Congratulations to Kathrin Teh (IDEA Grad 2023) for winning the 2021 RGD Student Trailblazer Award and gaining the prestigious 2022 Graphis New Talent Annual Honorable Mention with 'The Girls Kickboxing Club'.

“The Girls Kickboxing Club is an exclusive gym designed to support women by providing a fun, safe space for girls to thrive amongst each other in a comfortable and welcoming environment. Their logo is a lioness, which represents the strong, independent, and brave countenance that girls strive to encapsulate.” writes Kathrin.

Check out this award-winning student design project!

Going to the gym can be a daunting activity for some women, as they risk being openly catcalled, objectified, and ogled by men. To make matters worse, many stereotypes are placed on women to be weak: submissive, fragile, and vulnerable. Girls are expected to be ladylike and anything else is seen as an act of defiance, or unseemly. Words like “bitch”, “unladylike”, and “airhead” are thrown around to insult women on a daily basis.

The Girls Kickboxing Club welcomes these words of shame and twists them into assets – words girls can wear like badges of pride. This reclamation of the humanity previously undermined by suppressive efforts against women is exactly what the company stands for.

The posters are designed to first be eye-catching with the ugly words scrawled across the faces of women. It isn’t until further examination that the sub-text flips the narrative and presents an alternative point of view.

The logo is a lioness – chosen for its strong countenance, subverting typical gender roles. Aside from this symbolic note, the logo is designed to specifically mimic a seal, giving a veritable badge for women to sport on various brand collateral.

The brand itself provides a community for women to support each other, as well as learn how to defend themselves in worst case scenarios, empowering them. The poster and social media campaign on the other hand, start a much needed dialogue on the important issue of sexism and harassment women face on a daily basis.

Educator Support: Dominique Walker
Course: IDES 249 Brand Identity

About The RGD

Through the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (the RGD), Canadian designers exchange ideas, educate and inspire, set professional standards and build a strong, supportive community dedicated to advocating for the value of design.

Representing over 4,100 design professionals, including firm owners, freelancers, managers, educators and students, the RGD was created in 1996 by an Act of the Ontario Legislature (Bill Pr 56) and is the only graphic design association in North America to have this type of legislation.

The Certified RGD designation is a signal of quality and competence to the profession, public and government. Successful candidates have met a rigorous set of standards that includes documented levels of relevant, professional education and experience as well as competence in the areas of business, design principles, research, accessible design and ethics demonstrated through the successful completion of the RGD’s certification process.

Our vision is for a graphic design profession that is broadly valued for its contribution to life, commerce and society.

About Graphis

Graphis is committed to presenting and promoting the work of exceptional talent in Design, Advertising, Photography and Art/Illustration. In addition to the Platinum, Gold, and Silver winners, Graphis also embraces rising talent, all of whom have an equal Archive presentation. In our hardcover Annuals, Platinum and Gold winners receive full-page exposure, and Silver and Merit Winners are also visually presented. Up to 500 entries from each competition are included in the online archive for future reference, where everyone gets the same presentation. Today, the Graphis tradition continues, presenting award-winning work from 1944 to the present in digital and print.

For more on Kathrin see behance.net/kathrinkteh.