Design Professionals of Canada - DesCan

Design Professionals of Canada - DesCan DesCan is the national advocate, voice and resource for Canada's design profession.

The GDC is an advocate, voice and resource for Canada's graphic design profession. We are a national certified body of graphic designers promoting high standards of visual design and ethical business practices for the benefit of Canadian industry, commerce, public service and education. Through the media, publications, seminars, events, conferences and exhibits, the GDC builds awareness of graphic design and its essential role in business and society.

Our Human Designed™ designation is garnering major media attention.Check out the link in our bio to see National Preside...
09/04/2026

Our Human Designed™ designation is garnering major media attention.
Check out the link in our bio to see National President Amanda parker CDP speaking on Global News this past week.
Available to DesCan members, sign up today at descan.ca/human-designed to add your name to the growing list of designers committed to fighting back against the onslaught of inappropriate AI usage in our profession. And post the Human Designed™ mark on your work or website.

This week’s curated post features the work of DesCan Fellow Fritz Gottschalk from 1967.In Canada’s centennial year, 196...
09/03/2026

This week’s curated post features the work of DesCan Fellow Fritz Gottschalk from 1967.
In Canada’s centennial year, 1967, the Association of Canadian Industrial Designers and the National Design Council co-hosted the 5th General Assembly and Congress of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID ’67) — first in Ottawa (September 10th to 12th) and then in Montréal (September 13th to 15th). Attendance for the event was extremely high with 640 registered, representing 38 member societies in 32 countries as well as 170 participating students from 11 countries. Many of the meetings in Montréal were hosted in auditoriums and facilities on the Expo 67 site which really reinforced the global nature of the event. The timing was also carefully planned to coincide with the official opening of Canada’s second ‘Design Canada’ Centre in Montréal, the Toronto Centre having opened in 1964. The theme of ICSID ’67 was Man to Man, providing a natural link to Expo 67’s own overarching theme ‘Man and his World’.
The design of this piece is self evident. An assembly of numerals 1 through 5, with an emphasis placed on the number 5 — this being the 5th in the ICSID sequance of events. The cover is printed in red and black ink on the outer faces only. The numerals, hand rendered into their beautiful lock-up, stand proud in white whilst the remainder of the typography is set in black Times New Roman. This continues onto the inside text pages where all content remains in black and white only.
You can read the full story of this and other examples of Canadian design history at canadamodern.org (link in ’s profile).
CM251
Artifact Type: Soft Cover Book
Title: 5th General Assembly and Congress of the
International Council of Societies of Industrial Design, Ottawa/Montréal, Canada, September ’67
Year: 1967
Designer: Fritz Gottschalk, AGI, F.DesCan
Studio: Gottschalk+Ash
Client: ICSID Canada Congress, Association of Canadian Industrial Designers, National Design Council
Size: 297mm X 210mm
Blair Th⚫️mson
Believe in®
G R A P H I L A T E L Y
Alliance Graphique Intl





Design Canada

Alanna Munro of Arcane Type Foundry would like to invite you to learn type design, in Vancouver with an adventuring part...
09/01/2026

Alanna Munro of Arcane Type Foundry would like to invite you to learn type design, in Vancouver with an adventuring party of other letter lovers on a quest to create their own font!
The Arcane Academy of Type Design is launching this fall with a 6-week in-person type design course for designers who want to go from using fonts to making them.
Level 1: The First Typeface covers the full workflow from sketch to specimen. It starts October 6th, and tuition is $990 CAD. Details and registration at arcanetype.com/academy-events/level-1-the-first-typeface.
DesCan members can save $50 on course fees by using the code listed in the Members Only area at descan.ca.


and .Vancouver celebrate the global theme for September of ‘CURRENT’ and this month we are partnering with B.C.’s leadi...
08/31/2026

