Slow & Steady, a collaborative design practice, provides strategic branding, communications and design-led facilitation for teams working at the intersections of sustainability, the built environment, civic engagement, higher education and health.

Clients include: OPEN Technologies, Recollective Consulting, First Light Energy Solutions, Glave Strategies, Solutions Lab @ City of Vancouver, SFU Leadership & Community Building Programs, Emily Carr University of Art + Design Faculty Association, BC Brain Injury Association, Quantified Citizen, Brave Technology Coop, Happy City Lab, Indian Summer Festival, Provincial Health Services Authority.

Design Capabilities

communication design

  • Brand Identity
  • Creative Strategy
  • Graphic Design
  • Web Design

co–design & facilitation

  • Collaborative Process Design
  • Workshop Facilitation
  • Custom Workshop Materials
  • Synthesis + Reporting

teaching & research

  • Curriculum Design
  • Experiential Studios
  • Mentorship + Connections
  • Feedback + Evaluation

Switching to first person…

Hi! I’m Sarah. To me, design is a practice and a creative process that can be used to slow us down and bring us together – to connect and build meaningful relationships, projects and experiences – especially those that challenge and disrupt the status quo. In 2003, I received my Bachelors of Industrial Design from Carleton University (with distinction) and in 2008 I received my Masters of Applied Arts in Design from Emily Carr University of Art + Design where my thesis explored slow design.

As a freelance designer, I am inspired when a new project comes my way and I am invited to help clients figure out how to best position themselves to share their story and service with the world. This work is mostly designing visual identities for web and print, with occasional environments and material prototypes. Click through to see work samples and read my post about how I work with clients.

As a facilitator, I work with Vancouver Design Nerds Society, an organization that facilitates creative collaboration between artists, designers and the public at large. Since 2003, we’ve hosted over 60 ‘Design Jams’ on a wide range of topics including affordable housing, higher education, urban planning and public space activation. I completed a three day workshop called Effective Group Facilitation as part of SFU’s Certificate in Dialogue and Civic Engagement.

As an educator, I have taught multiple courses in industrial and interaction design at Emily Carr University, including medical product design, service design, applied sustainable design and professional practice. Additionally, I teach design thinking + civic engagement for SFU’s Certificate Program in Dialogue and Civic Engagement. This work keeps my design research game strong and challenges me in ways beyond anything else I do.

If you are still here (wow!), and would like to connect or pitch a project to me, please reach out.

@slow_steady_design

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