David: biography & photos

Wikipedia article on David Berman

David’s “one-sheet”(speaker overview) (English, PDF, 285KB)

For a review copy or excerpt of David’s book, Do Good Design, or if you are interested in interviewing David Berman, please contact publicist Laura Pexton at press@peachpit.com or +1-510-558-4166.

“In Yiddish, a mensch is a person of integrity and honor and it seems David Berman fills the bill. Changing the world for the good never seemed more appealingly possible.”

– Edward Asner, former President, Screen Actors Guild

“Leadership and experience in applying information and communication technologies to improve people’s lives.”

– Sarbuland Khan, Executive Coordinator, United Nations

“I wanted to personally thank you for your valuable contributions through your work as a member of the AODA Standards Committee … your significant contributions to advancing accessibility in the area of information and communications are greatly appreciated. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to making Ontario more accessible and open to all.”

– Raymond Cho, Minister for Accessibility, Government of Ontario

David Berman, CPWA, WAS, ADS, FGDC, RGD, CPACC  helps organizations get great things done, through the motivation and techniques he provides for applying strategy, design, ethics, and creative branding and communications to business problems. He has over 30 years of experience in inclusive design and strategic communications. As an internationally acclaimed expert speaker, communications strategist, graphic designer, typographer, and ethics chair, his thought-provoking keynotes and workshops have brought him to over 50 countries.

David is also an Invited Expert to the W3C, the publishers of the WCAG standard for e-accessibility.

David Berman is one of perhaps a few hundred people globally to hold every IAAP certification for eAccessibility, the World’s only certification for accessibility professionals. (This certification is issued by the IAAP (International Association of Accessibility Professionals). IAAP is a division of G3ICT, for which David is the Global Chair and an International Advisor.

In 2021, he was asked to join the ISO committee for the emerging global standard on Plain Language, as well as joining the technical committee for several standards being developed for the Accessible Canada Act.

In 2019, David and his team was hired by both the Government of Canada and by a coalition of Canada’s top accessibility organizations to advise on the content of the Accessible Canada Act, as well as to provide advice on policies that will inform the regulations to come.

In 2018, David was appointed to the Global Leadership Council of the IAAP and now serves as Global Chair.

In 2015, he was made an International Advisor by the G3ICT, fitting with his work helping advise governments on four continents on establishing inclusive design policy.

In 2015, he was named an Invited Expert to W3C, the authors of WCAG. The same year he was appointed International Universal Design Champion for the Government of Ireland. 

In 2012, David was appointed chair of the Carleton Access Network at Carleton University.

David was appointed by Ontario’s Minister in charge of accessibility to serve on the standards review committee for Ontario’s world-leading AODA accessibility regulations.

He was contracted by Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s World Wide Web Foundation to audit online accessibility in over 40 countries for the annual theWebIndex.org benchmark report.

As the author of Do Good Design (Peachpit/Pearson 2009/2013/2018) published in 7 languages, expert speaker, designer, communications strategist, and accessibility consultant, his path has brought him to over 60 countries.

In 2009, David was appointed a high-level advisor to the United Nations on how accessible Web design thinking can help fulfill the Millennium Development Goals.

David is also a member of the ISO committee for accessible PDF (PDF/UA) and a member of the Morphic Advisory Council (University of Maryland Trace Research Center)

David is certified by Sustainable Development Technology of the National Research Council in “Understanding Human Rights Training”, “IASR: Information and Communications Standards and Employment Standards Training”, and “AODA Customer Service Standards Training.

David is a regular consultant for Google, helping them with accessibility for Google Workspace and other Google products.

David is a senior strategic consultant to the Canadian government, as well as other governments on four continents. His clients include BMO, IBM, the International Space Station, the World Bank, and the Aga Khan Foundation.

David’s book Do Good Design (Pearson, 2009/2013) is available in English, Chinese, Indonesian, Korean, Malay, Russian, Spanish …and braille.

David has been called the “David Suzuki of design”. Since 1984, David worked to establish a code of ethics which embraces social responsibility for designers throughout Canada. The Society of Graphic Designers of Canada ratified his draft nationally in May 2000, which has been adopted as an international model by Icograda, the world body for communication design.

