Jennifer Taback RGD

Graphic novelists tell rich stories by deftly interweaving words and images. Since emerging nearly a half-century ago, this narrative form—which can include anthologies, memoirs and other non-fiction works—has steadily grown in popularity and has captivated readers around the globe. Subplot Design and Canada Post Corporation launched the first set of four artists in the spring of 2024, and this second set of six artists in November 2025, celebrating Canadian Graphic Novelists.

The RGD has released a new No Spec email template to support designers in responding to organizations that request unpaid or speculative design work. Spec work—whether in the form of contests, design competitions, RFP submissions without payment or job application assignments—continues to appear across the industry despite being widely condemned as an unethical business practice that devalues the design profession.

Typeface design plays a critical but often overlooked role in digital communication, particularly for Indigenous and minority languages, where the lack of accessible fonts can limit everyday language use. As a graduate student in Toronto Metropolitan University’s Master of Digital Media program, I undertook a practice-based research project to expand an open-source typeface to support Syllabic writing systems.