Join us for a dynamic debate on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the design industry, a hot topic that is shaping the future of creative professions. As AI continues to evolve, it brings both opportunities and challenges to the world of design. This debate will delve into the current attitudes toward AI, exploring whether it is seen as a tool that enhances creativity or a disruptive force that threatens traditional design roles.
The discussion will focus on the implications of AI on careers in design, from graphic design to architecture, and everything in between. Will AI augment the designer’s toolkit, allowing for more innovation and efficiency? Or will it lead to the devaluation of human creativity, potentially replacing designers in the workforce? This event is a must-attend for anyone interested in the intersection of technology and design.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional, a student, or just curious about the future of the industry, this debate will provide valuable insights into how AI is reshaping the creative landscape. Join us to explore the potential of AI in design and engage in a thought-provoking conversation about the future of the profession.
Doors at 9:00am
Event start: 9:30am
Debate ends: 11:00am
Followed by audience questions, discussion, and post-event networking until 12:00pm
Design Talks Institute is dedicated to advancing public education on the value and impacts of good design. We produce and install exhibitions, and hold workshops, seminars, and conferences for the public regarding architecture, art, and design.
Serving as a public forum, our discussions, screenings, events and exhibitions foster dialogue that bring together multiple perspectives. Each public event is a combination of presentations that open up discussion followed by a distillation of how it relates at a local level. Topics cover a range of contemporary issues on spatial form including heritage, mobility, neighbourhoods, and the social and cultural significance of the public realm.
It’s an informal setting where people with diverse opinions can come together to find common ground. At d.talks, a question is as important as an answer.
Hosted by: dTalks in partnership with MADE
Tickets: $25
Charmaine Muzyka
Founder, Fractional Creatives
She brings nearly two decades of design expertise to a diverse range of industries. Specializing in corporate brand communications and B2B creative, Charmaine's work encompasses all things brand, marketing, communications and digital solutions. Her strategic, goal-oriented approach prioritizes business objectives and employs design thinking methodologies to create with intention.
Charmaine excels in synthesizing complex ideas into cohesive solutions. Clients value her ability to create and execute comprehensive strategies, and her approachable, collaborative nature. With her newly launched agency, Fractional Creatives, Charmaine and her team integrate with organizations, delivering high-quality creative assets tailored to their specific goals and target audiences, positioning herself as an invaluable partner for businesses seeking to elevate their brand and communication efforts.
Dennis Lenarduzzi
Berlin
Dennis is a multidisciplinary designer and Creative Director with a passion for strategic brand development. His 30+ years of creative direction have garnered numerous regional and national awards for branding, branded interiors, digital activations and product design.
His work has been published in several international design annuals including Logolounge, ID Magazine, DesignEdge, Communication Arts, Applied Arts, The One Show, and The World’s Best Typography. He is recognized as a Distinguished Alumni from MacEwan University (1999).
Dennis began his career as a graphic designer and has worked in several of Edmonton’s top studios and agencies; ran two highly successful ateliers. He then took a ten-year hiatus to establish the internationally acclaimed industrial design studio, Hothouse.
He came back to the agency world in 2003 when he joined RED the Agency. In 2014, he co-founded Makespace/LanguageArts —a multi-disciplinary company exploring the intersection of brand, culture, and physical space. The company went on to garner numerous awards for its branding, branded interiors, and digital activations, including ACE, Ad Rodeo Anvils, Cassies, AMPIA Rosies, and Digital Alberta Embers.
From 2014-2017, he served as Creative Director for ATB Financial as the institution rebranded and repositioned itself in the marketplace. He then oversaw a similar re-positioning and re-branding of 5 Southern Alberta-based credit unions into ConnectFirst Credit Union (now Servus), serving as Creative Director and acting Vice President of Brand.
He joined Berlin Communications as Creative Director in 2022.
Jasmine Palardy
Co-founder The Good Future Collective
I’m community-builder and urban optimist who brings creators of all stripes together to shape more collaborative and future-ready places.
I have spent my career leading community engagement and activation programs that accelerate innovation, deepen human connection and foster special places that are fertile sandboxes for transformative ideas.
I’m tremendously proud of the city and region-shaping projects I’ve helped to shape in Calgary, NYC, Vancouver and San Francisco and in building up lab-like accelerators to advance urban innovation and community capacity with global experts from across the world.
Mark Cooper
Architect
Lemay + Toker
M.Arch | AAA | B.A. | Dipl. AT.
Mark Cooper is an Architect and Design Lead with Lemay. He has practiced in regions across Canada, ranging from tactical art installations to large transdisciplinary architectural projects, with a focus on the confluence of built form, technology, and lived experience. His work explores how architecture can play a participatory role in responding to wider social and ecological contexts, and exploring the use of computational design tools as a means to further architectural expression and innovation.
Susan Carter
Partner, Designer
LID | BID | LEED® AP
Architecture without a focus on humanity and our existential curiosity renders design superfluous. At its pinnacle, architecture serves as a mechanism for addressing complex environmental, social, and economic challenges, a truth particularly resonant in today’s-built environment. With over three decades of expertise in commercial design, specializing in large-scale commercial and mixed-use projects, I have cultivated a practice centered on innovation, resilience, and human-centric design. My passion lies in the metamorphosis of enclosed shopping centers, recognizing them not merely as architectural puzzles but as opportunities to reshape urban landscapes and through thoughtful design of public spaces and the urban environment, we can positively influence the human condition and uplift communal welfare.
Currently a Doctoral Candidate with the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at the University of Calgary, my research explores the intersection of mental health and the built environment, particularly within mixed use developments. I advocate for the design of robust and loveable human-centric places that evoke positive emotions, drawing on neuroscience to underscore their profound impact on well-being. Designers bear a responsibility to enrich the human spirit, communities and the environment. By championing the intrinsic value of design that nurtures mental well-being, I endeavor to redefine investment returns, embracing not only on financial gains but also the holistic welfare of society.