He served as the first elected president of the Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario, North America’s first accredited graphic design organization, from 1997 to 1999. He drafted the association’s constitution and Rules of Professional Conduct and authored Ontario’s accreditation examination section on ethics and professional responsibility. In 1999, the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada named him a Fellow (the second youngest to have achieved Canada’s highest professional standing in this field) for his work on the Code of Ethics, accreditation and other national issues. In 2000, he was elected Vice-President Ethics of the Society, and has served as National Ethics Chair since 2002. Since 2005, he has been a Vice-President and Treasurer of Icograda, having been re-elected to a second term in October 2007. He is currently the Sustainability Chair. His work on implementing codes of ethics for national professional designers associations has spread internationally, including work in the USA (AIGA), Norway (Grafill), and Indonesia (adgi). Grafill made him a Lifelong Member for this work.

David is a National Professional Member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, the Global Speakers Federation (GSF), Meeting Planners International, and an Ico-D / Icograda Lifetime Member

As early as high school, he created and produced a magazine distributed on three continents. While training at the University of Waterloo in computer science and at Carleton University in psychology and typography, he became deeply involved with the student press. David also worked in the federal government as a computer systems analyst before turning his passion into his career. Many consider his mix of accessibility, typography and electronic publishing knowledge, which he has taught as part of college curricula, to be unmatched. David’s revolutionary, practical systems that ensure strategic communications projects deliver on time, on budget, and on target have helped hundreds of organizations creatively apply themselves more effectively toward strategic outcomes.

He developed a lasting interest in plain writing and information design, which led to the design of and development of a paper for the Prime Minister’s office on a system to republish the laws of Canada using plain writing and design. His work includes award-winning projects for the City of Ottawa, the Ontario government, and Canada’s federal government. Notable assignments involving plain design, accessibility, custom typeface design, and knowledge management principles include work for IBM, Justice Canada, HRDC, Canada Revenue Agency, the governments of Manitoba and Ontario, the Region of Ottawa-Carleton and the Ontario Literacy Coalition. He has also provided design, branding, and consulting work for Metropolitan Life, the Sierra Club, Statistics Canada, Treasury Board, and the Department of Canadian Heritage, including extensive work involving applying content management principles, accessibility and common look and feel guidelines to large government Web sites. He has juried competitions internationally, including serving as a jury member for the DaimlerChrysler OpenAd competition. He also blogs regularly for Design Edge Magazine.

David is dedicated to realizing the potential of communicators to help improve the human condition and the global environment. He helps local and international audiences align their professional and person values, recognize their power and stewardship role, then challenges them to apply their skills to help repair the World: honestly sharing messages the World desperately needs to hear, rather than messages crafted to mislead.

David’s opinions have been featured in the Financial Post, Marketing, ArabAd, Applied Arts, The ReflexBlue Show, POOL Magazine, HOW magazine, Desktop magazine, Design Edge Canada magazine, Ethics in Graphic Design, CUTOUT Magazine and Felt & Wire. (Publications and Interviews)

He holds secret security clearance with the Canadian government.

He was nominated for the 2006 AFP Ottawa Philanthropy Awards for Outstanding Small Business Philanthropist.

100-words Biography on Inclusive Design

David Berman has over 30 years of experience in inclusive design: he strongly believes we can include everyone, without tradeoffs. As author (Do Good Design [Pearson, 2013]), expert speaker, and strategist, his work has brought him to over 50 countries. David is a high-level advisor to the United Nations on accessible Web design thinking. He’s also an International Advisor at G3ICT, advising governments on inclusive design policy, and chair of the Carleton Access Network at Carleton University. He serves on the ISO committee for accessible PDF. Clients include BMO, IBM, the International Space Station, and the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

Short Norwegian Version of Biography

David Berman har mer enn 25 års erfaring innen strategisk design og kommunikasjon. Som grafisk designer, typograf, strategisk rådgiver og foregangsperson innen etiske spørsmål knyttet til designfaget, har hans visjonære tanker og engasjement gjort ham til en ettertraktet foredragsholder over hele verden.

