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.

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
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G R A P H I L A T E L Y
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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]!



This week’s curated post features the work of DesCan Fellow Paul Arthur from 1967.Canadian Art started life in 1940 as ...
07/30/2026

This week’s curated post features the work of DesCan Fellow Paul Arthur from 1967.
Canadian Art started life in 1940 as ‘Maritime Art’. In 1958, Paul Arthur became the managing editor and designer of Canadian Art where the publication went through a significant redesign process — to much acclaim. In late 1966, ahead of the centennial and with newly appointed editor Barry Lord, the publication changed its name to ‘artscanada’, launching in January 1967. This involved another radical, unconventional and ambitious redesign. Part of the approach to the new magazine format included it being sold in a clear poly bag. Each issue released included a 7″ ‘flexi disc’ and a tabloid format ‘newspaper’ entitled ‘Art Scan’.
This issue of artscanada, released in March 1967, was of course the 3rd to be published in this new format.
The magazine stayed under the artscanada name from 1968 to 1983 when the Society for Arts Publications (the publishing arm responsible for the magazine) ceased trading. The title was then transferred to the partnership of Maclean Hunter and Key Publishers and retitled ‘Canadian Art’ again. In 1991 it was further migrated to the newly formed Canadian Art Foundation, which received charitable status in 1992, and this is how the magazine remains to this day.
You can read the full story of this and other examples of Canadian design history at canadamodern.org (link in ’s profile).
CM249
Artifact Type: Magazine
Title: ArtsCanada March 1967 issue no. 106
Year: 1967
Designer: Paul Arthur, F.DesCan
Studio: Paul Arthur + Associates
Client: ArtsCanada
Society for Art Publications
Size: 293mm X 230mm
Blair Th⚫️mson
Believe in®
G R A P H I L A T E L Y
Alliance Graphique Intl





Design Canada

DesCan is constantly advocating on behalf of Canadian designers.In response to the growing demands for transparency rela...
07/28/2026

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 Ginette LaBerge from 1973.A bold ‘Q’ and ‘E’ monogram. Square forms with ...
07/23/2026

This week’s curated post features the work of Ginette LaBerge from 1973.
A bold ‘Q’ and ‘E’ monogram. Square forms with radial corners are used in both elements, this allows them to work harmoniously together and symbolise the connection between plug and socket. Three concurrent stripes lead the eye around the mark, bringing to mind the component strands of an electrical cable.
You can read the full story of this and other examples of Canadian design history at canadamodern.org (link in ’s profile).
CTM03
Title: Québec Electric Aid
Year: 1973
Designer: Ginette LaBerge
Studio: Dennis Collette + Associés
Client: Québec Electric Aid
Sector: Energy Consultants
Blair Th⚫️mson
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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 Michel Allard from 1973.A small book of French-language poetry by celebra...
07/09/2026

This week’s curated post features the work of Michel Allard from 1973.
A small book of French-language poetry by celebrated poet Jean Charlebois. At the time Charlebois had recently graduated from the University of Montréal and was a freelance writer. He wrote advertising copy for the James Bay Development Corporation and would shortly after become editor for the National Film Board of Canada and Radio-Québec.
This was his second book, his first being ‘Poèmes Absolument Circonstances Incontrôlables’ in 1972. Throughout the 1970s Charelebois became the star of publisher Éditions du Noroît’s output. The title translates as Goat’s Head, which carries Satanic allusions (“The Sigil of Baphomet” is the classic inverted pentagram featuring a goat’s head). The cover design hints at this but has a more tender interpretation. Not a lot else is known about the cover design.
You can read the full story of this and other examples of Canadian design history at canadamodern.org (link in ’s profile).
CM203
Artifact Type: Softcover Book
Title: Tête de Bouc
Year: 1973
Designer: Michel Allard
Studio: Michel Allard
Client: Éditions du Noroît

Size: 178mm X 178mm
Blair Th⚫️mson
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G R A P H I L A T E L Y
Alliance Graphique Intl





Design Canada

• Design Professionals of Canada, Vancouver Chapter It’s that time of the year again!Join us for the annual associations...
07/07/2026

• Design Professionals of Canada, Vancouver Chapter It’s that time of the year again!

