Real World Skills for Creatives: Flying Solo

Written by Mairin Deery RGD, hannahHR | Freelance/Fractional, Seowon Bang RGD, Julian Brown RGD, ON THE CHASE! Motion Design and Michelle Hopgood RGD, Hopgood Creative

virtual Friday October 24 @ 12 PM ET / 9 AM PT

Free for MembersNon-Members:N/A

Real World Skills for Creatives: Flying Solo

virtual Friday October 24 @ 12 PM ET / 9 AM PT

A 4-Part Panel Series for Emerging Designers

Ready to navigate your design career with confidence? Whether you're fresh out of school, pivoting careers, or exploring new professional paths, this intimate panel series connects you directly with seasoned design professionals who've walked the walk. Over four focused sessions, you'll get the unfiltered insights, practical advice, and honest answers you need to make informed decisions about your design future—from landing your first role to building lasting career success.

Each session features candid conversations with industry veterans who'll share their real-world experiences, tackle your toughest questions (even and especially about AI), and help you understand what it really takes to thrive in today's evolving design landscape.

Friday, October 24 – Flying Solo
Topics: Setting rates and billing • Building client pipelines • Marketing yourself • Managing scope and feedback • AI as a solo tool
Thinking about striking out on your own? Learn from successful solo designers who'll share the real talk on building and sustaining a freelance practice. From pricing strategies and client acquisition to handling scope creep and difficult feedback, and AI use in their creative practices, get the insider knowledge you need to build a thriving independent career while maintaining your creative integrity.

Panelists

Julian Brown RGD, Principal at ON THE CHASE! Motion Design, Oshawa, ON
Michelle Hopgood RGD, Founder, Creative Director and Information Specialist at Hopgood CreativeToronto, ON
Seowon Bang RGD, Art Director & Designer, B is for Bang, Toronto, ON
Moderated by Mairin Deery RGD, CMO, CPO, Brand Designer, Brand Strategist & Graphic Designer at hannahHR | Freelance/Fractional, Vancouver, BC

Other Sessions in the Series
Friday, October 17 - Going In-House
Friday, October 31 - Agency Life
Friday, November 7 - The Career Mixer

These sessions are free but only open to RGD Members.

Mairin Deery RGD

hannahHR | Freelance/Fractional

With an education in film and video production and communication design, I have 15 years of industry experience working with large corporate teams through non-profit organizations to execute values-aligned design and communications. I collaborate with large and small teams to create visually captivating and impactful work as unique as the organizations they represent. Consistent messaging is crucial across every platform and function, from internal and external communications to UX/UI design to web and social media. With a strong focus on brand values and storytelling, and a deep commitment to design principles, I consistently deliver innovative solutions across a wide range of projects and media.

Seowon Bang RGD

Julian Brown RGD

ON THE CHASE! Motion Design

Julian Brown is ON THE CHASE! Julian creates ‘motion-first’ brands and content for smart clients (Sport Chek, University of Toronto, Cineplex, World Wildlife Fund). His motion design & branding projects have been awarded by Graphis, The Webbys, Adobe and many more. Julian is a speaker on motion design, running a solo studio, and, sometimes, telling people why their offices f*cking suck. He serves as a VP on the Board of Directors for RGD, Canada’s largest design association. Julian is a York/Sheridan Toronto alumni, a world traveller, and this one time he starred alongside his dog in a TV ad for pet food. It was adorable.

Michelle Hopgood RGD

Hopgood Creative

Michelle is Founder, Creative Designer and Information Specialist at Hopgood Creative. She helps researchers, academics and thinkers use the power of design to explain complex ideas. With over 15 years of experience in design, information, knowledge and information management, Michelle brings a unique perspective to clients and business. Michelle was a Design Educator at Seneca College teaching information design. She holds a diploma from Sault College, a Bachelor of Design from OCAD University, and a Master of Information from the University of Toronto. Michelle was a recipient of RGD’s In-House Design Awards 2016 and a speaker at DesignThinkers TO 2019. She has an unshakeable commitment to making complex ideas beautiful to help her clients get media attention, teach courses and reach a wide audience.