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Over 2,000 designers were “Out of Office” at DesignThinkers, Canada’s premier graphic design conference, this October 20–21 in Toronto. Away from their desks and without the pressure to produce or perform, attendees forged new connections and gained new insights during presentations and hands-on workshops hosted by over 40 design leaders.
Authenticity and intentionality is the future of meaningful design
This year’s DesignThinkers sessions emphasized how the bedrock of the design profession is authenticity and intentionality: in our craft, in our work and for ourselves.
“I think we have a real problem in the design industry right now,” said Barrington Reeves, founder of Glasgow-based studio, Too Gallus, during his keynote. “I think we're drowning in this sea of sameness, this kind of algorithm-driven homogeny, and AI is only making it worse. You don’t want to be the next someone. You don’t want to be a copy of someone else because that brand already has that shine. If you want to make a real impact, you have to do something different, because no one is ever applauding the copy.”
Visual artist Temi Coker encouraged attendees to stop playing small and remember that they have something to offer the industry during his keynote. “I think a lot of designers have [that thought] of ‘what if it doesn't work out?’ And I’m here to let you know that your overthinking is costing you. It’s costing you your confidence, it's costing you your time and it’s costing you visibility.”
As designers feel the squeeze to move faster and constantly turn out new work, this year’s DesignThinkers conference in Toronto offered the important reminder that the best way to design something meaningful is to quiet the noise, look inwards and think about what you, and others, want to see in the world.
For over 25 years, DesignThinkers has gathered creative communications professionals from across Canada and around the world to discuss design and where the profession is headed. Attend the next DesignThinkers conference in Vancouver on May 4–5, 2028.
