Professional Activities & Affiliations
In addition to his work as a design strategist, practitioner, and consultant, Peters has been actively involved in design deontology, education, writing, speaking, organization, and professional advocacy throughout his career. In 1998 the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada named him a Fellow (the country’s highest professional standing in this field) in recognition for his work in professional development and international design advancement.
Peters has traveled extensively (more than 60 countries) and continues to be active globally in professional development and as a frequent design juror, policy advisor, guest lecturer, and author. He is passionate about design’s role in making tomorrow’s world a better place—by shaping culture, building respect for diversity, and furthering understanding among people everywhere. An in-depth 2004 interview with Peters appears on Netdiver.
Peters first became actively involved with design associations in the late 1970s through his development and co-authorship of the pro forma guide document re: conditions of engagement for designers published by the multidisciplinary Manitoba Chapter of the Association of Canadian Industrial Designers (ACID/M). He served on the executive of ACID/M for several years, and was elected president in 1984.
In the late 1980s, Peters was among a handful of Manitoban designers who orchestrated the formation of a provincial chapter of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada. He became GDC Manitoba’s founding president (1990 to 1992), assisted in the formation of GDC chapters in Saskatchewan and Victoria, and served on the GDC National council until 1999. In 1998, he compiled the ‘Sample Contract and Standard Terms and Conditions’ for the GDC, a document which became the Pro Forma Agreement for designers across Canada. Since 2003 he has served on the GDC’s national Ethics Committee.
Following the 1991 Icograda World Design Congress in Montreal (at which he conducted creative workshops), Peters was designated as the GDC’s official delegate and liaison, representing Canada to the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda), at Icograda General Assemblies in Glasgow, Oporto (Portugal), Punta del Este (Uruguay), and Sydney between 1992 and 1999.
Peters was on the Icograda board from 1999 to 2005, serving as President from 2001 to 2003. Significant achievements during Peters’ six years on the Icograda board include: development of the NGO’s first web presence by means of a content-rich portal (Icograda Website), rejuvenation of the network ‘Friends of Icograda’, conception and launch of both the Icograda Design Education Network (inaugurated on Icograda’s 40th anniversary and World Graphics Day, 27 April 2003, in Brno, Czech Republic), and the Icograda Design Media Network (launched in Istanbul, Turkey on 31 January 2004), consolidation of the Icograda Archive in conjunction with the Design History Research Centre Archives at the University of Brighton. Co-organization of Icograda congresses in Seoul (‘Oullim’ 2000), Johannesburg, South Africa (‘Continental Shift’ 2001), and Nagoya, Japan (‘VISUALOGUE’ 2003—with some 3700 delegates from 49 countries in attendance, the world’s largest ever congress of graphic designers). Peters also served as official liaison between Icograda and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as well as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) from 2001 to 2005.
Peters joined the board of the international humanitarian organization Design for the World (DW) in 2000 and was appointed as a Vice President in 2002; in 2004 he was named an Honorary Member of the Brno Biennale Association; he was a member of the founding executive of the International Design Alliance (IDA) from 2003 to 2005. He serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the Design Innovation Institute (Dii), acts as a special ambassador on behalf of the Taiwan Design Center and is a member of the editorial advisory group of Geez magazine.
In 2009, Peters received the Icograda President's Award during the opening ceremonies of Xin: Icograda World Design Congress 2009 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (China) in Beijing, China. Peters also began serving on the Applied Arts Magazine Advisory Board regarding design issues.
In 2010, Peters was appointed as an ambassador for INDIGO (the International Indigenous Design Network).
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