Rob Sawatsky

In my role at The Taylor Group, I spearhead the creative direction and account leadership for major clients, ensuring that our projects not only meet business objectives but also push creative boundaries. By translating client needs into compelling briefs, I guide teams through complex design projects, presenting innovative concepts to senior stakeholders.

As Creative Director, it’s my role to guide, inspire and challenge our design team to create thoughtful, purposeful and beautiful work to deliver our diverse clients’ exhibits, experiences, fabrications and installations. I strive to maintain and grow our high-functioning team of creatives, infusing talent and skill with creative strategy and playful exploration. With work that spans the globe, it’s my role to draw inspiration from the people and places scattered across it and lead Juiceworks and our clients to new creative heights.

As a project developer, I interpreted architectural renderings and construction drawings to design and price preliminary fabrication solutions for unique architectural installations ranging from $100,000 to $10,000,000. I created client presentation decks, generating novel 3D models and imagery. I collaborated daily with sales, design, production and project management teams and interacted directly with clients.

As account manager, I worked directly with several of the Taylor Group’s pharmaceutical, automotive and technology exhibit clients and was involved in the planning, budget, design, development, fabrication, installation, run of show, dismantle, storage and maintenance of exhibit programs for these partners. With a foundation of fluid and focused communication, it was my goal to lead cross-functional teams to align on exhibit strategy and execution. Using a network of reliable partners to cover the breadth of convention services, I ensured all aspects of exhibits were purposefully planned, designed and executed to the highest level of quality and service. I maintained relationships with convention organizers and external vendors to ensure exhibit logistics were coordinated on schedule and on budget, I oversaw the production, transportation and installation of exhibits, and represented the Taylor Group on site.

In the role of design manager, I have the responsibility of coordinating all design requests within the organization, maintaining a design schedule and managing workload for 20 designers. I draft design briefs, lead brainstorming sessions, provide creative direction, contribute to marketing strategy and represent Taylor at the client level. I chair a monthly design team roundtable to bring our creative team together, foster personal connections and strengthen our unified vision.

As a senior designer, I’m part of a diverse design team of Exhibit Designers, Industrial Designers, Architects, Artists, Digital Interaction Designers & Graphic Designers and I generate exhibit design solutions for diverse clients. Working directly with these clients, it’s my role to be a brand steward, consult on experience/engagement strategy, establish design briefs, develop exhibit concepts, maintain intent within short timelines and tight budgets, assure quality in production and represent The Taylor Group by supporting the client on site during installation.

Working with the Principal, Terry Heard, I developed exhibit, wayfinding and signage design solutions for various clients. Responsibilities involved client liaison, design brief generation, concept design, material solutions, mockups, drafting and 3D modeling. Projects included wayfinding and signage design for the OTrain Confederation Line, Ottawa; NHLPA Game Time and TSN Zone exhibits for the Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto; interior design and exhibit layout for Al Seera Museum, Kuwait.

On BlackBerry’s Industrial Design team, I designed handsets and accessories for the BlackBerry 10 line and was named as inventor in seven patents, including the BlackBerry Mini Stereo Speaker and the corded headset for the Z10 & Q10 devices. The role involved concept design, presentation, material selection and maintenance of design intent into production. Offshore vendor relations led to iterative design to balance manufacturing constraints and design intent. Effective time management for project deliverables was imperative to maintain product schedules.