Student Discord Event

Client-Sided Stories: What the industry really wants

Written by Laura Stein RGD, Tara Kerner RGD, BC Government and Zia Somjee RGD, ZAK Design Studio

Discord Wednesday June 03 @ 8:00 pm ET

Free for MembersNon-Members:n/a

Client-Sided Stories: What the industry really wants

Discord Wednesday June 03 @ 8:00 pm ET

This event gives students direct insight into what clients and industry partners value when hiring or collaborating with designers. Speakers will share their experiences working with designers and discuss the traits, skills and approaches that define successful designer-client relationships.

Laura Stein RGD
Chief Creative Officer at Bruce Mau Design, Laura leads multidisciplinary teams to deliver impactful branding across industries, including tech, culture and sustainability. In her work, Laura combines creativity, collaboration and research to drive transformative results.

Tara Kerner RGD
As the Director of Graphic Communications for the Government of BC, Tara leads the group responsible for the province's visual identity and support across ministries. With more than two decades of experience, she brings deep expertise in branding, policy and design governance.

Zia Somjee RGD
A the co-founder of ZAK, a Vancouver-based creative agency, Zia leads projects from kickoff to final rollout, working as both designer and creative strategist to translate high-level marketing goals into impactful work.

Laura Stein RGD

Laura Stein RGD, Chief Creative Officer at Bruce Mau Design. BMD is a research-based design studio delivering inventive and rallying design across all the places where people connect. Home to an international community, BMD works across borders and cultures, helping organizations at every scale grow, transform and deliver indelible experiences. As Partner and Chief Creative Officer and long-time advocate for collaboration, Laura provides overall creative and strategic direction across a variety of project types, from a museum in Abu Dhabi to a greenway in Austin to a global performance brand based in Tokyo.

Tara Kerner RGD

BC Government

Tara Kerner is Director of GCPE Graphic Communications, an in-house professional design department (within the BC Government) with intimate knowledge of branding-related processes, intellectual property, and policies. Responsibilities involve ongoing projects of graphic design support for both GCPE and ministries, as well as managing: the B.C. Visual Identity (BCID) program; the Provincial Brand Architecture; brand development and consultation; signage programs; legal support and approvals; advising on industry standards; accessibility projects; and much more. She has been working in the profession of graphic design since 2000 and has been working in GCPE Graphic Communications since 2005. Tara is a Certified Design Professional (CDP) with the Design Professionals of Canada (DesCan) and a Certified Professional Member (RGD) with the Registered Graphic Designers. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, gardening, fishing, foraging, beekeeping, drawing, and hanging out with her partner and their dachshunds.

Zia Somjee RGD

ZAK Design Studio

Zia is a partner, brand designer, and creative strategist at ZAK, an award-winning creative agency building strategy-led, design-driven brands. Over the course of a 10+ year career in brand design, Zia has had the opportunity to contribute to meaningful creative work across the arts, technology, food & beverage, and aerospace sectors to name a few. At ZAK, Zia leads creative strategy, connecting high level strategic goals to pointed creative work across a project.