Design Groups Toronto

An SD walk in the park

**An autumn service safari through Toronto's Vale of Avoca and Moore Park Ravine** We’ll meet at David A. Balfour Park and head through the Vale of Avoca and Moore Park Ravine. Along the way, we’ll introduce and try out a classic service design tool — the **[service safari](https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/service-safari)**[ ](https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/service-safari)— using the ravine as our real-world playground. We’ll walk, observe, and capture what we notice about how we find, navigate, and experience the place. Our timing is interesting too: The City of Toronto is [currently exploring improvements to the Vale of Avoca](https://haveyoursay.toronto.ca/vale-avoca-ravine-improvements). We’ll compare what we notice, spot patterns and see what questions and opportunities emerge. We’ll also borrow lightly from Design Council’s [Skills for Planet](https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/our-work/skills-for-planet/), widening our lens beyond our own experience to notice the environment around us. **No slides. No presentations. Just curious people, a beautiful fall walk, some service design in the wild and hopefully some good fall colours. 🍁** Bring: comfortable shoes, weather-appropriate layers + a charged phone. No service design experience required - curiosity is plenty. -- Bonus: After the walk, we’ll bring what we learn together into a short set of SDD field notes that we could share with the Vale of Avoca project team.

Service Design Connect

**Welcome to Service Design Drinks** Connect with like-minded service designers, share ideas, grow together, and make friends Join us at the Duke of York for a fun night of design conversation and light activities **Format: Casual meet & greet** **What to Expect** ✅ Fun Icebreakers – Thoughtfully designed to help you connect effortlessl ✅ Exciting conversations – Enjoy connecting with creative professionals in the cit ✅ A Relaxed, Welcoming Atmosphere – Come as you are, leave with new friend 📢 RSVP here so we can plan accordingly. It reflects the actual signup

TOPHATs Immortal Images, Immersive Music, and Microbrews

Join Lawrence, your top hatted host, for an evening of nearly 100 iconic portraits by the legendary photographer, Richard Avedon. Followed by a visit to Friar's Music Immersive Experience of Toronto’s vibrant music scene. The we will hop over to 3 Brasseurs for our social and perhaps a giant pretzel. At 6 pm SHARP, we will meet at The Image Centre where we have a guided tour by one of the gallery's curators. 33 Gould St, Toronto, ON M5B 1W1 Richard Avedon Immortal: Portraits of Aging, 1951–2004. For nearly half a century, celebrated American photographer Richard Avedon confronted one of portraiture’s enduring taboos: aging. https://theimagecentre.ca/exhibition/richard-avedon-immortal/ After the tour, we will take in some of the works in the smaller galleries. Molly Steels: I Am/Was/Always https://theimagecentre.ca/exhibition/molly-steels-iamwasalways/ Tanya Marcuse: Portent https://theimagecentre.ca/exhibition/tanya-marcuse-portent/ Then we will walk over to Friars Music Museum of their Immersive exhibit of Downtown Toronto's Music scene. Located on the second floor of the Shoppers Drug Mart. 279 Yonge St Floor2, Toronto, ON M5B 1N8 https://downtownyonge.com/arts-culture/friars-music-museum/ Our last stop and social is at 3 Brasseurs on Yonge Street. I am looking forward to enjoying your company as we share one of their giant pretzels and a micro brew. https://www.3brasseurs.ca/en/menus 275 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M5B 1N8

FIGURE & FORM DUO WORKSHOP - AFTERNOON

Signature Series I Hatha

Yoga Kawa's Signature Series I is our modern expression of Hatha Yoga: a heart-led, breath-centered practice that harmonizes body, mind, and spirit through purposeful movement and stillness. This class follows a set sequence uniquely designed by Yoga Kawa to help students build confidence, mobility, and awareness over time. The familiar flow lets you feel your own progress week by week, refining alignment, posture, and breath with each return to the mat. Poses are held for several intentional breaths (about three in the 45-minute version, or five in the 60-minute version), giving you time to truly inhabit each shape and connect with your breath. The slower pacing invites you to move with curiosity rather than urgency, gently awakening strength and flexibility as the body softens into each pose. Beyond the physical, this practice nurtures mental clarity and emotional balance. As the breath steadies, the nervous system settles, easing stress, calming the mind, and restoring a sense of inner harmony. Every session opens with 2 minutes of breathwork and closes with 3 minutes of stillness and the resonant vibration of OM, sealing your practice with centered calm and quiet awareness. To learn more visit [Yoga Kawa](https://www.yogakawa.com/schedule/)

