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Café Talks 02: The Future of the Design Practice

When

March 20, 2025
6:15 PM - 8:00 PM

Where

Ethica Coffee Roasters

Join us for the next event in our Cafe Talks series, where we’ll dive into an insightful conversation about the future of the practice of design—from the perspective of a firm owner.

This in-person event will be an intimate discussion, moderated by Michael Dila, with three firm owners sharing their perspectives on the evolving landscape of our field. We’re keeping things cozy—only 40 spots available—so this is your chance for a more personal, engaging conversation.

We’ll explore how the lines between strategic design, visual design, industrial design, and UX design are increasingly blurred. What are the driving forces behind these changes? What challenges and opportunities lie ahead? And, what excites (or scares) the experts who are leading the charge?

Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP soon!

 

Dominic Ayre

Partner and Creative Director, Hambly & Woolley Inc.

Dominic graduated from The Bournemouth & Poole College in the UK and has worked in Toronto as a designer for more than 30 years. As the Creative Director at design studio Hambly & Woolley, Dominic focuses on high-level strategic initiatives with clients such as York University, Caseware, Horizon Trading Solutions, University of Toronto, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and RTO/ERO. Currently on faculty at George Brown College, Dom is an enthusiastic mentor to new designers and is well known within the design community for his expertise in branding, typography, digital platforms, design trends and popular culture. Dominic is the designer publisher of techno zine Do Not Xray; a visual exploration of techno music as well as the Publisher and Creative Director of Find: A Journal for the Curious.

Helen Kerr

Co-President, KerrSmith Design

For over 20 years, environmental scientist and industrial designer Helen Kerr has been a leader in design, foresight, strategy, and innovation. Helen is passionate about evidenced-based research and human-centered systemic analysis. Her studio uses integrated information gathering techniques, including ethnographic study and experience prototyping and through intensive synthesis delivers critical innovation breakthroughs in both the public and private sector.

In 2014 Helen was the feature of a CBC Documentary entitled “Great Minds of Design”. Other accomplishments include recognition as one of Canada’s 10 most innovative designers in 2008, the 2007 Business Week IDEA Gold Medal for Design Strategy; the 2006 Nightingale Award from the Center for Health Design; and recognition in 2002 as one of 100 Globally Significant Designers. Helen appears on television and radio as design thinker and critic. Her work is often featured in North American newspapers and magazines. Helen is also a professor in the Strategic Foresight and Innovation Graduate Program at OCAD University. She is a practitioner in residence at the University of Waterloo's Future Cities Program and lectured at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business and Harvard University. The studio’s work is regularly displayed at exhibitions and trade shows worldwide. Helen has been an advisor on design strategy and innovation for the city of Toronto as well as for the provincial and federal governments and has served as a juror on numerous design competitions. In 2016, Helen was inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts.

Tina Santiago Keenan

CEO and Co-Founder, Secret City Studio

Tina is an accomplished product designer, entrepreneur and award-winning creative producer.  She’s the co-founder of Secret City, a place-based experience design studio with a mission to make playful experiences that bring people together around shared stories in unexpected places. As President and CEO, Tina leads a multi disciplinary team in designing games, narrative-driven location-based entertainment and digital product experiences. Whether she’s producing a location-based immersive escape game, a mobile app, or a murder mystery dinner, Tina brings user-centric, data informed and value-driven design to her approach in developing, producing and operating world-class experiences.

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