Join the Association of Registered Graphic Designers for week 1 of the Virtual DesignThinkers Conference, November 9-13, 2020

DesignThinkers is Canada's largest annual graphic design conference, connecting designers from around the world. For the first time in the conference's 20-year history, the event will be hosted online over two weeks with additional lead-up programming. This new format means more: more accessibility, more learning, more voices, more intentional connection. So, turn the sound on and the speakers up. What will DesignThinkers mean for you?

Farah Assir, vice-president of design and strategy at Meetup will entice participants with an important question: €œWhat are we doing with our seat at the table?€ She will explore the unique skills designers have at their disposal that they might not think to use inside the confines of their job descriptions. Designers can partner with other disciplines to solve real user problems and ultimately change the future of a company, and Farah will help attendees to the way forward. Find out how to maximize opportunities for bringing design activities to the center of an organization, tackle challenges that could get in the way and optimize your proverbial seat at the table.

Suggested viewing time: November 12 @ 9 am PST. Farah will be available for Q&A on the DesignThinkers Conference Online Workspace on November 12. Farah's talk and other recorded presentations will be available for all delegates from November 9-Februray 9.

Sara Wachter-Boettcher, author, speaker, coach and strategist dedicated to changing design and tech for good, presents the keynote €œBrave Conversations,€ which discusses facing challenging conversations with honesty, kindness, and accountability. Work relationships aren€™t always easy. People disagree, priorities come into conflict, and sometimes feelings get hurt. Many of us have learned that the €œprofessional€ thing to do is shove our emotions down and slap on a fake smile. But while avoidance can feel more comfortable in the moment, it ultimately makes things worse: you get burnt out, teams lose trust, and collaboration turns to contention. The antidote is brave conversations. This session covers the basics of brave conversations€”being direct yet compassionate, naming what's not working, and building shared expectations and agreements; how avoiding conflict and €˜staying positive€™ uphold biased, inequitable norms; how to communicate your needs in healthy ways; and how to create a culture where brave conversations are celebrated, not punished.

This presentation will be held November 9 @ 1 pm PST.

In her keynote address, €œDesign Emergency,€ Alice Rawsthorn, award-winning design critic and author, discusses how design has been one of the most powerful tools during the COVID-19 crisis. The ingenuity, resourcefulness, and generosity of designers and their collaborators worldwide have produced innovations that have helped to protect us from COVID-19, improve its treatment and prepare for the radical changes it has imposed. Join Alice, author of Design as an Attitude and co-founder of the Design Emergency research platform, as she explores the successes, failures and long-term impact of design's response to the pandemic and its aftermath.

This presentation will be held November 9 @ 8:30 am PST.

Learn more about DesignThinkers at designthinkers.com

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Jessica Kirby

Jessica Kirby