FIGURE & FORM DUO WORKSHOP

Legacy Code Doesn't Have to Suck

Say "legacy software" in a room full of developers and watch the faces drop. We tend to picture old, fragile code that nobody understands, nobody wants to touch, and everybody hopes to avoid. And to be fair, that's often exactly what it is But here's the thing: legacy software is software that survived. It makes money, it has real users, and it's been doing its job for years. That's more than most shiny new projects can say In this talk we'll look at how to approach a legacy project without dread, how to find the quick wins that build momentum, and how to gradually turn a codebase people avoid into one they actually want to work on. Being stuck with ugly, boring code isn't a law of nature. It's a choice, and we have the power to make a different one If you've ever inherited a project and wondered what you did to deserve it, this one's for you. Presented by: Ihor Herasymenko and Ivan Guravel **About the venue** Free Times Cafe has bistro-style seating and a full food and drink menu. Please consider helping to support the venue by planning to have supper during the talk

Lingerie/Fashion Implied/Fine Art - with Watermelon

Tech & Startup Halloween Networking · Costume Contest · $20 Tickets

**⏰ EARLY BIRD: $15 until Sunday, Oct 18 at 11:59 PM. Then $20.** 🎟️ Get your ticket here: [https://shop.techinto.ca/products/october-28-networking-event](https://shop.techinto.ca/products/october-28-networking-event?utm_source=meetup&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=oct28) **Heads up:** your Meetup RSVP doesn't include a ticket. Please grab yours at the link above. **📅 Wednesday, October 28 · 6:30–9:30 PM** **📍 IDK Social Bar, 172 Ossington Ave** **👥 Groups of 3 or more get 25% off at checkout** On October 28, TechinTO takes over IDK Social Bar for our Halloween Special, and this time we want you dressed for it. No stage, no slides, no pitch decks. Come as your favourite villain, hero or inside joke, grab a drink, and talk to people about what you're actually building. **WHAT YOUR TICKET GETS YOU** ✅ An evening with Toronto founders, devs, designers, marketers and PMs ✅ A colour wristband for your field, so you know who's who before you say hi ✅ A chance to win a free 1:1 social media or personal brand strategy session with Sonia Ovcharenko of Lovemarked 🎃 A prize for the best costume **FIRST TIME AT TECHINTO?** You don't need to know anyone. The wristbands and nametags make it easy to start a conversation, and the whole night is built around meeting new people. **THE VENUE** IDK Social Bar: a two-level spot downtown with good drinks and a room built for actual conversation. 📸 Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/techinto.event/](https://www.instagram.com/techinto.event/) 🌐 Website: [https://www.techinto.ca](https://www.techinto.ca) zero corporate stiffness. absolute social energy. actual human conversations.

Natural Light Fashion Implied & Fine Art w/ Fanny Lee from Hungary

Fashion Implied/Lingerie/Fine Art w/ Meg Modelling - Britain

Markham Gesture Figure Drawing - Just Pencil

**🎨 Sketch Hour: A Beginner Drawing Class** An hour-long sketching class that starts at this event's start time. Bring a pencil and a few sheets of paper, open the link, and draw along step by step with everyone booked into the same session. This session is **Figures**: people in motion: quick gesture drawings, then proportion and a finished figure. Every class ends with personal written feedback: upload a photo of your drawing and get specific tips on how to improve it. You don't need talent, just a pencil and an hour. **RSVP here, then register through the link below** to get your place in the session. ### [🎨 REGISTER HERE 🎨](https://sketchhour.vercel.app/product/SketchFigures?city=Markham&groupurlname=the-pen-and-paper-social-collective&productId=400301&startgmtdatetime=2026-10-27T15:00:00Z) --- ✅ **What you get:** - Personal written feedback on the drawing you make - A chat shared with the people booked into your session - Reference images on screen while you draw No talent required, just an hour. 🎨