Ottawa Design Club

What Ottawa Design Club does

Ottawa Design Club is a volunteer-run, non-profit creative community organization founded in 2020 in Ottawa, Ontario, by Isabelle (Izry) Poirier and Ariane Bédard. The organization serves the local and international design community by programming speaker events, publishing a recurring zine series, running workshops, maintaining a speaker archive, and collaborating on podcast content with partner organizations. Its core outputs are in-person and recorded speaker events held roughly quarterly in Ottawa, and an ISSN-registered zine publication that has produced more than nine editions since inception, distributed through a Shopify storefront and at events. Revenue is generated through three streams: paid event tickets, zine sales via Shopify, and sponsorship from local and institutional partners such as Apt613, Pano Media, the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD), and Adobe (the latter via an Adobe MAX 2025 feature).

The organization's footprint has grown beyond Ottawa into a loose three-chapter international network covering Ottawa, Marseille, and New York, with the New York chapter materializing as a formal collaboration on the Pivotal Moments zine in late 2025. Ottawa Design Club has accumulated third-party validation including a 2021 Design Rush award for Best Nonprofit Print Design and an Adobe MAX 2025 feature, which function as brand-equity signals within the design community. The organization operates with 1-10 volunteer contributors, has no disclosed paid headcount, and publishes no financial figures; its scale is consistent with a community-arts non-profit rather than a commercial enterprise.

Operationally, ODC combines editorial curation (speaker selection, zine themes), community programming (events and workshops), and lightweight e-commerce (zine sales) into a small, repeatable cadence. There is no proprietary technology platform underlying these activities beyond standard tools such as Shopify for retail and standard podcast hosting for audio collaborations. The organization is positioned as a community-ecosystem play rather than a venture-scale business, and its expansion to date has been driven by volunteer capacity, partnership leverage, and the credibility of its publication series rather than by external funding or commercial scaling.

Name

Ottawa Design Club

Legal name

Ottawa Design Club

Website

https://ottdesign.club

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ottawa Design Club is a volunteer-run, non-profit creative community founded in 2020 in Ottawa by Isabelle Poirier and Ariane Bédard, serving local and international designers through speaker events, an ISSN-registered zine series, workshops, and a multi-chapter network spanning Ottawa, Marseille, and New York.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Community Programming

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Theatre & Storytelling Festivals (MPAGAEAI)

Keywords

• Design community events
• Creative zine publications
• Speaker event programming
• Volunteer creative network
• Print zine publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa, Ontario

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from ticket sales for speaker events and workshops. Events feature networking, food, drinks, and speaker presentations.
2. Zine Sales: Limited-run print zines sold through Shopify storefront. Zines are produced in limited runs and distributed through Ottawa Design Club and independent shops across Canada and beyond. Each zine is themed and curated through open calls.
3. Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors provide financial and in-kind support. All proceeds from events and zines go back into the club, supporting future programming, publications, and community events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ottawa Design Club is a volunteer-run creative community that hosts in-person speaker events featuring designers and creative professionals, publishes annual limited-run print zines curated through open calls and guest juries, and runs workshops, podcast collaborations, and zine launch events. All proceeds from events and zines are reinvested into the club to support future programming and publications.