David har blant annet vært strategisk kommunikasjonsrådgiver for mange av Canada’s største nettsteder. Blant kundene hans er IBM, the International Space Station, the Canadian government, the World Bank og the Aga Khan Foundation. Siden 1984 arbeidet han med å etablere etiske retningslinjer for designere i Canada. The Society of Graphic Designers of Canada innførte hans “Code of ethics” i mai 2000. Disse er i dag innført som en internasjonal modell av Icograda, verdensorganisasjonen for design.

David ble valgt som den første presidenten for the Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario, som er Nord-Amerikas første autoriserte designorganisasjon. Han bidro til å utvikle organisasjonens struktur samt regler for sertifisering i forhold til yrkesetikk og profesjonelt ansvar. I 1999 ble David tildelt tittelen “Fellow” av the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada for hans innsats i utvikling av etiske retningslinjer og sertifisering av grafiske designere. Tittelen er den høyeste profesjonelle æresbevisningen man kan få innen grafisk design i Canada. I 2000 ble han valgt som Vice-President Ethics of the Society, og har fungert som National Ethics Chair siden 2002. Fra 2005 ble han også utnevnt til Vice-President and Treasurer of Icograda.

Short Spanish Version of Biography

David Berman es miembro del Icograda Executive Board (Sustainability Chair, Vice-President), 2005 ­ 2011. David Berman tiene 30 años de experiencia en Diseño Gráfico y comunicación y ha trabajado en la adaptación de los materiales impresos para la distribución electrónica, incluyendo el diseño Web y el desarrollo de interfaces de software. Como conferencista, diseñador gráfico, estratega de las comunicaciones, tipógrafo y consultor, su trabajo profesional se ha presentado en más de 50 países en los últimos años. Entre sus clientes se incluyen la IBM, Honda, la International Space Station, el gobierno canadiense, el Banco Mundial, y la fundación Aga Khan.

Short Indonesian Version of Biography

David Berman berpengalaman lebih dari 25 tahun dalam bidang desain dan strategi komunikasi. Sederet penghargaan atas karya-karyanya diperoleh, antara lain untuk IBM, International Space Station, Health Canada, Inter Pares, Aga Khan Foundation, Sierra Club, Canada Broadcasting Corporation, dan tiga buah situs terbesari di Kanada. Telah lama dia mempunyai minat akan desain yang sederhana dan mudah dicerna. Oleh karena itu dia menghasilkan proyek untuk Justice Canada, Ontario Soil and Crop Association, dan Ontario Literacy Coalition.

David mempunyai teknik dan motivasi untuk mengaplikasikan strategi, desain, etika, dan pencitraan kreatif dalam komunikasi bisnis. Sebagai seorang ahli strategi, desainer, dan tipografer sejak 1984, dia telah bekerja untuk membuat aturan praktek etis berhubungan dengan tanggung jawab sosial seorang desainer. Bukan hanya di Kanada, tapi juga di seluruh dunia.

Dalam perjalanannya, dia menjabat sebagai presiden pertama terpilih Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario (badan sertifikasi untuk desainer grafis di Amerika Utara) dari 1997 hingga 1999. Dia menyusun peraturan asosiasi itu dan Rules of Professional Conduct, dan juga sebagian isi ujian akreditasi mengenai etika dan tangggung jawab profesional. Di tahun 1999, David memperoleh gelar Fellow dari Society of Graphic Design of Canada. Penghargaan paling tinggi untuk desainer grafis profesional di negara itu, dan terpilih sebagai ketua etika nasional di tahun 2000, yang terus dia jabat hingga sekarang. David sekarang menjabat di tahun kedua sebegai direksi Icograda, badan dunia untuk desain komunikasi. Dia juga anggota GDC, AIGA, IFPA, dan Sahabat IEDD.

Mungkin minat terbesarnya adalah sebagai pembicara ahli. Dia berbicara di berbagai konferensi tentang peran para profesional dalam memperbaiki kondisi umat manusia dan lingkungan global. Kegiatan ceramah dan karya pengembangan profesional telah membawanya ke lebih dari 20 negara.

Kunjungilah www.davidberman.com/about untuk informasi lebih banyak tentang David, atau untuk memintanya menjadi pembicara.

