Spotlight
Tim Poupoure
It's with tremendous gratitude and appreciation that DIAC acknowledges its longtime board member Tim Poupoure, who has recently stepped down from his post after 25 dedicated years. Tim was a member of DIAC since 2001, acting as Board Chair (2006–2012) and most recently as Secretary. His steady guidance helped shape DIAC’s growth and governance — including shepherding our updated bylaws to completion. A treasure trove of DIAC’s history and accomplishments, a trusted source of wisdom, and a passionate advocate for design, Tim's impact will continue to resonate in the work we do to demonstrate the impact of design.
From all of us at DIAC: thank you, Tim, for your vision, leadership, and dedication. We wish you inspiration, adventure, and joy in your next chapter.
Doreen Colonello
DIAC is proud to spotlight graphic designer Doreen Colonello, whose creative vision and design expertise shaped our new visual identity.
Following an open call and a shortlist competition, Doreen’s concept was selected by the DIAC Board for its timeless clarity and thoughtful vision. Working collaboratively with DIAC’s Strategic Director and Board, she developed a complete brand package and guidelines that reflect our organization’s values.
Our new DIAC wordmark, set in the classic humanist typeface Gill Sans, and with a primary colour palette, expresses our multidisciplinary approach to making an impact. Its defining feature, a flipped “A”, suggests forward motion. The letter A stands for the word Advisory, and as advisors to the design and the business community, DIAC propels the synergy of this unity and collaboration forward. DIAC knows the impact of design on business and our economy and advises the business world of the value of the design industry.
DIAC extends heartfelt appreciation to Doreen for her creativity and generosity throughout the process. Her work gives DIAC a renewed voice and visual identity that powerfully expresses our mission: demonstrating Impact by Design.
Doreen Colonello is an experienced graphic designer specializing in branding and communications. Her strength is in developing concepts for visual identities, creating unique visual languages for the brand’s applications and documenting these in graphic standards manuals. Working with Gottschalk+Ash for 20+ years, she has had the opportunity to work for many great clients. Doreen studied graphic design at the Ontario College of Art, now OCAD U. She continued her studies at the Basel School of Design where she had the opportunity to learn from Armin Hoffmann, Wolfgang Weingart, and Kurt Hauert. She is also a long-time volunteer at the Toronto Humane Society.
ARLENE GOULD, 1946-2023
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).
Born in Hamilton, Ontario on March 15th, 1946, the oldest child of Ida and Max Gould, a milliner and a menswear retailer and manufacturer. She studied English and Literature at the University of Toronto. After dabbling in filmmaking, Arlene moved to Paris and then London, where she worked as a journalist sending stories back to Canadian publications.
In 1971, one night at the Royal Court Theatre, she asked to borrow the program of the man sitting two seats over. Arlene and Robert were married four years later. They lived in London together for ten years, during which time Arlene completed her MBA at London Business School. It was there that she discovered her true passion - design, and how it underpins everything about our world. This led her to work for a time for the prestigious design firms Pentagram and Conran. Arlene and Robert's life changed dramatically in 1986, when they had triplets! The next year, Arlene moved back to Toronto with her family.
Over the next thirty-five years of her career, Arlene championed design's essential intersections with sustainability and urban planning, with such organizations as The Watt Group, The Design Exchange, Registered Graphic Designers, and the Design Industry Advisory Committee (DIAC). Arlene served as the Strategic Director of DIAC from 2001 to 2023. She also worked dedicatedly as an educator, as an Adjunct Professor at York University and at TMU. Her invaluable contributions to her field were recognized by an ARIDO/IIDA Leadership Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from Sustainable Buildings Canada, and by her appointment as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Arlene will be remembered for her remarkable creative drive, sharp sense of humour and, most of all, her boundless devotion to her family.
