Todd Falkowsky is a Canadian design journalist and strategist renowned for interrogating how design shapes national identity and commercial innovation. As founder of the Canadian Design Resource and co-founder of Citizen Brand, he champions narratives that bridge cultural preservation with forward-looking sustainability.
**Do**: Frame projects through socio-economic impacts. **Example**: A modular housing initiative that reduces construction waste while honoring local aesthetics.
**Avoid**: Superficial trend reports. **Example**: “Top 10 kitchen design trends of 2025” without cultural analysis.
Todd Falkowsky has carved a unique niche at the intersection of design, cultural identity, and strategic innovation. His career began with foundational work in design education, teaching at institutions like OCAD University and Politecnico di Milano, where he emphasized the socio-cultural impact of design thinking. This academic rigor laid the groundwork for his transition into journalism and entrepreneurial ventures aimed at reshaping Canada’s design narrative.
As the founder of the Canadian Design Resource (CDR), Falkowsky created Canada’s largest open-source repository of design history and practice. The platform began as a passion project to document underrecognized Canadian designers but evolved into a critical tool for analyzing how design shapes national identity. Under his leadership, the CDR expanded to include collaborative workshops, stakeholder surveys, and public dialogues about inclusive design futures.
“Design culture is what happens when we let diverse approaches sit together, marvel at the threads between them, and critically examine what’s missing.” – Todd Falkowsky, A speech not given at the groundbreaking of a new commons for Canadian design [5]
Falkowsky co-founded Citizen Brand, a design agency and thought leadership platform, to bridge the gap between commercial design and cultural storytelling. Here, he developed methodologies for aligning brand strategy with societal values, working with clients like Roots, Scotia Bank, and the Government of Canada. His articles on the Citizen Brand blog, such as Why Buying Less Is Revolutionary, blend market analysis with philosophical critiques of consumerism.
This seminal 2019 critique challenged Canada’s reliance on stereotypical design motifs, arguing for a more nuanced exploration of regional and multicultural influences. Falkowsky dissected case studies from Indigenous art to urban infrastructure, highlighting how clichéd symbols perpetuate cultural flattening. The article sparked industry debates, leading to renewed interest in underrepresented designers and a 2022 exhibition at the Design Exchange Toronto.
In this 2023 essay, Falkowsky analyzed organized religion through the lens of brand strategy, noting how rituals, symbols, and community-building tactics mirror corporate branding. He drew parallels between evangelical outreach and viral marketing campaigns, urging designers to adopt ethical frameworks that prioritize long-term societal value over short-term engagement metrics. The piece has been cited in MBA programs exploring brand ethics.
Falkowsky’s 2024 manifesto combined industrial design analysis with geopolitical strategy, positioning Canada’s mining resources and clean energy infrastructure as assets for dominating the EV market. He proposed a government-industry consortium model inspired by Sweden’s Securitas, emphasizing modular design principles and circular supply chains. Automotive executives praised the article’s actionable roadmap, which influenced policy discussions at the 2025 Canadian Innovation Summit.
Falkowsky prioritizes stories that reveal how design intersects with anthropology, economics, and environmental science. For example, his analysis of EV branding [8] wove together material sourcing ethics and national identity politics. Successful pitches might explore topics like adaptive reuse architecture in Indigenous communities or AI’s role in preserving craft traditions. Avoid siloed product launches or purely aesthetic trends.
His Reno & Decor article [9] exemplifies his commitment to amplifying marginalized perspectives. Pitches should spotlight designers from non-urban centers, immigrant-led studios, or initiatives bridging generational gaps in traditional crafts. Provide access to primary sources—oral histories, workshop footage, or prototype iterations—to align with his documentary-style approach.
Falkowsky’s work with Citizen Brand [8] focuses on actionable strategies for systemic change. Pitches might examine how modular design reduces e-waste in tech or how co-housing models reimagine urban sustainability. Include quantitative metrics (e.g., carbon reduction percentages) and stakeholder testimonials to match his data-driven methodology.
Under Falkowsky’s leadership, the CDR secured federal funding to digitize 10,000+ artifacts from regional design histories, including Inuit textile patterns and mid-century modernist blueprints. This initiative, praised by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, established the first open-access database for interdisciplinary design research in the country.
Recognized for revolutionizing design pedagogy, Falkowsky integrated live client projects and decolonial frameworks into OCAD’s curriculum. His students’ work on accessible public spaces was exhibited at the 2017 Venice Biennale, cementing his reputation as a mentor shaping Canada’s next design leaders.