Product overview

Ottawa Design Club is a volunteer-run creative community offering three core offerings: Speaker Events featuring presentations and panel discussions with creative professionals; Zine Publications as annual limited-run print magazines built around curated themes; and supporting programming including podcast collaborations, workshops, and public zine launch events. The organization has been producing zines since 2020, with each edition featuring contributions from Ottawa and international creative communities through open submission calls. Additional offerings include a speaker archive with recorded talks and specialty events like the Hands-On Vibes series that combines live art creation with community participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Speaker Events In-person speaker events bringing designers, artists, and creative thinkers together through networking, three guest speaker presentations, and panel discussions with Q&A. Held at venues including Club SAW, Wall Space Gallery, and AXENÉO7.
• Zine Publications Annual themed limited-run print publications curated through open calls and guest juries, featuring contributions from designers, artists, and writers. Each zine is an ISSN-registered tangible object meant to be held and collected, with no digital version released.
• Workshops Interactive workshops offered in both virtual and in-person formats, covering topics such as social design, mystery design box exercises, on-set mindset, cozy craft, and snail mail stationery.
• Zine Launch Events Public launch events held for each zine edition, featuring exhibitions, art displays, live music performances, and opportunities to purchase limited print runs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sold out first zine in under 3 days
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AdobecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured presenter at Adobe MAX 2025 where founder Izzy Poirier spoke about community building. Adobe Live collaborations with co-founder Ariane Bédard for zine design tutorials.
• Apt613coreGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal Ottawa publication that regularly features Ottawa Design Club events, providing press coverage and community visibility through articles and event reviews.
• Pano MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPodcast partner powering The Creatives Podcast. Captures professional video recordings of speaker presentations and event photography for the club's archive.
• The Creatives PodcastcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPodcast partnership for extended speaker conversations. Brings Ottawa Design Club speakers to a wider audience through in-depth podcast episodes.
• Club SAWcoreOthersPrimary venue for Ottawa Design Club events in Ottawa. The club has hosted multiple events at this venue including Hands-On Vibes and various speaker events.
• Wall Space GallerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt gallery venue for zine launch events including the Renaissance zine launch. Provides space for exhibitions and art displays.
• AXENÉO7coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist centre in Gatineau that hosted the Building Bridges zine exhibition with over 300 attendees. Major venue for the club's largest event to date.
• RGD (Registered Graphic Designers)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional association for graphic designers that sponsors Ottawa Design Club events.
• Sofar OttawaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusic performance partner for zine launch events, providing live musical performances at Renaissance and other zine events.
• The Printing House (TPH)minorOthersPrinting partner for zine production, handling the physical printing of limited-run zine editions.
• House of CommoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhotography partner that has documented zines since day one. Photographer Rémi Thériault provides professional photography for events and publications.
• DebasercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerToronto-based design platform that collaborated on zine 0005 curation, combining projects for the Collaboration edition.
• Sticker MuleminorOthersSticker swag sponsor providing custom stickers for zine packages and events.
• New York Design ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister chapter of Ottawa Design Club founded with support from ODC. Collaboration on special zine editions including Pivotal Moments. Shares best practices and creative programming.
• Montreal Design ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal inspiration for Ottawa Design Club. Founders Izzy Poirier attended a Montreal Design Club event which inspired the creation of the Ottawa chapter. Shared network of design clubs.
• Marseille Design ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational sister chapter in France. Part of the broader Design Club network with shared values and locally-led programming.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ladies, Wine & Design: A chapter-based community for women and non-binary creative professionals that uses talks, workshops, and peer connection. It overlaps with Ottawa Design Club's mission, audience, and volunteer-style event model.
• CreativeMornings: A global chapter-based lecture and networking series for creative communities. It compares closely on the community-led speaker-event format, though it operates at much larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Montreal Design Club: The Montreal Design Club inspired Ottawa Design Club and shares a local creative-community model centered on connecting designers, artists, and ideas. It is directly comparable as a regional design-club peer, although no primary website is provided.
• Marseille Design Club: An international sister chapter in the broader Design Club network, with locally shaped programming and shared creative values. Its event and community model is directly comparable to Ottawa's, although no primary website is provided.
• New York Design Club: A sister chapter in the same design-club network, with locally led creative programming, speaker events, zines, and community building. It is the closest operating and audience peer to Ottawa Design Club.

Broad incumbents

• Dribbble: A global design community and portfolio platform serving designers and creative professionals. It is comparable in target audience and community network effects, although it operates through an online platform rather than physical events and print zines.
• Behance: A global creative portfolio and professional network owned by Adobe. It shares Ottawa Design Club's designer and artist audience and discovery function, but its scale, software ecosystem, and platform model are materially different.
• AIGA: AIGA is an established professional association for designers with chapters, education, events, and community resources. It overlaps with Ottawa Design Club's professional-development and design-community mission at a much broader institutional scale.

Emerging players

• The Dots: The Dots is a professional network for creative people that connects portfolios, work opportunities, and communities. It is relevant to the same creative-professional audience and network value proposition, but it is platform-led rather than event- and zine-led.

Regional players

• Registered Graphic Designers (RGD): The Registered Graphic Designers association is a Canadian professional body for graphic and communication designers, with community and professional-development programming. It is a relevant regional peer for the design audience and events, though it is more established and institutional.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/ottdesignclub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ottawa-design-club

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ottawa Design Club