Institute for International Research

B1: 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Morning Workshop

The Ultimate Branding Challenge: Your Company, Your Hires, and Your Own Career.

Rita Armstrong, Recruiter for Designers, ROZ GOLDFARB ASSOCIATES

Senior Design Management talent is in demand. How do you position your company in order to draw the type of talent you need to succeed? How is your company perceived in the marketplace? Is its external brand communicated to future employees…to its present employees? How do you change that perception? What are the top applicants looking for? How do you get their attention?

You are in a rut. How can you take your career to the next level, whether you want to move up within your own organization, or move on? Does upper management have a clear picture of your strengths and capabilities? What programs are out there to help you develop new skills or mine the skills you don't even know you possess?

Rita Armstrong joined RGA in 1986 and has been an integral part of expanding the company's capabilities to service a wide range of design specialties. Rita sources talent for Creative and Design Management for both Packaging and Consumer Branding . Rita is known for her tenacity, keen eye, and overall design industry knowledge.

She is a valued consultant to her diversified client base, which includes corporations, consultancies, marketing communication firms, and design boutiques. Rita graduated from Fordham University with a BA in Communication and applied her writing and speaking talents to advertising, theatre, publishing and non-profit work before joining RGA. She frequently writes on industry issues and speaks at schools and conferences.

B2: 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Afternoon Workshop

Great Expectations – Getting the Most Out of Your Design Relationship

John Furneaux, RGD, Managing Director,KARACTERS DESIGN GROUP

It is widely understood that good communication is one of the single most important ingredients in ensuring a successful design project. Often the ability for a project to achieve its goals can be determined at its outset. We will look at process and tools for both designers and clients, so that they are both better able to communicate what is expected from each other.

In this workshop we will work together to build tools that you can take back to your office and start working with right away, including:
• Tips on creating or responding to a Request for Proposal
• Creating a Project Charter – a document that outlines clear roles, responsibilities and expectations for everyone involved in the project
• Establishing realistic and manageable timelines
• Formats for estimating and managing hours to complete specific tasks
• Developing a design brief that makes sense to both designers and clients
• Building tools to help both designers and non-designers to effectively review creative

Outcomes
• For designers – you will have additional tools that will help you sell-in better creative and turn your relationship from supplier to strategic partner
• For clients – you will have more tools that will help you better communicate your needs and expectations ensuring, a better outcome for all

John Furneaux is Managing Director of Karacters Design Group in Toronto. The firm specializes in creative branding solutions across a variety of media including visual identity systems, packaging, environmental design and communications programs. At Karacters, John provides an executive-level overview for both creative solutions and management processes. With almost 20 years experience, John has lead numerous corporate identities, annual reports, and communications and marketing programs for clients across a wide range of business sectors. Some of these clients have included Canadian Tourism Commission, Canadian Airlines, CIBC, HBC, Loblaws and Purolator.Courier.