DesignThinkers is Canada’s largest design conference, organized by the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD). Offering in-person and virtual experiences, DesignThinkers hosts annual conferences in Toronto and Vancouver, bringing together creatives and designers nationwide.
Deliverables
Event Website
Scope
User Experience • Interface Design • Design System
Agency
Forge
Each year features a unique conceptual theme, with the theme of 2024 titled ‘Into The Rabbit Hole’. Envisioned by our design partner, Whitman Emorson, the concept is supported by a series of collage and optical illusion graphic elements that represent a dreamlike, unpredictable, and unexpected world of discovery.
Through user testing and strategic discussion we were able to identify moments of friction, improve user flow, and increase registration conversions. By testing the product in real-time it became clear that there were common issues for attendees planning their day at the conference. Rethinking how the conference schedule was presented and establishing a clearer focus on speaker content resulted in a more intuitive experience that was adopted each year going forward.
In order to differentiate the Toronto and Vancouver conferences, design sytsems defined each city’s conference through unique colour palettes and variations of graphic elements, while neutral colours and a unifying typographic system maintained a cohesive visual language.
