RGD Branding Awards 2026

Léo is a partner and creative director at Caserne. His role involves guiding teams and clients through identity-focused and applied design practices. He has actively contributed to shaping brands both locally and internationally, including the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR), Moment Factory, Téléfilm Canada, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MBAM), Midi Tequila, ADISQ, Orage, 2K Games, and many others. Over the past 12 years, his work has earned more than 150 awards across major national and international competitions, including the Art Directors Club, Type Directors Club, Dieline, Communication Arts, the Advertising and Design Club of Canada, Applied Arts, and Idéa. Léo has participated in numerous design workshops and conferences, including OFFF Barcelona, Adobe Live San Francisco, RDV Design, and The Open House. In 2022, he chaired the design jury for the Idéa Awards and co-founded Forum, an annual event dedicated to graphic design, featuring renowned international speakers such as Mirko Borsche, Elizabeth Goodspeed, and Andrea A. Trabucco Campos. In 2023, 2024, and 2025, Caserne was named ADCC Design Studio of the Year for three consecutive years, further solidifying its reputation for design excellence. In 2024, Léo was selected for Parcours, an exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the UQAM School of Design, highlighting 50 graduates since the school's founding in 1974. That same year, he received the TDC Ascenders Award from The One Show in New York. This award recognizes emerging talent and grants recipients membership in the prestigious Type Directors Club, an esteemed community of creatives at the highest level of their craft.

Currently working as Creative Director at Vocabulary, Alex leads a team of multidisciplinary designers with a focus on creating work with concept, craft, and cultural impact at its core. With over a decade of design & advertising experience under his belt, he has developed work for a multitude of organizations, including the Toronto Raptors, Black Lives Matter, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, The High Line NY, Canadian Olympic Committee, and more. Prior to Vocabulary, Alex worked at Champions Design in New York City, and spent seven years establishing, growing, and leading the design practice at Sid Lee Toronto. Most recently, Alex served as Creative Director alongside CCO Laura Stein at the legendary Bruce Mau Design studio. He holds a Bachelor of Design degree in Graphic Design from OCAD University.

Laila's biggest strength is creating work that makes people feel something. She leads with instinct, experience, and an uncompromising creative bar. She doesn't just make ads, she builds stories that people want to step into. A nationally awarded creative leader with over two decades shaping brands, she knows how to translate local identity into work that travels. With a BFA in Visual Communications from the Alberta University of the Arts and recognition from Communication Arts, Applied Arts, IABC and the JUNO Awards, she brings global-calibre thinking to homegrown stories.

Amanda DeVries is the principal and creative director of Eye Candy Design, a boutique branding and packaging design firm that creates fresh, iconic work for food and beverage companies. She has nearly 20 years experience as a brand consultant, art director and graphic designer. Amanda spent the first 10 years of her career in Ottawa, where governmental agencies kept her busy but not terribly inspired. In 2010, her family moved to southwestern Ontario to start an organic vegetable farm and this presented her with the opportunity to work directly with entrepreneurs and business owners. She also enjoys sharing her knowledge through various teaching gigs and mentoring younger designers. She is the mother of 3 children who share her love of good food, vintage shopping and travel.

I'm the Director of Strategic Marketing & Communications at Saitsa, the Students' Association at SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary, where I lead brand strategy, organizational communications, and cross-functional campaign work. My focus is on positioning, audience relevance, and building marketing that actually moves people. Outside of Saitsa, I'm the founder and creative director of BRB, a Calgary-based running and lifestyle brand rooted in community, identity, and the culture of movement. I believe the best brands, whether institutions or independents, are built through clarity, consistency, and genuine connection.

Zia is a partner, brand designer, and creative strategist at ZAK, an award-winning creative agency building strategy-led, design-driven brands. Over the course of a 10+ year career in brand design, Zia has had the opportunity to contribute to meaningful creative work across the arts, technology, food & beverage, and aerospace sectors to name a few. At ZAK, Zia leads creative strategy, connecting high level strategic goals to pointed creative work across a project.

