"With" is DVXD’s community for hopeful individuals to co-create better futures, together. Through meetups and resources, w-th holds space to create and share inspiring ways to progress.

BorderPass

At a recent Toronto's #a11yTO Meetup accessibility leads from CBC Media, Skyscanner, and Kobo share their perspectives on ways to nurture and scale practices to create more universal experiences through accessible design.

Fostering Accessibility at Scale: Key Takeaways From a Recent Toronto a11y Meetup

We asked our team to share their thoughts on how they envision the evolution of co-design over the next three years, both within our studio and across the industry. 

Envisioning the Future of Co-Design: Insights from Our Team

Around this time every year, around the anniversary of our studio, I usually take a short summer break from work. During these moments I get a chance to reflect on how DVXD has evolved as a studio. 

Reflecting on Six Years as a Studio for Shared Progress

We are experience design partners for transformative change.

We co-create brands and products for social benefit with inspiring leaders like

In 2019, DVXD and Studio Sophomore partnered with designer Shannon Hunter to help realize her vision for a more sustainable, locally-focused, lakeside retreat in Ontario's Prince Edward County. Nestled among farms and markets and pristine shoreline, Wander was built as a place for friends and family could disconnect from their normal everyday and reconnect with each other through novel retreat. 

Shannon Hunter

Wander is a communaly focused resort and a retreat from the pace of everyday life

Tablet device displaying the Wander website

Nestled among farms and markets and pristine shoreline, Wander was built as a place where friends and family could disconnect from their normal everyday and reconnect with each other through a retreat rooted in community and natural wonder.

Through user research, we identified what guests' best travel experiences were and what they were missing. No matter their differences, everyone's best experiences reflected the same desire to more deeply connect with the local communities they visited.

Each cabin is a showroom of artisan country wares. We created an online store to allow guests purchase their favourite items and bring Wander home with them.

We extended the guest experience beyond the resort by co-creating the Wander the County iOS app with Studio Sophomore. With it, guests have handpicked itineraries of local gems, a curated map of select county destinations, and a direct message portal with staff and services.

Sophomore

Wander and Travel to Reconnect

We co-create products & brands with innovative leaders, like

Indigo is a North American retailer that is described as the world’s first cultural department store. Over the course of a year, we worked with Indigo to create a new gift shopping experience that both gift givers and recipients would love. We saw an opportunity in digital commerce to reduce the impact of wasteful gifting and build more empathic relationships between people.

Andrea Limbardi

Thoughtfull by Indigo

Our work started with seeking to understand what makes a gift special. From hearing in-store testimonies from Indigo staff to concept testing ways to give better gifts with gift-givers, we sought out ways to make gift shopping more meaningful and less wasteful.

Expressing an identity that reflects gifting as a means of connection between people was critical to ensure Thoughtfull was cohesively understood. From promotions to commerce to community to services the Thoughtfull mark and brand language were defined to evoke a sense of empathy, support and guidance.

The Thoughtfull identity expresses the elegance, joy, and interconnected nature of gifting.

Thoughtfull and Meaningful Gifting

We co-create products and brands for shared progress with innovative startups like 

Willow is Canada’s first real estate investing platform, opening the door for all Canadians to invest in property. By examining the broad impact of fractional investing — including those already impacted by a housing affordability crisis — our goal was to ensure Willow’s values of inclusivity, community building, and wealth equity were foundational to the brand and product experience.

Willow

Logan, Mike, Ray, Arsh

In order to create a consistent experience for future Willow product, it was necessary to establish a consistent UI system; we created foundational visual and interaction language.

Design and development worked in tandem to strike the proper balance between performance, flourish and accessibility,

Willow and Wealth Equity

Jacky Tuinstra Harrison

Matthew House is a collective of refugee claimant residences in downtown Toronto, Canada. As an organization, they seek to inspire hope, uphold the dignity, and champion independence through building resilient communities for refugees in a familial home environment.

The wordmark’s stroke weight was extended to an icon set representing key milestones of the refugee journey.

Tone and voice guidelines were developed based on the organization's roles instead of a channel-specific approach.

Matthew House and Championing Independence 

We co-create products and brands for social benefit with inspiring leaders like 

In January 2019 DVXD, in partnership with the Google News Initiative, kicked off an initiative to reimagine Rappler, one of the most read news publications in Southeast Asia. Founded by former CNN Bureau chief, Maria Ressa, Rappler has received global praise for their journalism in the face of ongoing pressure from the administration of Philippine’s President Rodrigo Duterte. Their innovative model combines a digital newsroom, data science, investigative journalism, and civic engagement. 

Maria Ressa

In January 2019 DVXD, in partnership with the Google News Initiative, kicked off an initiative to reimagine Rappler, one of the most read news publications in Southeast Asia. Founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa. Rappler has received global praise for their journalism in the face of ongoing pressure from President Rodrigo Duterte.\
\
Our work centered around one core objective: Rappler’s mission to build communities of action.

Co-creating concepts with Rappler’s newsroom and readers, we imagined various ways to embolden readers. By understanding readers’ anxieties and challenges with mainstream social platforms, we learned about what to focus on to drive readership to civic engagement.

Rappler and News for Communities of Action

President, Indigo

Arsh Singh

Marketing Lead, Willow

Founder, Wander the Resort

We are a collective of diverse researchers, designers, and technologists with a shared purpose to co-create common good.

Our partners envision a better future. We help create it.

Wander
+ Shannon Hunter

Indigo
+ Andrea Limbardi

Willow
+ Logan, Mike, Ray, Arsh

Matthew House
+ Jacky Tuinstra Harrison

Rappler
+ Maria Ressa

Journal

Fostering Accessibility at Scale: Key Takeaways From a Recent Toronto a11y Meetup

Envisioning the Future of Co-Design: Insights from Our Team

Reflecting on Six Years as a Studio for Shared Progress

Studio

Let's create together

Our partners envision a better future. We help create it.

Partners

Wander + Shannon Hunter

Indigo+ Andrea Limbardi

Willow+ Logan, Mike, Ray, Arsh

Matthew House+ Jacky Tuinstra Harrison

Rappler+ Maria Ressa

Journal

Fostering Accessibility at Scale: Key Takeaways From a Recent Toronto a11y Meetup

Envisioning the Future of Co-Design: Insights from Our Team

Reflecting on Six Years as a Studio for Shared Progress

Studio

Let's create together

Wander
+ Shannon Hunter

Indigo
+ Andrea Limbardi

Willow
+ Logan, Mike, Ray, Arsh

Matthew House
+ Jacky Tuinstra Harrison

Rappler
+ Maria Ressa