2020 So(cial) Good Design Award Judges
Judges Non-Profit
Diana Castaneda RGD
Senior Graphic Designer at TRIUMF, Vancouver, BC
In her role as the Senior Graphic Designer at TRIUMF, Diana has art directed award-winning projects through close collaboration with scientists, engineers and science communicators. Diana dedicates her spare time to the Blueridge Chamber Music Festival as a board member and lead designer. She believes in the permanent relevance of design for making the world a better place. Her obsessively curious mind never stops producing innovative and crafted solutions for the causes that she believes in.
Cheryl Heller
President, CommonWise & Founding Chair of the MFA Program in Design for Social Innovation at SVA, Phoenix, AZ
Cheryl is the President of the Measured Lab and Founder of the design lab CommonWise. Her clients have included American Express, Reebok, Sheraton, Pfizer, Discovery Networks International, Herman Miller, Gap Bayer, L’Oreal, Harper’s Bazaar, The World Wildlife Fund and Ford Foundation. Cheryl was recently awarded a Rockefeller Bellagio Fellowship and is a recipient of the AIGA Medal. She is a Senior Fellow at the Babson Social Innovation Lab. Her book, The Intergalactic Design Guide was published in 2018.
Adam Rallo RGD
Creative Director at Catalyst Workshop Inc., Toronto, ON
Adam is a passionate educator and the Principal and Founder of Catalyst Workshop, a design and development consultancy. He is also an Inclusive Design scholar, currently completing his Masters of Design at OCAD University. Working with blind web designers and developers, his research is focused on building a seminal body of knowledge and policy recommendations to increase the physical functional diversity of post-secondary design institutions. He is also a parttime faculty at the York University/Sheridan College.
Jason Westerlund
Creative Producer, Digital Engagement at Canada’s National Arts Centre
Jason is a user experience design leader specializing in the performing arts. With decades of experience developing digital services in the public and private sector, he has developed solutions for numerous industries, including real estate, health and safety, public transit, magazine publishing, telecommunications, cultural education and the performing arts. Jason is currently the Creative Producer of Digital Engagement at the National Arts Centre overseeing the experience design practices and operations of the NAC’s digital platforms and media installations
Judges for Profit
Alex Beim
Founder, Lead Artist at Tangible, Vancouver, BC
From graphic designer to digital creative to interactive artist, Alex’s career has been a diverse journey. His interest in moving interactivity away from the screen and into the physical world led to the launch of Tangible in 2006. Since then, he has focused on developing interactive experiences that engage people in public and commercial spaces and his artworks have been seen by millions worldwide. His goal is to make technology a catalyst rather than a barrier for social interaction.
Eddie Opara
Partner-in-Charge, Creative Director at Pentagram, New York City, NY
Eddie is a multi-faceted designer whose work encompasses strategy, design and technology. He has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, the Columbia University School of Architecture and the University of the Arts, Philadelphia. He is the author of Color Works, published by Rockport. He was named to the Adweek Creative 100 in 2018, one of the Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2012 and 2014 and was featured in Ebony’s Power 100 list.
Dave Roberts
Executive Creative Director at McCann Montreal, Montreal, QC
Dave is an Integrated Creative Director with over 15 years of experience in creating innovative campaigns, products, services and experiences for global and national brands. He’s most passionate about working at the intersection of storytelling, design and technology to create memorable and meaningful experiences for people that drive them to action and drive value for brands. His work has been recognized with awards from Cannes, OneShow, CLIO, D&AD, ADC, the Webbys and the FWAs.
Christine Waite RGD
Art Director at Capital One Canada, Toronto, ON
Christine is a Toronto-based art director and artist with over 15 years of agency and in-house experience. With an extensive background in digital and print, Christine pushes creative boundaries through various events and activations. Her current position for Capital One Canada’s Culture Creative team has enabled Christine to couple her passion for design with her love for community initiatives, designing the annual Digital for Good Tech Jam and Summit.
Judges Designer-Driver
Perrin Drumm
Founder & Director of Eye on Design, New York City, NY
Perrin is the Founder and Director of Eye on Design, a website and magazine that publishes stories about the world’s most exciting designers and the issues they care about. Eye on Design’s team conducts in-depth design research and runs initiatives for the rights of working creative professionals. She is a writer and editor with an MFA in fiction from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She has held editorial positions at Condé Nast, The Sundance Channel, Adobe, TED, The Paris Review and The Architect’s Newspaper.