and .Vancouver celebrate the global theme for September of ‘CURRENT’ and this month we are partnering with B.C.’s leading source for independent journalism, The Tyee, to host a special morning that celebrates Creative Forces, a Tyee series profiling people across B.C. using their creativity as a force for good. **Tyee senior editor Jackie Wong will host a conversation between Eden Fineday, Anthonia Ogundele and Trevor Jang on what drives them and how their work is informed by a deep love of community and connection.
Jackie is a senior editor at The Tyee, an online news magazine for B.C. She edits the Weekender, The Tyee’s weekend culture magazine. Outside of work, you can find her in search of sunshine, coffee and a good book.
🎵 Our live musical performance will feature Jody Glenham, a Vancouver singer-songwriter whose dreamy, introspective indie rock blends shimmering guitars, cinematic textures, and late-night emotional honesty. 🎶
This month’s local partners are The Tyee.
Friday, September 4, 2026
8:15am - 10:15am PST
Hosted at Vancouver Art Gallery, Room 4 East, 750 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC
Register at creativemornings.com/talks/creative-forces-fineday-ogundele-jang.
Portrait of the Jackie by Tara Schad Tyra Schad. Tyra is a Vancouver-based illustrator, motion designer, and UX/UI designer with a background in storytelling and digital design. She is passionate about creating work that supports her community, and she loves learning new things!
If you are an artist and would like to illustrate a future speaker portrait, please email [email protected]!



08/27/2026

DesCan is constantly advocating on behalf of Canadian designers.
In response to the growing demands for transparency relative to AI, the Design Professionals of Canada (DesCan) has created the nation’s first and only “Human Designed™” mark. This mark allows designers to declare that the project bearing the mark has been created entirely without the use of generative AI.
The Human Designed™ mark allows the viewer to clearly, quickly, and confidently discern that the project was made entirely by humans.
More information about the Human Designed™ mark can be found at: descan.ca/human-designed
Look for the Human Designed™ logo from Canadian designers!

This week’s curated post features the work of Don Watt from 1979.The Continental Bank of Canada started life as a subsi...
08/27/2026

This week’s curated post features the work of Don Watt from 1979.
The Continental Bank of Canada started life as a subsidiary of finance company IAC Limited after it was granted a federal charter in 1977, officially opening for business in June 1979. In 1982 The Continental Bank of Canada announced that its parent company IAC would cease to exist, as the final stage of a legal process that would result in the finance concern transforming into the bank. At this point The Continental Bank of Canada had grown to become the ninth-largest of Canada’s 11 banks with 70 branches coast-to-coast.
The original logo for the bank was created by Don Watt Associates. The Continental wanted something new and bold that, at the same time, would give people the impression it had been around a long time; “something that would provide instant recognition of a solid financial institution” said Paul Bailey, the bank’s then manager of public relations; something that suggested ‘solid rock’. And that was what they received, a veritable boulder — a big 3D rendering of the bank’s initials ‘CB’. A full scale version, cast in gold anodized aluminum, was also manufactured and perched on a pedestal in front of the bank’s corporate headquarters at 130 Adelaide Street West in downtown Toronto like the sacred stone in Mecca.
You can read the full story of this and other examples of Canadian design history at canadamodern.org (link in ’s profile).
TM77
Title: Continental Bank of Canada
Banque Continentale du Canada
Year: 1979
Designer: Don Watt & Associates
Studio: Don Watt & Associates
Client: Continental Bank of Canada
Sector: Finance, Banking
Blair Th⚫️mson
Believe in®
G R A P H I L A T E L Y
Alliance Graphique Intl





Design Canada

This week’s curated post features the work of DesCan Fellow Tiit Telmet from 1974.The Ontario Student Assistance Progra...
08/20/2026

This week’s curated post features the work of DesCan Fellow Tiit Telmet from 1974.
The Ontario Student Assistance Program was a scheme offered through the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities. It provided financial assistance to 4 difference strands of full-time students by way of, part interest-free loan and part grant. Loans were provided interest-free until six months after the student’s graduation or cessation of full-time study, at which time interest was charged at the prime bank rate.
The contents of this simple informational leaflet is purely functional typesetting, but it’s the covers where G+A designer Tiit Telmet manages to visualize the process of application in stunning simplicity. The 4 applicant types are represented by 4 tracked (green and yellow) strands. These strands simultaneously reach a point where they all hit a barrier, a change in their trajectory and a point of required assistance. Once resolved, the paths continue on a new, continued course through to a natural culmination the rear face. Typography is all Helvetica, the provincial corporate typeface.
There are two editions of this artefact, one in English (this version) and one in French. Canada Modern hold both editions in the permanent collection.
You can read the full story of this and other examples of Canadian design history at canadamodern.org (link in ’s profile).
CM287
Artifact Type: Leaflet / Brochure
Title: 1974-75 Ontario Student Assistance Program
Year: 1974
Designer: Tiit Telmet, AGI, F.DesCan
Studio: Gottschalk+Ash
Client: Government of Ontario
Size: 216mm X 141mm
Blair Th⚫️mson
Believe in®
G R A P H I L A T E L Y
Alliance Graphique Intl





