What if, instead of spending hundreds of millions to tear down the Scarborough Rapid Transit (SRT) infrastructure, we transformed it into a vibrant and iconic community space that fosters local arts and culture, promotes sustainable mobility, provides healthy recreational options and supports inclusive local economies?

We live and breathe design, and instinctively know its value. In a resource focused economy like Canada’s, how do we make sure that the sector gets the recognition and support it needs? How can we better represent design in Ontario? Hear from DIAC’s Strategic Director and a panel of experts about the work done so far, plans for the future, and how a bold new graphic identity has been developed to help the mission.

The Design Industry Advisory Committee (DIAC) is seeking to rebrand the current wordmark of DIAC. DIAC is calling for interested design companies or individuals in Ontario, with a strong knowledge of branding and visual identity design, to design the new visual identity/wordmark for DIAC and develop basic visual identity guidelines/standards.

DIAC is partnering with Seneca Polytechnic “Design for Social Change” course in the Graphic Design program to develop strategies and recommendations to engage stakeholders, especially policymakers and businesses while showcasing the vital role of the Design Industry Advisory Committee (DIAC) in promoting the value of design. 

Thursday, Jan. 18, 2-3pm, ARIDO + IDC Stage, Interior Design Show, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building. For more information and the link to register for the show: Agenda – Thursday, Jan 18 | IDS Toronto – Interior Design Show

Design is more than simply aesthetics; it is how users interact with products and services to develop an experience that helps them connect and build a relationship with the company. In this panel, learn how great design builds great businesses and what it takes to do so. Join DIAC’s design panel at the City’s Small Business Forum, October 30th, MTCC South Building, noon to 1 p.m.

The Board of Directors and members of the Design Industry Advisory Committee (DIAC) are very pleased to announce Kevin Stolarick, PhD will be DIAC’s new Strategic Director. 

The vision to create fashion that truly works for wheelchair users is behind Izzy’s revolutionary designs. Adaptive clothing for men and women encourages independence, promotes self-esteem, and makes great looking and well-fitting clothes accessible to everyone.

LCBO’s vision for their new head office was that it should be a catalyst to support new ways of working, provide employees a universal experience inclusive of choice and autonomy, while allowing for long-term business flexibility and variable occupancy demands. 

Casey House in Toronto is a hospital unlike any other. Located in downtown Toronto, Casey House provides ground-breaking care for people living with and at risk of HIV.

The ZipGarden™ is a small hydroponic system for homes, schools, and small businesses that easily grows herbs, decorative plants, leafy greens, and fruiting plants.  Building upon the success of their patented ZipGrow Towers and Farm Wall™ system for DIY growers, ZipGrow Inc. recognized the opportunity to introduce a more aesthetic solution to the consumer market while utilizing the same technology.  

In Toronto, Ontario, on March 2nd, 2023, at the age of 76. Arlene is survived and lovingly remembered by Robert Cushman, her husband of 48 years, her three children Chloe (Peter), Anthony and Mitchell (Amy), her grandchild Sacha and her brother Lorne (Penny).

DIAC acted as subject matter experts for this labour market analysis of Toronto’s design workforce. 

In 2021, DIAC published its Design Impacts Framework to demonstrate how positive design interventions in Placemaking can be assessed and measured. In the second phase of this research, DIAC is applying the Framework to projects in other disciplines.

Launchpad was developed by Artscape to help bridge the gap that exists between the tremendous cultural and economic value artists’ ideas contribute to society and what creative people earn for their work. Whether helping to ease the transition between post-secondary and self-employment or supporting a creative business to scale up, we help creatives succeed on their own terms.

Copernicus is an Ontario-based manufacturer of learning tools and furniture for schools. Since it was founded in 1989, Copernicus has been making products that improve the classroom experience for teachers and for their students.

Now that we have entered yet another wave of the pandemic, we continue to require creative design solutions to adapt how we live and work. In this series, DIAC collects some of the recent design success stories to share with you.

After 2 years and 3 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, there remains a need for fast and accurate virus tests at point of need. MicroGEM, a medical technology company based in Charlottesville, Virginia, has developed the first point of care PCR saliva test to be authorized by the FDA for emergency use in the US.