In a graphic design landscape suffused with artificial intelligence, the human mind matters more than ever. From endless wells of slop to morsels of the supposedly sublime, AI-generated images, videos — even entire books and websites — increasingly engulf both the graphic design profession and the digital media landscape writ large. And while the discourse is awash with the gloom of pending layoffs and redundancies, the increasingly ubiquitous world of pattern learning makes real human imagination stand out all the more. This year, Toronto’s DesignThinkers conference offered a paean to the surprising, unpredictable nature of true creativity.

Organized by Canada’s Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD), this year’s conference brought over 1,900 creative professionals to Toronto’s Meridian Hall on October 1-2, marking the country’s largest gathering for graphic design professionals. Now in its 26th year, the annual event — which also features a Vancouver edition in the spring — celebrates the enduring power of design amidst fragmented virtual worlds.

Rob Lowe.

As keynote speaker — and acclaimed London-based artist, illustrator and writer — Rob Lowe aka Supermundane put it, the realm of depth, surprise and genuine emotion is still the sole purview of real people. “Every step towards the purely logical is a step away from what it is to be human, towards a world more suitable for computers. Let’s not lose our strange humanity,” said Lowe. Kate Dawkins, founder and creative director of her eponymous studio, echoed a similar sentiment. “Spectacle grabs attention, but it’s the story that lingers. It’s what turns visuals into meaning,” said Dawkins.

Kate Dawkins.

The celebration of the unexpected, and even risqué, was a through line of the conference. “Play isn’t just an add-on, it’s a tool to challenge assumptions and to see things differently,” said Chris Clarke, creative director at The Guardian. It’s a concise summation of a wide-ranging and thought-provoking design conversation, one that featured 39 speakers in all, with 22 presentations and 15 workshops. Here’s to 2026.

More information about DesignThinkers — including the full 2025 program for both Vancouver and Toronto — is available via the official website.