Design Canada

BusinessCase 17Project Management for Creatives + ToolkitJoin Creative Project Leader Terence Yee (Certified Design Prof...
08/10/2026

BusinessCase 17
Project Management for Creatives + Toolkit
Join Creative Project Leader Terence Yee (Certified Design Professional®, PMP® CSM®) as he breaks down what project management means for design professionals and why it is a critical skill for modern creative practice. Terence will share insights from his 15+ year career — spanning roles at lululemon, BCAA, WELL Health, agency work, and freelancing — and walk through the practical Creative Project Management Toolkit he relies on every day.
Whether you’re working solo, in-house, or collaborating with a large team, this session will give you actionable strategies to streamline your workflow, clear communication bottlenecks, and make ideas real.
He’ll cover:
• Project Management – what it is and why it matters
• Lessons Learned from freelancing, agency work, and corporate team
• The Creative Project Manager’s Toolkit – essential tools across Project & Work Management, Design & Creative Production, Service Management, Marketing & CRM, and AI
August 11, 2026
1:00 pm EST via Zoom
DesCan Members: Free!
Non-members: $40
Register at the link in our bio.
Business Case is a business speaker series that connects new and experienced designers with various industry professionals. Interested in speaking about your area of expertise in the design industry? Reach out to us!




This week’s curated post features the work of DesCan Fellow Fritz Gottschalk from 1972.Parks Canada is the federal agen...
08/06/2026

This week’s curated post features the work of DesCan Fellow Fritz Gottschalk from 1972.
Parks Canada is the federal agency responsible for protecting and preserving Canada’s natural heritage for the benefit of current and future generations. They were a longstanding client of G+A, who produced numerous programs and publications for the various departments within Parks Canada, including this one for the Ministry of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.
The ‘Byways and Special Places’ Program was launched by Jean Chrétien (Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs) in 1972. It set out new initiatives to preserve Canada’s national heritage and extend the program of national historic parks and sites in four new directions: canal systems, national marine parks, national landmarks and wild rivers.
The publication is divided into sections that map the country’s many National Parks, National Historic Parks, major historic water routes and both historic and scenic land routes. Fritz’s cover design uses bands of coloured parallelogram elements, each row conveying a sense of the many water courses, canals and rivers, and reflecting the diverse range of natural environments they flow through (in abstract form).
You can read the full story of this and other examples of Canadian design history at canadamodern.org (link in ’s profile).
CM201
Artifact Type: Soft Cover Book
Title: Byways and Special Places
Year: 1972
Designer: Fritz Gottschalk, AGI, F.DesCan
Studio: Gottschalk+Ash
Client: Indian and Northern Affairs, Parks Canada
Size: 229mm X 229mm
Blair Th⚫️mson
Believe in®
G R A P H I L A T E L Y
Alliance Graphique Intl





Design Canada

and .Vancouver celebrate the global theme for August of ‘Nakhlah’, an Arabic word for palm, which represents resilience...
08/05/2026

and .Vancouver celebrate the global theme for August of ‘Nakhlah’, an Arabic word for palm, which represents resilience, fertility, and sustenance. Our speaker will be singer, choir director, and joyful community builder, Patti Powell.
Patti Powell is an inspiring, energetic and musically gifted community song leader and singer-songwriter. A graduate of the Community Choir Leadership Training Program in Victoria, Patti has been bringing the love of singing to many folks in the Lower Mainland through her four community choirs since 2006. She is also a member of a vocal trio, Good Things. Her charisma, natural high energy leadership skills and warm personality bring a joyful spirit to her choirs. She believes everyone gets to sing, regardless of what we were told or have come to believe about our voices. Her choir approach is based on the idea that singing is an essential human birthright, a powerful source of energy and connection, and a potent tool for building communities.
🎵 To kick off our gathering with style, we are delighted to feature singer/songwriter Ayla Bryn!🎶
This month’s local partners are Design Professionals of Canada, Vancouver Chapter.
Friday, August 7, 2026
8:15am - 10:15am PST
Hosted at Vancouver Art Gallery, Room 4 East, 750 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC
Register at creativemornings.com/talks/patti-powell.
Portrait of the Sol by Anna Dinh 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗮, 3rd year student, IDEA Program at Capilano University IDEA School of Design
If you are an artist and would like to illustrate a future speaker portrait, please email [email protected]!



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