This week, it gives me great pleasure to introduce you, our DesignThinkers audience to Vincent Wanga. Vince is new to the DesignThinkers universe. He’ll be joining us on stage in Vancouver next month to talk about creative audacity. Vince is one of those multi-hyphenates—In this episode, we joke that “I do a lot of things” is our shared tagline. He runs a couple of different businesses and has his hands in a myriad of projects. For the purposes of our conversation, Vince is a design leader, a serial entrepreneur and brand consultant. As former VP and head of creative for one of the fastest-growing technology start-ups in North America, he oversaw corporate brand strategy and creative during a period of unprecedented growth. He was with the company from before their Series A to their achievement of a $1 billion “unicorn” valuation. But what Vince is most passionate about right now is creative leadership. In this episode, we dive into his career trajectory. We talk about overcoming adversity, the delusional optimism that he’s gained from those tough experiences and how valuable that delusion can be for entrepreneurs. Wealso talk about what it means to become a good creative leader and how those leaders should be thinking about new technologies like AI. Enjoy this one! Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.
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58:18
Catalina Estrada on Creating for Change
This week, I’m sharing my conversation with Catalina Estrada. Catalina is a Colombian illustrator now based in Barcelona. She reinterprets Latin American folklore and expertly documents the natural world in her stunning, and extremely colourful, artwork and patterns. Catalina has worked for major brands like Disney, Netflix and Coca-Cola but she’s also done heaps of self-initiated work for a host of global causes. In this episode we talk about her transition from design into illustration—a story that’s full of childlike curiosity and moments of kismet—and the ways her signature style has evolved over the years. My favourite bit is near the end, where Catalina talks about the value of active patience for creative people. She’s not the kind of patience where you sit on the couch quietly, but instead the kind of patience where you diligently do the work until something magic unfolds. Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.
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46:01
Carson Ting on Making Career Moves
This week’s guest is illustrator, art director and fine artist Carson Ting. Carson kicked off his career in Toronto before moving across the country for a dream job at Rethink. Today, Carson is best known as an artist and founder of Chairman Ting. He’s a bit of a legend in Vancouver, where his murals are plentiful and on occasion span entire city blocks. I’m catching up with Carson on the heels of a career reset. While Chairman Ting isn’t going anywhere, he’s doubling down on his fine art practice. We talk about his transition from advertising to fine art, his distaste for client feedback, and how much he loves the kind of procrastination that manifests as play. Plus, I ask him about the role bunnies have played in his life and work—something he’ll be talking more about in his DesignThinkers workshop, titled “Great designers don’t just create; they leave a mark”. Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.
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42:03
Eleni Beveratou on the Intricacies of Type
In this week’s episode, I’m catching up with typeface designer Eleni Beveratou. While working toward her MA in Typeface Design from the University of Reading, she developed an interest in the science of reading for the partially sighted. Her research and findings were published in Digital Fonts and Reading by World Scientific. Today, Eleni works at Dalton Maag, an independent type foundry in London, England. Eleni has worked on projects with brands such as Airbnb, Oracle and Facebook. I’m always excited to geek out with Eleni! Her knowledge base is deep and she’s incredibly skilled at explaining complicated typographic ideas in plain language. Listen in as we discuss the qualities of a good typeface, how Eleni stays on top of—and integrates—changing technology into her work, and the complex world of licensing a font. Plus, near the end, Eleni gives us a little preview of her DesignThinkers Vancouver presentation. Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.
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48:25
Meg Lewis on Leveraging Your Quirks
In this episode, I'm zooming into The Meg Lewis Fun House! Meg is an artist, performer and educator transforming the world through joy and playful design. Their bold designs burst with colour, bringing an explosion of energy to brands like Dropbox, Meta, Target and Pinterest. With a background in design, improv, clown, music and stage combat, Meg creates uniquely playful experiences through workshops and talks that spark laughter and inspiration. Meg guides both corporations and individuals to reshape how they work and create, inspiring audiences to tackle life's biggest questions through joy, creative exploration and career strategy. This conversation feels a bit like a pep talk. We explore the idea of leveraging your quirks to scare away the wrong kinds of clients, to ultimately, build the right kind of career for you. Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.
From the Association of Registered Graphic Designers, this is the DesignThinkers podcast. DesignThinkers is Canada's largest graphic design conference. Since the year 2000, the Association of Registered Graphic Designers has been bringing together visionaries from a range of disciplines to explore creativity and the design process live and on-stage. This podcast is an extension of that mission. We’re here to talk about process, creativity and the business of design with past and present DesignThinkers speakers. Join our host, Nicola Hamilton, for candid conversation with creative legends such as Erin Sarofsky, Michael Beirut, Paul Scher, Gail Anderson, Meg Lewis, Christopher Doyle, and so many more.Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.
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