OXD creatives Sarah Tan, Lisa Farmer, and Wil Arndt attended this year’s DesignThinkers conference. With so many outstanding speakers, we want to share a few inspiring insights we brought back.

Sarah Tan
Designer, Brand and Marketing

The importance of narrative and storytelling within branding

Speaker Zipeng Zhu demonstrated the power of weaving a captivating narrative into presentation storytelling. His thought-provoking talk, matched by his equally enthusiastic delivery, took us on an emotional journey—balancing humor, frustration, and hope perfectly. His personal brand remained consistent across every medium, from his shoes and clothing choice, physical interactions with the audience, and especially his slide deck.

I learned that a brand’s touchpoints extend far beyond visuals to what is heard and felt as well.

Lisa Farmer
Marketing Manager
(and designer)

“Nuggets”—A bite-sized analogy

I think everyone who attended DesignThinkers can agree that Ellen Lupton’s presentation was, well… just our type.

All the kerning talk gave me warm fuzzies. Ellen beautifully illustrated the art of typography by likening it to crafting perfect “nuggets”. Each element, from kerning to typeface selection, is a little chunk that contributes to a cohesive, visually pleasing whole.

(A hankering for McDonald’s chicken nuggies now, anyone? Where’s my honey mustard dipping sauce!)

As a designer for over 20 years, it reignited my own passion for typography. The instant desire to get into InDesign and just start laying out text was eminent. I’m a sucker for a great editorial spread. Something that conveys a message but also evokes a delightful visual experience.

Thank you, Ellen.

Wil Arndt
Creative Director

AI: Friend or foe? The designer's dilemma

The impact of AI dominated discussions and presentations this year, revealing a wide range of opinions—from enthusiastic adoption to outright fear.

Designers are questioning their role as AI replicates tasks once thought uniquely human. Concerns extend beyond the technology itself to how businesses might exploit AI to extract more from already strained creatives.

Two key takeaways emerged:

1. Don’t believe the hype. Approach AI with a critical eye, understanding its limitations and potential misuses.
2. Master the tools before they master you. Learn to leverage AI effectively to enhance your work and stay ahead of the curve.

The conversation about AI’s role in design is just starting, but one thing seems clear: designers aren’t waiting to find direction in this evolving landscape. They are forging their own path and creating their own futures.

Creating connections

We’re honored to have attended and spoken at such an inspiring event. Here’s to the new friendships, the creative sparks, and the sharing of decades of wisdom.

Our designers do incredible work! Check out some of it on our website or Dribbble pages.

Enhanced mapping capabilities have become commonplace and expected in consumer applications, and the government is making strides to adopt these innovations as well. DriveBC.ca is a vital travel information hub for drivers in British Columbia (BC), but the site needed a major overhaul. Working with OXD and using Agile development principles, the new and improved data-driven DriveBC beta website launched on May 28, 2024. 

The innovative redesign includes many benefits for drivers, including BC-centric features that provide a better experience than some of the consumer mapping apps.

DriveBC users can plan their next road trip using:

• The responsive map that acts as travellers’ command center
• Clear information of road closures and delays
• Up-to-date weather and road conditions
• Information from real-time issue advisories and alerts
• Customizable filters that automatically adjust and update along planned route

The transformative improvements at DriveBC aren't only benefiting the users of the system. Those who run and manage DriveBC are also experiencing significant advantages. The redesigned content management system (CMS) enables the DriveBC team to make announcements, issue advisories, and draw critical zones on the map independently of developers, enhancing the speed and efficiency of updates. The site architecture seamlessly integrates data, ensuring unmatched reliability and resiliency, making it future-proof.

An Agile development approach lets us continue the work, with more improvements on the way even as the application is in use. Stay tuned for saving favourite cameras and routes and even more advanced route planning to provide a satisfying and seamless experience for users.

I was looking at the DriveBC map again and it’s so awesome! As someone who drives across BC a lot in the summer, I really appreciate it!

Darcie Meyer, Manager, Reservation Services, BC Parks

OXD's expertise working Agile has modernized DriveBC from within. Our partnership showcases how prioritizing users, embracing flexibility, and strategic planning can converge in a transformative website experience. You can learn more about all phases of the project through product director Russel Lolacher's “The Digital Road Ahead” on LinkedIn or read about our design and research team's journey on the DriveBC blog.

Want to read our DriveBC case study? Subscribe to our newsletter below to be among the first to know when it’s ready. 

Our annual "Spring Party" remains a highlight for everyone at OXD and our sister company, ThoughtFarmer. On May 10, 2024, staff and significant others filled the room with enthusiasm and camaraderie. We all enjoyed good food, vibrant music, laughter… even karaoke! (And yes, of course we sang "Sweet Caroline").

It's also tradition for us to vie over purchasing raffle tickets to support BC Children's Hospital. This year we donated $2520!

The party celebrates the incredible individuals across both companies. Our staff are the cornerstone of our past achievements and continued success. 

As the evening drew to a close, we raised our glasses in a toast: "Cheers to the year gone by and here's to what lies ahead".

Cheers!

Courthouse Libraries BC (CLBC) partnered with OXD to incorporate digital trust technology into the CLBC website. Digital trust allows users to access CLBC’s online resources using their digital Law Society of BC credentials along with the BC Wallet application, without the need to create a specific CLBC online user account. This ensures the highest levels of security and privacy while allowing easy and efficient access to protected resources.

OXD worked with the CLBC team to create a high-level plan for architecting and implementing the solution on their existing website. In collaboration with the BC Government’s Digital Trust team, we developed a proof of concept to validate the compatibility between the Drupal Content Management System (CMS) and digital credentials. Findings from this work allowed us to validate the Law Society of BC digital credentials with the CMS using the OpenID Connect standard. Our development team then customized an authentication module on the CMS to ensure that no personal information is collected as part of this digital trust flow.

End-to-end functional testing with the BC Wallet application was performed by our Quality Assurance team, while CLBC conducted user acceptance testing with active digital credentials.

This is another step towards improving access to digital resources for BC lawyers.

We’re excited to announce that OXD has been recognized as one of the Best Workplaces™ in Canada for 2024, in the category of companies with fewer than 100 employees. This recognition is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire OXD team and reflects our commitment to fostering a positive, engaging, and innovative work environment.

The recognition was announced during a live awards ceremony in Toronto on April 23rd, 2024, which celebrated outstanding workplace cultures across Canada. Our leadership duo, Darren Gibbons and Gordon Ross, were there to represent OXD.

Chosen from more than 900 candidates, this recognition highlights our efforts to be a benchmark in the Canadian tech industry for employee satisfaction and workplace culture. A big thank you to everyone at OXD for making this possible!

And special congratulations also goes to our sister company, ThoughtFarmer, who also made the Best Workplaces in Canada list for 2024.

Visit our careers page to learn more about working at OXD and our culture.

Can you believe it? Sunday, April 21, 2024 marked the 25^th time OXD and ThoughtFarmer have taken on the 10-kilometre challenge, a tradition that started back in 1999. The Sun Run, renowned as Canada’s premier 10k, continues to inspire community engagement and fitness, and we’re proud to keep contributing to its legacy.

For us, the Sun Run is more than just a race—it's a cherished annual event that fosters healthy, active lifestyles for people of all ages and fitness levels.