David Berman (graphic designer)

Biography

David Berman was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

In high school, David created and produced The Apprentice magazine which was distributed in four countries. While training at the University of Waterloo in computer science and at Carleton University in psychology and typography, he became involved with the student press and redesigned The Charlatan. David worked in the Canadian federal government as a computer systems analyst before turning his hobby of graphic design into his career. For one year, he taught typography at Algonquin College. He has worked extensively in the adaptation of printed materials for electronic distribution, including Web design and software interface development.

Early in his career, David developed a lasting interest in plain writing and information design. His work included award-winning projects for the City of Ottawa, the Ontario government, and Canada's federal government, as well as notable projects involving plain design, accessibility and knowledge management principles.

As a graphic designer, consultant, public speaker, trainer and typographer, David is a senior consultant in information architecture and communications strategy. For ten years in the 1990s, David was Vice-President of Herrera Berman Communications. Since then he is President of David Berman Communications.

Since 1984, David worked to establish a new code of ethics for graphic designers which embraced social responsibility for graphic designers. The Society of Graphic Designers of Canada ratified his draft nationally in May 2000, and it is now used as a template for national graphic design organizations by Icograda, the International Council of Graphic Design Associations. This code was used as template for the code of ethics adopted by Grafill no:Grafill (the Norwegian association of graphic designers) in 2008. His work on implementing codes of ethics for national professional designers associations has spread internationally, including work in the USA (AIGA), Norway (Grafill), and Indonesia (adgi). Grafill made him a Lifelong Member for this work.

He served as the president of the first elected board of the Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario, the Americas' first accredited graphic design organization (established by an Act of the Government of Ontario's Legislature), from 1997 to 1999. He drafted the association's constitution and Rules of Professional Conduct, and authored Ontario's certification examination section on ethics and professional responsibility.

In 1999, the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada named him a Fellow (the second youngest to have achieved the country's highest professional standing in this field) for his work on the Code of Ethics, accreditation and other national issues.

In 2000, he was elected Vice President Ethics of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, and is currently National Ethics Chair.

David is dedicated to realizing graphic design's potential to help improve the human condition and the global environment. Since 2000, he has traveled to over 40 countries, keynoting at design conferences and universities, and presenting seminars on topics such as making Web sites more accessible for people with disabilities. He speaks about the important role designers can play in creating a more just world: he argues that rather than applying their skills to help organizations mislead their audiences, they can help enhance social conditions around the world. He also argues that global branded marketing campaigns directed at Developing World populations cause an uptake in a consumer-based lifestyle which is the largest current driver of environmental degradation in the World today.

One of his most notable contributions to inclusive design is the Berman Corner, a device that can be found in printed materials for those who are unable to see.The Berman Corner itself is a 45 degree angle cut on one corner of a printed document, with a QR code or another scannable code within 3.5 inches of the cut.The premise behind this corner is that those who are visually impaired are able to feel the edge and recognize access to electronic resources. In response to this concept, Chawky Moussa, the President of Cecitech said, “As a person who is blind, I immediately recognized the way the Berman Corner works, and the huge value this will have every day! This creation helps me a lot in my daily work!” The Berman Corner is one of the numerous accessibility contributions Berman has made to date.

In 2005, Berman was elected to the board of Icograda, and servesd as Vice-President and Treasurer and re-elected for additional terms in 2007 and 2009, at which time became Sustainability Chair.

In 2008, Berman was named a Regional Ambassador for INDEX:.

In January 2009, Berman's book on design and social responsibility, Do Good Design, was published by AIGA Press and Peachpit Press. Chinese edition was released: October 27, 2009.

In April 2009, Berman was named a Regional Representative for North America for the World Summit Awards on e-content, a UNESCO initiative.

In October 2009, Berman accepted an appointment as a High Level Adviser of the United Nations Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development (UNDESA-GAID) on how design can be used to help fulfill the Millennium Development Goals.

In 2010, his book, Do Good Design, had editions added in Korean and Indonesian.

In May 2011, Berman was appointed an Editorial Board member for POOL Magazine in Pune, India.

In Fall 2011, Berman was made a special lifetime member of Grafill, the Norwegian society of designers, for his work in establishing a code of ethics for the designers and illustrators of Norway.

In Fall 2013, Berman was made a member of wREGA for his work in coauthored the Code of Ethics for designers in Malaysia..

In 2014, Berman was invited to a role as Adjunct Professor to OCAD University's IDRC.

In 2015, Berman was appointed an International Advisor to G3ICT.

In 2015, Berman accepted a role with [W3C] as Invited Expert to WAI.

In 2015, Berman was named International Universal Design Champion by the government of Ireland.

In May 2016, David had the honour of speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

He is a National Professional Member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, the International Federation for Professional Speakers, and Meeting Planners International.

Selected publications

Recent career

Berman's speaking and judging engagements since 2000 have taken him on a path that includes Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Jordan, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macau, Mexico, Norway, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Scotland, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the United Nations.

Berman currently resides in Ottawa, Ontario.

Selected articles

Berman's thoughts and work have been featured in the Globe and Mail, Sydney Herald-Sun, Ottawa Citizen, Jakarta Post and Financial Post newspapers; Applied Arts, ArabAd, Communication Arts, Design, Designboom, Desktop, DesignEdge, Eye, Graphis, How, Macleans, Marketing, Ottawa Jewish Bulletin, and Pool magazines; as well as CCTV China TV, ABC, CBS, WTOC, and CBC Radio.

David's bi-weekly blog with Design Edge Canada.

"GDC Member Elected to Icograda Board" and "Canada Commended for Contributions to Icograda" from the GDC National Newsletter Fall/Winter 2005.

Financial Post Interview with David Berman: "Don't scrimp on company's e-presence" (English).

Culture.ca interview with David Berman (English).

"Advocating Ethical Design" Centre for Digital Ethics and Policy.

RGD Ontario article about David Berman (English).

Klik Magazine (Slovenia) "Everything is in Values": Interview with David Berman on the European Magdalena Festival and social responsibility (English).

Applied Arts magazine (Canada): Cover story interview with David Berman, April 2003 (English).

David Berman's mission statement (English).

Multimedia