Cool Concept 10

Cool Concept is a fun and casual talk series about the graphic design-ish personal passion projects of creatives in Toronto. It's where we celebrate the non-client work we do to really stretch our creative minds, and do work we care about. Three speakers will join us to share their work and talk about the process of bringing their ideas to life, as they saw fit.

Doors open at 6pm, talks start at 6:30pm. There will be time for chatting and mingling after. Society Clubhouse has drinks (alcoholic and non) and food available to purchase.

Speakers

#TheJustMarriedJacket: Building a Viral Brand Without Selling a Thing
with Sylvia Wong

Sylvia Wong is a Toronto-based calligraphy artist known for creating memorable, high-touch experiences with luxury brands at events and through personalized gifting. Her signature passion project, #TheJustMarriedJacket, transformed a single wedding-day idea into a viral tradition, bringing together a community of brides around the world. By day, Sylvia is also the Director of Digital Marketing at an agency, bringing her blend of creative artistry and strategic expertise to every project she undertakes. Sylvia’s work bridges the gap between art and marketing, crafting moments that connect brands to audiences in truly meaningful ways.

Naive Optimism: The Making of a Magazine
with Dominic Ayre, Creative Director & Josiah Gordon, Senior Designer. Hambly & Woolley Inc.

Why would a design studio decide to self author a magazine? In June of 2022 Hambly & Woolley Inc. decided as a team to make a thing. Maybe a book, or a magazine. We landed on Find: A Journal For the Curious. The result is the first in what we dreamed will be an annual publication that along the way, inadvertently captured the culture of our studio. Dominic & Josiah will take us on the whirlwind journey of what it took to make the first issue of Find. They will discuss their collaboration as a team, content creation, design process, speed bumps and the naive optimism (i.e. lunacy) that it takes to publish a magazine.

Neat Idea: What designers are capable of when they work on their own terms
with Margot Trudell

In 2018 Margot Trudell was tired of hearing about client work. Seeing the same agencies and creatives win the same awards for prestigious clients had lost its appeal. There were so many talented creatives in Toronto, but they weren't all lucky enough to work at big name agencies that could cajole clients into doing something interesting. What of the creatives doing thought provoking work on their own? Why should commerical work get all the glory?There was no award show or platform to share and celebrate the thinking and research and testing and experimentation that creatives put into their work. But there was so much we could learn from each other. In 2018 Margot hosted the first Cool Concept talk, inviting creatives to talk about their personal passion projects, the only requirement being: no clients. At Cool Concept 10, Margot will share the lessons and challenges of creating and growing this talk series, over 10 events and 30 speakers, and give us a peek at what's next.

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Speaking & Volunteering

If you have a project you'd like to talk about at Cool Concept, fill out this form and tell us about it. If you're interested in volunteering at Cool Concept or other TDD Events, fill out this form.

Host or Publisher Toronto Design Directory