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Design Professionals of Canada - DesCan

Name: Design Professionals of Canada - DesCan
Address: Ottawa, ON, CA
Telephone: 1-877-496-4453

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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.

09/21/2026

BusinessCase 18
Using Your Licensed DesCan Marks Accurately & Advantageously
Looking to stand out in a competitive market?
Canadian designers are fortunate to be able to access a CIPO registered certification mark through DesCan.
Designers licensed to use the Certified Design Professional® mark, and those hoping to in future, are encouraged to attend this discussion, moderated by our National President, Amanda Parker. We’ll take you through the correct ways to use DesCan’s Certified Design Professional® mark as well as our new and exclusive Human Designed™ mark. We’ll talk about best practices and share resources that will help you use these marks to stand out in a crowded Canadian design marketplace.
We strongly believe that these marks will become increasing valuable as procurement practices shift to focus on Canadian suppliers. Decision makers will be looking to quickly and definitively discern professionals in the field. What conveys this more than “Certified Design Professional®“?
This event is no charge for current DesCan members and $40.00 for non-members.
Monday, September 28, 2026
3:00 PM EST
DesCan Members: Free!
Non-members: $40
Register at the link in our bio.
This is our 9th Business Case offering in 2026 and follows:
BusinessCase 17: Project Management for Creatives + Toolkit
BusinessCase 16: (July) LinkedIn For Service-Based Professionals
BusinessCase 15 (June): Pricing in the Age of AI
BusinessCase 14 (May): How to Collaborate with a Writer
BusinessCase 13 (April): Sustainability: Design Beyond the Environment
BusinessCase 12 (March): Intellectual Property Strategy for Designers and Agencies
BusinessCase 11 (February): Q&A with a CPA
BusinessCase 10 (January): Grow Your Business: Sell to the Federal Government
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!

09/17/2026

This week’s curated post features work from 1971 (designer unknown).
A higher education text book which forms part of the Curriculum Resource Books Series. A total of 28 titles make up the series, of which this is number 26. The four cities discussed in this book are chosen to illustrate the concepts and problems related to urban growth and urban and regional planning. Three of them are metropolitan centres (Windsor, Sarnia, London), while the fourth offers a study of some singular aspects of regional development (Waterloo-South, Wellington area).
The cover for the series utilizes a consistent design across the entire series with a colour update on the cover applied to differentiate each title. The insides are set in black ink only on a typographic grid in Univers and Time New Roman.
You can read the full story of this and other examples of Canadian design history at canadamodern.org (link in ’s profile).
CM225
Artifact Type: Soft Cover Book
Title: Four Cities
Curriculum Resource Books Series
Year: 1971
Designer: Uncredited
Studio: Uncredited
Client: McClelland & Stewart
Size: 250mm X 168mm
Blair Th⚫️mson
Believe in®
G R A P H I L A T E L Y
Alliance Graphique Intl

Design Canada

09/15/2026

Together We’re Better Conference
Wednesday, September 16
Vancouver, BC
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 (Recruitment | Mentorship | Education | Inclusion)
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 (Leadership | Strategy | Culture | Profitability)
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 (Technology | Innovation | Design | Collaboration)
Every Speaker on this year’s 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 roster represents a different part of the print industry. Together, they represent its future.
This year’s theme, 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁, celebrates the women helping move our industry forward while exploring how leadership, opportunity, mentorship, and collaboration can help build a stronger industry for everyone.
Together We’re Better 2026 brings together leaders from every corner of the print ecosystem – including commercial printers, suppliers, technology partners, recruiters, educators, designers, marketers, and industry advocates – for one important conversation about where our industry is headed.
Whether you’re leading a business, managing operations, developing talent, or planning for what’s next, every decision we make impacts the broader print community. This isn’t just another conference. It’s an opportunity to better understand the people, partnerships, and ideas shaping the future of Canadian print, and discover how we can move that future forward.
Join us September 16. Bring your perspective. Be part of the conversation.
𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘂𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.
Ticket comes with breakfast, lunch, and admission to our Social (adult beverages, canapes, hors d’oeuvres, etc. included)
10 Speaker presentations
1 Panel discussion to wrap up the conference
An opportunity for the design & print communities to mix, mingle, network, and connect
Regular price: $150
Member price: $125 (DesCan members eligible for the member rate).
Register at: printforward.org/events/together-better-conference-2026/

09/14/2026

Sustainability Chit Chat
September’s informal meet-up for design and communications professionals curious about sustainability.
Hosted by DesCan Sustainability, this is a space to explore how sustainability shows up in our work. From big questions to small shifts, let’s share ideas, challenges, and approaches with others navigating the same tensions.
Come with your questions, your curiosity, or just to listen. No pressure, no presentations, just chit chat.
Register at descan.ca
September 15, 2026
12:45 – 1:35pm PDT

09/11/2026

Designer
Know History, Inc.
Remote
Deadline: 18 September 2026
Summary:
Know History is a Canadian firm that provides historical research services to Canadian and Indigenous organizations, governments, municipalities, museums, and heritage groups. One of our defining characteristics is our ability to communicate complex information and perspectives to public audiences through impactful sensory experiences, ranging from engaging physical design to emotive graphics to leading-edge media.
We are seeking a creative thinker and talented designer who can approach projects with originality and imagination, collaborating with our team to tell stories that matter.
Salary Range:
$30-35/hour
Apply through descan.ca/job.
DesCan connects employers with designers! Looking to post a job opportunity? There is no time limit on your post and companies that employ DesCan members post at no charge.
Looking for your next project, client, or career move — opportunities are on our website. Jobs are posted regularly and the Job Board is open to both members and non-members.

-designers-and-business-owners

09/10/2026

This week’s curated post features the work of DesCan Fellow Allan Fleming from 1970.
The Art Gallery of Ontario was established at the turn of the 20th century, in 1900, and was originally known as the Art Museum of Toronto. In 1966 (having changed its name to Art Gallery of Toronto in 1919), the gallery became known as ‘Art Gallery of Ontario’ (AGO), which it still retains to this day...
Designed by Allan Fleming, this piece appears to be set in a classic cut of Bodoni, in a condensed weight for the headlines, and Times New Roman for the body copy. Its proportions are of an interesting, super-wide, horizontal ratio with a full colour cover (printed to the outer faces only). Utilizing a 6 column grid, Fleming manages to retain a sense of modernity (even with the more traditional type choices) and internally balances the images perfectly across the spreads to highlight and provide emphasis. The internal pages are all printed in black and white for economy of production.
You can read the full story of this and other examples of Canadian design history at canadamodern.org (link in ’s profile).
CM327
Artifact Type: Catalogue
Title: AGO New Acquisitions
Year: 1970
Designer: Allan Fleming, F.DesCan
Studio: Allan Fleming Design
Client: Art Gallery of Ontario
Size: 153mm X 306mm
Blair Th⚫️mson
Believe in®
G R A P H I L A T E L Y
Alliance Graphique Intl

Design Canada

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.

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

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.

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]!

Address

Ottawa, ON

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5pm
Friday	8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

1-877-496-4453

Website

http://descan.ca/

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