Paddy is a design innovator and storyteller who helps organizations discover and express their core purpose and long-term ambition. He is the founder of Frontier, a Design Office that collaborates with clients and creates strategic stories. He is also a member of WXO, a global network of experience leaders and practitioners who shape the future of human experience. Finally, his is a co-founder of Projectory, a live experience company focused on content rich interactive enhancements for live corporate events. With nearly 20 years of experience in the design field and degrees in literature and architecture, Paddy has worked with diverse and influential clients, such as PepsiCo, Unilever, the Sacramento Kings, and the Holy City of Mecca. He is design strategist, an award-winning writer and filmmaker, and a frequent speaker at design conferences and universities including Harvard, Brown, and the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. He is passionate about creating strategic stories that inspire, guide, and empower businesses, people, and the planet to thrive.

Amelia Nash is a Canadian-born designer, brand strategist and creative director based in New York City. With over 12 years of experience, she specializes in crafting bold, sustainable brands that inspire, educate and connect. Her approach combines creativity with analytical insight, diving deep into data to transform ideas into unforgettable visual narratives. She currently works as the Brand & Marketing Manager for the School of Visual Arts Masters in Branding program. As a Senior Staff Writer for PRINT Magazine, Amelia explores the realms of branding and design, sharing her expertise with a broader audience. She is also a certified member of the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD), Canada's largest professional organization for graphic designers, where she serves on the Education Committee to empower and inspire designers through educational initiatives. Amelia's work has been recognized with multiple accolades, including the prestigious Best in Show for Best Visual Appeal - Aesthetics at the 2024 w3 Awards. Her dedication to open, equitable design practices and her passion for collaboration drive her to uncover the extraordinary in every detail. Beyond her professional endeavours, Amelia's boundless curiosity fuels her fascination with a myriad of things, from seeking the perfect gin and tonic to immersing herself in colour swatches and finding inspiration in the intricate details of the world around her.

Lianne is a nationally recognized RGD Certified graphic designer and the founder and creative director of Chapter 35 (formerly Lianne Charlene Creative), a branding and graphic design studio based in Edmonton, Alberta. With a focus on branding, packaging, illustration, and web, the studio is dedicated to creating meaningful design for evolving businesses and women-owned or led businesses. Lianne is also a wife and mother of two. Through motherhood, health shifts, and entrepreneurship, she learned that life and business aren't about perfection. They're about self-worth and embracing life's imperfect moments. She now believes our stories shape who we are. Sharing our experiences, our struggles, our imperfections, lets us step into our power and inspire others to do the same. Today, Lianne continues to help business owners tell their stories and align their brand with their business. She believes that impactful design isn't just seen. It's felt. It tells a story that stirs something bold, familiar, or beautifully unexpected. This philosophy guides her work. Through intentional strategy, thoughtful design, and genuine collaboration, Lianne and her team craft identities that are not only beautiful but deeply meaningful.

Tyson has led and developed award-winning work for some of Canada's best-loved brands. At District, Tyson is responsible for brand strategy, client relations, marketing and user experience. Tyson is a good listener with an exceptional ability to connect brands with their audience.

With nearly 20 years of experience in the creative industry, I am the Founder and Design Director of Pixels&, a design studio focused on the space between business and brand—where most companies struggle to translate strategy into something people actually feel and engage with. I hold a Bachelor of Design (BDes) from the Ontario College of Art and Design and have worked with clients across health care, real estate, legal, entertainment, retail, and technology. My work centres on building brands and digital experiences that aren't just visually strong, but aligned with clear business objectives.

I'm Lin Oosterhoff, brand designer and creative director, born and raised in the Netherlands. Dutch minimalism taught me to strip things back to what matters. Living in Canada taught me to design with care and intention. As co-founder and creative director of Twin Studio, a female-founded design and photography studio in Canmore, AB, I bring that mix of bold simplicity and thoughtful purpose to every project. We believe in less is more: less BS, more character. My focus is on building fresh, fearless brands for mountain people—whether it's an outdoor adventure label or a hospitality business shaking up its scene. I love partnering with clients who are passionate about their work and eager to stand out.

