2 Key Takeaways from DesignThinkers Toronto 2023
It was great to be back in Toronto once again for the Association of Registered Graphic Designers annual DesignThinkers conference! This years conference marks our Head of Design, Jack’s, 7th year of attending the annual event. With some of the biggest voices in the design industry speaking, we want to make sure we bring back the latest trends and new information in the design industry back to our clients. With that said, here are Jacks top X takeaways from this years conference
We Need AI but AI also Needs Us.
One of the major talking points in a couple of sessions that I attended was the democratization of Artificial Intelligence or AI. There are numerous AI apps that can do so many things including content and real-time translation, help make music, add closed captions and more. Lots of the talks and round table discussion revolved around creativity and AI. We wrote an article a couple years ago on AI and design but new abilities have since been demonstrated. How can we bring the best of AI to our clients?
The widest ranging opinion from the various talks and round tables was that AI will become a tool for designers, just like the Adobe Suite. Designers of the future could be prompt experts extracting from the results what we can work with to create something that is still truly unique. AI can allow human designers to refocus on to focus on creating even more customized content by doing a lot of the heavy lifting of ideation while we take those concepts and tweak them to create a final solution that fits our clients needs even better. We already use AI to help us generate some written content and then we are able to tweak it to make the content even more usable to our customers and our clients customers. In short, in the words of Hajj Flemmings from the presentation Reskilling in the Age of AI, AI is a great tool to address blank page syndrome or writers block. It can create something to help inspire the creative.
Attention is the new Currency.
This takeaway came from a talk from Rento Fernandez titled Designing Tomorrow: The Intersection of Advertising, Graphic Design & Innovation. Attention is the new curency and big brands are being challenged to communicate better, in an age where consumers are constantly receiving messages. Customers who are online see around 4000 images each day and they remember 3 of them.*
Small businesses, especially those directly and indirectly part of the tourism market in Peterborough and the Kawarthas should take note of some new trends. Small businesses need to,
Deliver value, not just a promise. What businesses actually provide is much more important than what they promise to provide.
Have cultural awareness. Just being a good corporate citizen is no longer enough. Businesses are expected to be culturally aware like never before.
Stand out from the sea of same-ness. A distinct brand and experience can help separate your business, products and services from other in your industry.
Be consistent in their brand messages and be innovative in their promotion. It can take 5-7 impressions of your brand for a customer to remember your brand and because of this, consistency is key. Consistency in brand, colour, font, voice and personality. This will help customers reccognize your business each time they are faced with your messaging!
* From the talk Building a Better Digital You by Dorothea Bozicolana.
About the Author - Jack C. Henry
A graduate of OCAD University’s Graphic Design program, Jack blends art with real-world business strategy. The result? Creative solutions that add value to your business. Jack has designed for a wide range of industries including restaurants, retail stores, health care, community organizations and charities. As well as helping companies develop their brand, he creates beautiful marketing materials and signage.
About OmniWorx Design
OmniWorx Design is a boutique design firm who works with small businesses in Peterborough, the Kawarthas & Northumberland to create branding, signage, websites and other marketing collateral. We specialize in working with businesses in the tourism sector, helping owners maximize the short tourism season and help them stay engaged with their audience over the shoulder seasons. More...