Join us for the annual associations picnic.

Creatives of all kinds are invited to come together for an evening of camaraderie, games, and new connections. Attendees are encouraged to bring snacks, blankets, favourite games, and their best summer vibes for a relaxed and joyful gathering.

Please register for this free event. Link in the bio

This week’s curated post features the work of Ian MacLeod and Frank Mayrs from 1982.A small enamelled lapel pin used to...
07/02/2026

This week’s curated post features the work of Ian MacLeod and Frank Mayrs from 1982.
A small enamelled lapel pin used to promote the upcoming Expo 86 World Fair in Vancouver, worn by staff and volunteers, and also sold as a souvenir during the staging of the actual exposition between May 2 and October 13 1986.
The symbol was created in 1980 by designer and Graphic Coordinator Ian MacLeod, who worked with Creative Director of the Fair Frank Mayers. Originally the event was to be named ‘Transpo 86’ but later changed its name in 1981/82 to Expo 86.
You can read the full story of this and other examples of Canadian design history at canadamodern.org (link in ’s profile).
CM351
Artifact Type: Enamel Lapel Pin
Title: Expo 86 Lapel Pin
Year: 1982 (from)
Designer: Ian MacLeod, Frank Mayrs
Studio: 1986 World Exposition
Client: 1986 World Exposition
Size: 14mm x 11mm
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 in July of ‘Competencia’ (competition in Spanish), and we are honoures to be ...
07/01/2026

and .Vancouver celebrate the global theme in July of ‘Competencia’ (competition in Spanish), and we are honoures to be present spoken word poet, high school teacher, and boxing coach, Sol Diana.
Diana was born and raised on the traditional, ancestral, unceded, and occupied lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tseil-Waututh First Nations. He is of mixed Filipino and Scottish background and credits the Filipino artists he grew up with as his biggest influences. His work has appeared in collections like Magdaragat: An Anthology of Filipino-Canadian Writing and Gathering our Breath: Remembering Lapu Lapu Day 2025. A boxing coach at Quinit Boxing in East Vancouver, he runs the Little Roosters program, a boxing class for kids aged 6-11. Sol’s passion lies with empowering youth through art, education, and sport — especially in this era of disconnection!
🎵 We are excited to present a live performance by blues, soul, and R&B singer/songwriter ADRi who will help us kick off the gathering with style!🎶
This month’s local partners are Vancity.
Friday, July 3, 2026
8:15am - 10:15am PST
Hosted at Vancouver Art Gallery, Room 4 East, 750 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC
Register at creativemornings.com/talks/sol-diana.
Portrait of the Sol by Eugene Lee Eugene
If you are an artist and would like to illustrate a future speaker portrait, please email [email protected]!



This week’s curated post features the work of Glenn Fretz from 1971.A suite of stationery for documentary filmmaker Ita...
06/25/2026

This week’s curated post features the work of Glenn Fretz from 1971.
A suite of stationery for documentary filmmaker Italo Costa’s production company was designed early in Glenn Fretz’s professional career. Keen to use every opportunity to have his work printed, Fretz didn’t charge the client for this work. The identity is simple and bold, the lack of capital letters being the a distinguishing design feature. Fretz was influenced by the work being produced at that time by Ernst Barenscher (with whom he had begun working on the Ontario visual identity program while at Norman B Hathaway Associates).
You can read the full story of this and other examples of Canadian design history at canadamodern.org (link in ’s profile).
CM150
Artifact Type: Stationery
Title: Italo Costa
Year: 1971
Designer: Glenn Fretz
Studio: Glenn Fretz Design
Client: Italo Costa
Size: Letterhead 278mm X 212mm
Envelope 105mm X 241mm
Business Card 51mm X 90mm
Blair Th⚫️mson
Believe in®
G R A P H I L A T E L Y
Alliance Graphique Intl





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