Maria Munir is an award winning product designer based in Vancouver who specializes in human centered design and strategy, working to create more accessible, inclusive and engaging digital products. She has over five years of professional design experience and is currently leading UX design at TRIUMF, Canada's Particle Accelerator Centre. Munir graduated with honours from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelors of Architectural Studies and has since presented talks at Emily Carr University and at SWCC, a national science communications conference. Munir enjoys engaging in discussions about the future of UX and guiding others with tools to implement UX principles into their work. Her interdisciplinary background and passion for human centred design has led her to unique projects from coast to coast.

I'm a motion designer based in Vancouver, working with clients around the world. My work has been recognized at Cannes, D&AD, ADCC, the Webby Awards and others. It has also been featured on platforms including It's Nice That, BP&O, Brand New, Abduzeedo and The Brand Identity. In 2025, I was awarded Gold at the global Young Lions design competition in Cannes. Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to collaborate with teams globally, bringing motion to award-winning brand identities for clients ranging from multinational corporations to small startups.

Van is a system polymath bringing together design, business strategy, high-end creative, and applied behavioral science. As a partner at Hello-Better.com, he pairs behavioral strategy with brand as a business advantage. He has developed methodologies for adopting and measuring new behaviors that make customers live better and enable business growth. Van has led projects for Microsoft, GE, Starbucks, Virgin, and numerous scale-ups. His love for street culture makes him feel alive, living in New York City.

Holly is an award-winning designer with over a decade of experience transforming imaginative concepts into creative and unexpected outcomes. Now a Creative Director, and previously holding the role of Senior Designer at Nike. Specialising in Visual Identity, Apparel Graphics, Digital, Print and Packaging. Holly's innovative work can be seen around the globe, and has been featured in British Vogue, Elle, Forbes, New York Times and GQ magazine.

John Ryan is co-founder and principal of Significant Other, a Toronto creative agency working with mission-driven organizations across research, culture, and social good. With his husband Jacob Sharrard RGD, he leads a team of creatives who shape brands and build the digital platforms that express them. He has been launching award-winning interactive projects for more than twenty years. Trained as an industrial designer with a specialization in interaction design, he brings a user-centred approach to every engagement. His work sits at the intersection of brand strategy, digital strategy, and digital craft; disciplines he considers more useful when integrated than kept apart. He has partnered with cultural institutions, universities, research institutes, and human rights and environmental organizations, helping them clarify who they are and turn that clarity into platforms and systems people actually use. His work has been featured in Azure, the National Post, and The New York Times, exhibited at the Royal Ontario Museum, and recognized by The Webby Awards, RGD, The Advertising & Design Club of Canada, and Applied Arts Magazine.

Athena is EVP at Akendi, one of Canada's leading UX and experience design consultancies, helping clients solve some of today's challenges across digital, product, web, and brand. Akendi has developed the Experience Design framework that enables the convergence of product, brand, content, and service experiences for enterprise, public service, and startups across Canada, the US, and the UK. Athena believes that function and beauty are not mutually exclusive. A principled and creative leader whose biggest passion is finding solutions to client problems, Athena strives to build teams that intelligently integrate UX processes and best practices with product development. Her long and winding journey from the United States to Canada has given her a unique combination of strategic design skills and broad industry experience.

Geneviève is a strategic design leader with hands-on product and service design expertise and 10+ years of experience empowering creative teams in fast-paced tech environments. She helps companies thrive by understanding their service ecosystem and identifying growth opportunities that balance value to people and deliver on business intent. She is passionate about shaping ways of working in organizations to foster human-centricity, systems thinking and evidence-based product practice. And she's known for nurturing a team culture where growth and inclusion flourish. From robotics to healthcare and consumer services, Geneviève has been entrusted with the digital experiences of some of the most recognized brands in Canada. At Shopify, her team designed the inbound logistics workflows, helping the business meet critical scale targets. Her work on the Canada Post website, mobile app and illustration system has brought lasting value to millions of Canadians. And she is proud to have shaped digital and physical services for patients and families at SickKids Hospital. Geneviève has actively supported the design community throughout her career and has been a proud RGD member since 2006.