2026 Design Educators Conference

Where: Wilson School of Design at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Richmond, BC

The RGD invites design educators and researchers from across the country to attend our annual Design Educators Conference, which will take place in Vancouver on May 28.

Organized by the RGD in partnership with Wilson School of Design at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, the 2026 conference theme is Field Trip, inviting reflection on the ways design education ventures beyond familiar terrains to engage with new contexts of learning.

Field trips are about curiosity, mobility and encountering the unexpected. In what ways might excursions—whether literal or metaphorical—generate new knowledge? What discoveries are inspiring our practice and transforming the ways we teach and understand design?

The conference coincides with DesignThinkers 2026 in Vancouver, which takes place at the Vancouver Playhouse on May 26 and 27.

Keynote speakers for the conference:

• Opening Keynote by Nu Goteh 

  Nu is a designer, strategist and educator who envisions conditions for communities to thrive. A recipient of the 2025 National Design Award (Emerging Designer), Nu is the Co-Founder, Managing Partner and Creative Director of Deem Journal and the Founder and Principal of ROOM FOR MAGIC. Nu is at the forefront of an emerging generation of designers who integrate design, culture, art, community and social practice. He has partnered with clients that include nonprofits such as the Art for Justice Fund, the Ford Foundation and the World Peace Foundation; cultural institutions such as the National Memorial for the Underground Railroad; and global brands like Nike and Google. His work has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Wallpaper, Design Miami, Monocle, and The Architect’s Newspaper. Influenced by his Liberian heritage and passion for counter-culture, he presents keynotes globally on design as an invitation for communities to reclaim their futures. Nu will also be speaking at DesignThinkers Vancouver.

Submit an abstract by February 9 for a presentation or workshop proposal. Registration will open in February 2026.

Please send questions to programs@rgd.ca.