Nicola Hamilton

Issue 08: Food is Vice is officially on sale! This time around, we explore the wild, salacious, and indulgent side of food, but we also look at the more serious implications behind vice. Yes, we take a detour to Turkey’s Pontic Mountains where a type of honey induces a temporary maddening high, peak behind the leather curtain at the folks using Soylent as BDSM punishment, and go back to the 2010’s bacon-on-everything videos to see how their legacy still affects online food content. But, we also see the cookbook written by and for prisoners, dive into how events for the ultra-rich treat both food and staff like trash, pick apart how lobster fishing infringes on both Indigenous and animal rights, and meet the chef at a legal brothel where the sex workers are fighting to unionize. Get a copy from one of our stockists or subscribe at the link in our bio to have the myriad types of sinfulness delivered straight to your door 🍯🌶️🥓🥙🥛🦞🍔🚬🍺 Featuring: @meddrop @davidsilverberg @aefamulholland @domismycopilot @thelifevicarious @hallielieberman @rebeccaga0 @caitlinstallp @baurjoe @izzie_r @mlzapatah @samanthajoleal @malihaha @bridgetkbennett @itslauracoutinho @tracytdong @yel.work @pasture_land @victoriaholguin @kate.ince @audrey__malo @davidapike @michellerabin @emmstg @maya_visnyei @christievuong @yaaaaastudio

A note from our Past President, @nickydearest 💌 Nicola served as the RGD’s President from 2020 to 2026. It’s not goodbye, though! Nicola will maintain a supportive role on the Board of Directors as Past President. We’re incredibly grateful for your leadership, wisdom and dedication to the design community, Nicola. Thank you for everything!

Ok enough with the April showers, bring on the May flowers! Time to flip another page on our Read The Room bookstore calendar and say hello to Nicola from @issuesmagshop , photographed on Polaroid film by @jalanimorgan SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL INDIE BOOKSTORE! And big thanks to @wordofmouthdentistry for sponsoring this year's WEP calendar.

One of my best friends, @salinajane , opened a bookstore last week. I made damn sure I was there to witness @shop.saturdaymorning 's first day. Standing in that room had me thinking about the early days of @issuesmagshop . When the shelves were so empty, and @sabsisco and I never knew if the person coming through the door was a skeptic or a believer. Watching @salinajane do all the hard work of opening reminded me that being open is way easier than trying to get open! And watching the community in Deep River show up for @shop.saturdaymorning also reminded me that that independent shops aren't just about retail—they're community infrastructure. They give a community somewhere to gather, an idea to rally around, and a way to understand themselves. Fittingly, I came home from the weekend with a copy of Shopkeeping by Peter Miller, the human behind @petermillerbooks in Seattle, which has been quietly essential since 1980. There are many good lines but there's one I'll be thinking about for a while: "A true shop has a life, a breath, a status, set not by algorithms but by minds and hearts." PS: It’s Canadian Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 25. Make plans to go support your local book, magazine and print ephemera shops!

@serviettemagazine got a little recognition from @spdesigners , again this year! Food is Design got two medal nominations. That’s the issue with Ray Eames made out of vegetables on the cover, made my the wild geniuses that are @burpphoto . One for nomination for Design: Independent Publishing: Cover and another for Design: Independent Publishing: Entire Issue. Food is Ritual received two merit awards for Design: Independent Publishing: Cover and Design: Cover, Lifestyle/Travel/Food/Shelter. That’s the cover where @chadburton.studio and @joebulawan made food altar magic. I’m endlessly grateful to the @serviettemagazine team for being wildly talented and being open all kinds of silliness. (That’s @caitlinstallp @rebeccaga0 and @please.tothe.table ).

Photo-Dump-Q1-2026

🎙️ We start recording Season 4 of the DesignThinkers Podcast next week. Before we hit record again, @rgdcanada took a look back at some of the most-listened-to episodes from our first three seasons. What started as a chaotic plan to celebrate DesignThinkers 25 year history has become one of the highlights of my professional life. We've released over 55 episodes, broke 40,000 downloads, and have had a lot of laughs in between. None of this would exist without @ashley.tomlinson working behind-the-scenes on the edits. Or the @rgdcanada staff booking talent, promoting each episode, and providing the platform (and history) from which this whole thing sprung. Revisit a favourite or catch up on the episodes you missed. A fresh season is coming soon!

Photo-Dump-Q4-2025

I've had my aura photo taken by @roseaura.ca a handful of times. This one was from our epic @serviettemagazine launch party at @grapewitches . I don't *totally* remember what @roseaura.ca told me during the reading. There was a lot going on! Except for the classic "you need to rest" which she tells me every single time—and I never listen. But I found my photo in a stack of things today and asked Chat GPT to interpret it: “This aura feels like: A builder-thinker. Someone balancing responsibility and imagination. Grounded, articulate, quietly intuitive. Carrying a lot—but not collapsing under it. It suggests a moment where energy is high but focused, and where leadership comes from care, systems, and clarity rather than force." I'll take it. But I'm also going to try my hardest to take the rest too. 🖤

I don’t think I’ve actually introduced @drinkaurum to the feed. Over the course of the year, my dad and @pratatouill3 , have been slowly building a brewery in Prince Edward County. They’ve been stuck in permit purgatory, so the tap room isn’t open, but the beer is flowing through a collection of licensees across the province. They make lagers and pilsners, usually the hard way, using a blend of old world and new world thinking. I’m incredibly biased, but it’s some of the best beer I’ve ever had. @morganrubye and I have been helping them roll out the brand and it’s been the most fun. In part because the absolute legends at @vanderbrand built them an identity that not only works, but differentiates them in a sea of breweries. Go follow them @drinkaurum . Ask for them at your local. Bother @morganrubye in the DMs. And hopefully we can share a pint on site in early 2026. An actual photo shoot coming soon. Whenever I get my shit together.

Thrilled to participate in the making of the sixth edition of the design calendar in support of BIPOC @designgbc @gbcollege students. A project that’s been lead by the incredible @moraisr since 2020. This year, she invited GBC faculty and design legends @carlshura , @kristine_do , @aaronrinas , bgfrancey, @_yelsis , @lovexheight , @twowysekids , @rontau , @rgrainger and I to each design a month. I got June and made this guy with @yourbuddymeg Wonky Font. ORDER YOURS BEFORE NOVEMBER 19! Or track down a limited quantity available at @issuesmagshop and other cutie local retailers. If you’re unfamiliar with the project: BIPOC students continue to face disproportionate challenges due to systemic racism, including barriers related to mental health, housing, food insecurity, and access to education. All proceeds from this limited-edition calendar set will directly support emergency aid for students navigating these inequities. We are renewing our commitment to ensuring no design student is left behind. Thank you for standing with us and helping to make a tangible difference. 📜 12 sheets 📐 19.75 x 27.5’’ 🌿 100lb cover stock ✋🏽 lynx opaque 🖨️ printed by @andoragraphics 💳 $100 + hst & shipping 📦 ready + shipping early december Go find the link in @moraisr ’s bio!

Just committing DesignThinkers Toronto 2025 to the grid before I totally forget. #rgddt