Jackie Kelly
Designer, Communications and Public Engagement at the Government of British Columbia, Victoria, BC
With a BDes from Emily Carr University followed by a Masters in Design from NSCAD, Jackie is a passionate practitioner of human centred design, utilizing her skills to teach, learn and practice the distinctions of design for positive impact. In addition to running her design studio, Awarewolf Creative, she has led learning-centred curriculum development for courses in design ethics at NSCAD University. An avid creative culture cultivator, Jackie co-founded Nanaimo Design Nerds, organized PechaKucha Night Nanaimo for several years.
Dominic Liu
Associate Creative Director of Design at Sid Lee, Toronto, ON
Dominic believes in creating future-forward work that is useful, purposeful and engaging. Originally from Edmonton, he has studied in Gothenburg (SWE) and Montreal, where he graduated from Concordia University. At Sid Lee, he helps lead all design output from the Toronto office. His clients have included the Toronto Raptors, McGill University, the Canadian Olympic Committee and MaRS Discovery District. His work has been recognized by various organizations including Cannes Lions, D&AD Awards and The Type Directors Club.
Kevin Yuen Kit Lo
Founder and Creative Director at LOKI, Montreal, QC
Kevin is a graphic designer, community organizer and educator based. He is the creative director of LOKI, an independent design studio that produces work rooted in social justice principles. Prior to founding LOKI, he spent many years as a designer and art director at various international communications/ advertising agencies and as a design director at a high fashion company. In parallel, he created agitprop for grassroots social movements while theorizing design’s potential for revolutionary change.
Judges Government
Adele Bilsaillon
Senior Creative Communications Advisor for the Government of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, NT
Adele is a brand strategist with 18 years of design experience in both the public and private sectors. Her role with the Government of Northwest Territories includes providing senior-level creative advice and graphic design services to departments. Adele is also an abstract artist and a freelance designer with a passion for helping entrepreneurs develop strategic branding. Adele graduated from the Cambrian College of Applied Arts and Technology with a diploma in Visual and Creative Arts, Graphic Design
Stephen Hanks RGD
Senior Advisor, Design and Branding at International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, ON
Stephen has been working as an Art Director and Design Strategist for over 25 years. Prior to his current position at IDRC, he co-founded and managed his own design consultancy for 15 years providing design solutions for a wide range of government, private-sector and non-government organizations. He previously served as Art Director for Canadian Geographic magazine and as a senior designer at the Design Council in London, England. Stephen has a BD in Communication Design from NSCAD University.
Senior Graphic Designer at The Regional Municipality of York, Newmarket, ON
Karen is a Senior Graphic Designer at the Regional Municipality of York. With a background in the retail, media and financial industries, she moved into the public sector and found inspiration in her work and close ties with the Community and Health Services department. Karen is a proud member of the RGD and her goal is to inspire others by applying thoughtful, creative design to generate positive, meaningful change and help people make informed decisions.
Judges Education
Sean Adams
Chair of the Graphic Design Program at ArtCenter, Los Angeles, CA
In addition to serving as Chair of the Graduate Graphic Design Program at ArtCenter, Sean continues his design practice with The Office of Sean Adams. He is the author of multiple books and on-screen author for LinkedIn Learning. He is the only two-term AIGA national president in AIGA’s 100-year history. In 2014, Sean was awarded the AIGA Medal, the highest honour in the profession. He is currently on the editorial board and writes for Design Observer.
Deborah Clague
Senior Graphic Designer at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Saskatoon, SK
Deborah believes good design possesses the ability to empower, leverage and revolutionize by transforming the simple into the sublime. She leads the award-winning in-house creative team at Saskatchewan Polytechnic across a broad spectrum of projects including digital, print and experiential marketing. With over two decades of experience in both the public and private sectors, Deborah also provides design, consultation and project management services to clients of Oblada Creative, the freelance creative boutique she operates in Saskatoon.
Katherine McCurdyLapierre
Acting Chief Marketing and Recruitment Officer at Mohawk College, Hamilton, ON
Katherine is a graduate of Ryerson University’s Fashion Marketing program. She began her career as a print designer for several prominent Canadian magazines. After being introduced to web design in the early 2000’s, she shifted focus to web development and design in full-time and freelance capacity. Katherine moved on to being the creative services manager for an in-house design department, managing a creative team for a large organization. She is currently the director of an in-house marketing and creative team.
Jennifer Rittner
Interim Chair of the MA in Design Research at SVA
Jennifer is a writer, educator and communications strategist. She is currently serving as Interim Chair of the MA in Design Research, Writing and Criticism at SVA. Jennifer’s consulting firm, Content Matters, helps creative businesses thrive by defining their voices and learning to communicate effectively with diverse audiences. Prior to consulting, Jennifer worked for Pentagram, Columbia CNMTL and the AIGA. She has been published in The New York Times, DMI: Journal, Core77, Against the Grain and a variety of trade publications.
