Knowing that we’re doing something meaningful feels very fulfilling.  

What have you learned about the industry since volunteering for the RGD?

I’ve learned that the industry is highly varied, always changing and is filled with lots of grey areas. We as designers need to be constantly pivoting and developing ourselves as the industry changes to stay relevant, informed and innovative.

Based on your experience volunteering with the RGD, how would you describe the role of the organization in the industry?

I feel that the RGD functions as an advocate for quality design standards and practices. They not only set a high bar for designers, but they also provide many resources for how we could conduct ourselves in the industry at large with integrity and fairness.

What have you gained from being an RGD volunteer and why would you recommend it to other members who might be thinking of getting involved?

Working in the industry, whether for clients or bosses, I think designers are often pressured to work faster and cheaper, which sometimes leads to poor work. I think it’s difficult to maintain a high bar for quality and integrity in the long run. My involvement with the RGD is a constant reminder of the standards that the RGD sets and by association, the standards I also represent, which has made it easier for me to prioritize and maintain my integrity and create high quality work.

Do you have thoughts on what you might like to do as a volunteer with the RGD in the future?

As I’ve mentioned, I’ll be switching over to the Membership Committee this month, so I’m excited to see what opportunities the new committee will bring. I’m hoping to get involved with initiatives where we can create more resources for designers to help them navigate the grey waters of the industry.