about NSGD

Here are a few of our finer details.


our people

naomi illustration

Naomi Shacter, Principal, Designer

There was a time when Naomi wanted to be a forensic scientist, even an archeologist, but those aspirations were quickly eclipsed by her passion for art and design. During her studies, at the former Ontario College of Art, Naomi was inspired by two key principles: form and function, and the phrase, for words that are meant to be read, legibility cannot be ignored.

Fast-forward 25 years or so, and those same two principles continue to guide her design approach as she crafts clear visual communications for clients spanning the areas of health and wellness, education, environmental protection and public service.



Joe Illustration

Joe Jan, Production Manager

Some kids like to make a mess. Some like to make trouble. Very few, if any, like to make lists. Joe's early days of list-making eventually developed into his uncanny ability to keep things organized, extremely organized. As a former public-sector number-cruncher and computer programmer, Joe is no stranger to multitasking. With his pristine forecasting skills, organizational charts and computer savvy, Joe keeps NSGD current and running smoothly.



carolyn illustration

Carolyn Wilby, Plain Language Writer & Consultant

As the founder of Clear Language @ Work, Carolyn is an incurable “decode-aholic”. Rarely does she read anything (even street signs) without unconsciously streamlining information. Possessed with the gift of clarity, Carolyn hopes to convert organizations everywhere to plain English writing techniques. She brings that same clear vision to NSGD.

As our go-to writer and consultant for all things chaos, Carolyn applies her 20 years of clear English principles and expertise to NSGD projects, ensuring they are readable and understandable. Visit www.clearlanguage@work.com to learn more about plain English.



our philosophy

Every designer and firm has values and principles that guide their practice. Here are NSGD's.

Do good: We love making the world a brighter place. Sometimes that’s as simple as colouring a streetscape. Mostly though, it’s helping our clients make a difference. We combine our love of design with our clients’ passion for helping others, to create thoughtful design solutions. It is through this collaborative process of working with non-profit agencies and institutions, and like-minded organizations that we do good as well.

Practice with integrity: Integrity is at the core of how we conduct ourselves. We believe in honesty and transparency, and discussing sensitive matters at the outset. We don’t ‘recycle’ work to save ourselves time, nor do we look for loopholes to get the work out the door faster. We don’t bite off more than we can chew and we won’t drop the ball on your project to get to another one—your deadlines are important and we uphold those by choosing the timing of our work wisely. We believe in doing our best work, always, every time.

Continuously improve: The more we learn, the less we feel we know, because quite honestly, there’s just too much to know. But we do know a lot, and collectively, with our clients, we expand our knowledge everyday. We continuously assess our practice, how we practice, and continue to build on that, by improving our skills, procedures and processes.

 



our clients

Over the years we've had the pleasure to work with the following organizations:

Accessible Solutions Inc
Aecon Group
Alzheimer Society of Canada
Baycrest
Bernard Betel Centre
Canada Cleaning Supplies
Canadian Cancer Society
Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships
Centennial Infant and Child Centre Foundation
College of Dietitians of Ontario
Choice In Health Clinic
Divorce Magazine
EnerConnect
Environmental Defence
EZee Life
Factory Direct Medical
Futuremed
HPU Rehab
Infrastructure Ontario
Kortright Centre for Conservation
Maple Leaf Foods Inc.
Ministry of Attorney General of Ontario
Ministry of Family, Children and Social Services
Mothercraft
Ontario Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists
Parkdale Community Health Centre
Parkdale Queen West CHC
Peterborough Public Health Unit
Red Club Products
Runnymede Hospital
Sault Area Hospital
Students' Society of McGill University
The Hanen Centre
Toronto Employment & Social Services
Toronto EMS
Toronto French School
Toronto Heschel School
Toronto Public Health Department
Toronto Preschool Speech and Language Services
Toronto Water
Wedding Bells Magazine
Women’s Habitat
York University