Mark Rutledge Design

01/09/2026

01/09/2026

Registration is open for the 2026 Ojibwe Language Symposium! Join us for this amazing family oriented, collaborative, community event where language holders and learners come together.

Free event, two full days, Biminizha’amok! (Pursue it)

Register today! link.fdltcc.edu/ojibwe-language-symposium

01/04/2026

Right here!

The Year I Stopped Shrinking: Decolonizing Design in a Season of Institutional Retreat

January 2, 2026
Evelyn Wiggins

We are living through a strange moment in the life of institutions.

On paper, the language of equity has never been more visible. Websites, mission statements, annual reports, and academic catalogs now bristle with words like diversity, inclusion, justice, and belonging. Corporations have diversity officers. Universities have equity task forces. Museums have land acknowledgements. Design firms have statements about global culture and social impact.

And yet, beneath this surface of moral fluency, something is happening quietly but decisively.

Budgets for equity are shrinking. Decolonial programs are being postponed. Black-led initiatives are being quietly deprioritized. Risk-taking visions are being told, gently and politely, to wait.

This contradiction between what institutions say and what they are willing to fund has become the defining tension of our time. It is the space where radical visions go to stall, where new paradigms are admired but not authorized.

Evelyn Wiggins We are living through a strange moment in the life of institutions. On paper, the language of equity has never been more visible.

11/14/2024

In the spirit of Nickel and Dimed, a necessary and revelatory expose of the invisible human workforce that powers the web—and that foreshadows the true future of work.

Hidden beneath the surface of the web, lost in our wrong-headed debates about AI, a new menace is looming. Anthropologist Mary L. Gray and computer scientist Siddharth Suri team up to unveil how services delivered by companies like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Uber can only function smoothly thanks to the judgment and experience of a vast, invisible human labor force. These people doing “ghost work” make the internet seem smart. They perform high-tech piecework: flagging X-***ed content, proofreading, designing engine parts, and much more. An estimated 8 percent of Americans have worked at least once in this “ghost economy,” and that number is growing. They usually earn less than legal minimums for traditional work, they have no health benefits, and they can be fired at any time for any reason, or none.

There are no labor laws to govern this kind of work, and these latter-day assembly lines draw in—and all too often overwork and underpay—a surprisingly diverse range of workers: harried young mothers, professionals forced into early retirement, recent grads who can’t get a toehold on the traditional employment ladder, and minorities shut out of the jobs they want. Gray and Suri also show how people doing ghost work, employers, and society at large can ensure that this new kind of work creates opportunity—rather than misery—for those who do it.

How to Stop Silicon Valley from Building a New Global Underclass

09/13/2024

Someones future is about to change.

2024 Agency of the Year

Agency of the year (AOY) toasts 35 years as Canada's most
prestigious award show celebrating excellence, creativity and
impact across creative, digital, PR, media and design agencies.

The coveted AOY shortlist represents the top shops in the
country, while Gold, Silver and Bronze winners boast
the most impressive body of work in Canada.

2024 Shortlists

October 30 // Koerner Hall
Cocktails: 5:30
Show: 6:30
Cocktails to follow

https://agencyoftheyear.strategyonline.ca/Home

08/16/2024

Just over here amplifying voices!

Decolonising Design in Africa
Towards New Theories, Methods, and Practices

By Yaw Ofosu-Asare, PhD

Decolonising Design in Africa offers a groundbreaking exploration of design education in Africa through a decolonial lens. By examining the colonial legacies that have shaped design education in Africa, it foregrounds the problematic ways that current pedagogical approaches primarily reflect western values and priorities. This book advocates for integrating Indigenous knowledge, cultural practices, and philosophies into contemporary African design education. It spans a wide geographical and temporal range, from historical analyses of colonial influences to envisioning decolonised African design futures. It delves into diverse aspects including spirituality in design, cultural symbolism, sustainable practices, and the ethical dimensions of decolonising design.

Pioneering in its interdisciplinary approach, the book weaves together theoretical discussions, methodological innovations like storytelling, and practical strategies for curriculum reform. It presents inspiring case studies of designers and educators who are actively decolonising their practices. Decolonising Design in Africa is a vital resource for design educators, students, practitioners, and policymakers, not just in Africa but worldwide. It makes a compelling case for reimagining design education in a more inclusive, contextually relevant and socially conscious way. The book's ultimate aim is to cultivate a new generation of designers equipped to address the complex challenges of a decolonising world.

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781032692647/decolonising-design-africa-yaw-ofosu-asare?refId=b3c827da-044b-478e-8527-511023db239c&context=ubx

07/03/2024

Join me as we have an open discussion around Indigenous Design.

Think Twice.

Why you should think twice about using cultural and spiritual symbols in your visual design and communication projects. We must be careful when using cultural symbols. By using the feather, the Infinity Symbol, the Inukshuk, the Medicine Wheel or Traditional Patterns, the meaning and the teachings behind
them are diluted, lost, or overlooked.

In this webinar we’ll have an open a discussion around the appropriate use of Indigenous culture and spirituality in design and communication projects, particularly logos and brands. There are numerous ways to create visually appealing designs that communicate ideas effectively and that are not limited to the standard “go-to” or “stereotypical” design elements that often get overused. In some cases, designers and communicators run the risk of cultural appropriation, although they may not even know that this is being done. Since time immemorial we have shared and exchanged ideas from one another to create something new. So this begs the question, “why are some designs negatively labelled “Cultural Appropriation” or their creators accused of disrespecting the very cultures they find inspirational? and why do these designs illicit such strong reactions?

Presented by Mark Rutledge RGD...

06/20/2024

Please share widely! Any Indigenous person wanting to get into film and tv, this is the perfect opportunity! I started as a background performer and this one is huge!!