This February, the RGD thanks John Baljkas, for his contributions to the RGD community.
Q: How long have you been volunteering with the RGD, and in what capacity?
I've been a volunteer on the RGD Education Committee since May 2023.
Q: What contribution are you most proud of / What experience/memory stands out for you?
When I first joined the Education Committee in 2023, I helped coordinate and organize the Studio Tours for students that occur before the DesignThinkers Conference in Toronto. That year, many studios, agencies and in-house design departments participated in the tours. It was fun to reach out to so many different studios and get such an enthusiastic response from the design community and to hear positive feedback from the students who attended the tours and how much they appreciated the experience of meeting design practitioners and seeing the variety of projects and roles for designers.
Q: What is the most surprising/unexpected thing about volunteering with the RGD?
The most unexpected aspect of volunteering with the RGD was the volume and variety of projects/initiatives people were engaged with during the year. This highlights the engagement of the volunteers and the impact the RGD has on many different parts of the design community.
“John is a wonderful collaborator, keen to challenge the status quo and help move design education forward in positive ways. It’s a real pleasure working with him on the RGD’s Education Committee.”
Diana Varma RGD
Q: What have you learned about the industry since volunteering for the RGD?
The studio tours are always an amazing experience. It's great to see designers working in so many different areas of practice, and the various ways design meets the needs and challenges of different businesses and communities. As well, most of the volunteer design educators have industry experience and concurrent design practices. The RGD really facilitates this mix of people sharing their practices and learning from each other.
Q: Based on your experience volunteering with the RGD, how would you describe the organization's role in the industry?
As a professional organization, I believe the RGD’s commitments to ongoing training, education, and development of free resources (such as the AccessAbility handbook) are extremely valuable to all members and the broader Canadian society.
Q: 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?
I’d recommend volunteering for inspiration, connections and community — it reaffirms how many creative, ethical and thoughtful people work in design. One of the best parts of volunteering on the RGD’s Education Committee is meeting other committee members from across Canada who have different experiences. It has been a valuable way to hear diverse opinions and practices in design studios and education.
Q: Do you have thoughts on what you might like to do as a volunteer with the RGD in the future?
In 2025, we’re hoping to help expand the studio tours with even more studios and students from different schools and further develop ethical guidelines for the Student Awards program. In the future, I see the RGD as a leader in fostering new dialogues about contemporary design education and issues (for example, ethical practices with technologies such as AI) to help shape and transform designers’ roles in communities.
Sponsored