Short German Version of Biography

David Berman ist ein international renommierter Redner, Typograph und Autor (Do Good Design). Seine Workshops und Seminare bringen die Menschen zum Umdenken. Seit kurzem ist er hochrangiger Berater der Vereinten Nationen und arbeitet zur Frage, wie Design zur Realisierung der UN-Milleniumsziele beitragen kann. David war in mehr als 25 Ländern tätig. Zu seinen Auftraggebern zählen Accenture, IBM und die Internationale Raumstation. Er erhielt Preise für seine Anwendungen, kundenspezifische Schriften und Flughafenwegeleitsysteme. 2000 leitete David die Entwicklung eines Ethikcodes zur Förderung von sozialer Verantwortung und Nachhaltigkeit der Grafikbranche in Kanada. Ähnliche Normen entwarf er für die nationalen Institutionen in den USA, Norwegen und China. David Berman war der erste Präsident der Association of Registered Graphic Designers in Ontario, dem ersten offiziellen Grafikdesignverbands in den USA. Aus seiner Feder stammen die Satzung, die Berufs- und Ehrenordnung und der Text zur Ethik und beruflichen Verantwortung in der Prüfungsordnung. Seit 2002 ist David Nationaler Ethikbeauftragter für Grafik in Kanada. Seit November 2005 ist David Berman Mitglied des Vorstands des globalen Verbandes für Grafik und visuelle Kommunikation IIcograda. In dieses Amt wurde er 2009 zum dritten Mal wieder gewählt.

Biographies tailored specifically to each of our events are available upon request.

For written permission to reproduce any material, or if you require further information or other photographs for publicity purposes, contact us.

Downloads (About David)

For those requiring biographical information or photos of David Berman to publish elsewhere:

Full CV of David Berman

High-Level Adviser Appointment Letter from United Nations (Acrobat PDF, 1,455K)

Press biography sheet (8.5″x11″ or A4, 1 page, Acrobat PDF, 128K) (The second side is decorative: all the information is on the first side)

Photos of David Berman

NALA 10th International PLAIN Conference, Dublin Castle.
Picture Colm Mahady / Fennells – Copyright 2015 Fennell Photography (JPG, 1703 × 2432, 375KB)

NALA 10th International PLAIN Conference, Dublin Castle.
Picture Colm Mahady / Fennells – Copyright 2015 Fennell Photography (JPG, 2564 × 1795, 386KB)

NALA 10th International PLAIN Conference, Dublin Castle.
Picture Colm Mahady / Fennells – Copyright 2015 Fennell Photography (JPG, 2228 × 1559, 271KB)

NALA 10th International PLAIN Conference, Dublin Castle.
Picture Colm Mahady / Fennells – Copyright 2015 Fennell Photography (JPG, 1795 x 2564, 439KB)

NALA 10th International PLAIN Conference, Dublin Castle.
Picture Colm Mahady / Fennells – Copyright 2015 Fennell Photography (JPG, 2564 × 1795, 425KB)

NALA 10th International PLAIN Conference, Dublin Castle.
Picture Colm Mahady / Fennells – Copyright 2015 Fennell Photography (JPG, 2564 × 1795, 356 KB)

High-level adviser to the UN, David Berman, spoke at the United Nations conference in Monterrey, Mexico in 2011 on the role of design in creating a better world. (JPG, 842×1862, 488KB)

David explaining on how designing for the extremes benefits everyone. “Color For The Colorblind” keynote, Daegu Design Week, Daegu, Korea, 2009. (JPG, 2622×1741, 2.71MB)

David Berman telling the proud story of certification of the design profession, from Ontario to Norway, to a special Grafill certification conference, Norwegian Design Centre, Oslo, Norway, 2008. (JPG, 3264×2448, 4.40MB)

David keynotes on design ethics at the International Advertising Association’s regional meeting, Bahrain, 2005. (JPG, 3024×2016, 5.07MB)

David keynotes on design ethics at the International Advertising Association’s regional meeting, Bahrain, 2005. (JPG, 3024×2016, 5.31MB)

high resolution (8-bit grayscale JPG, 2100 x 2092, 7″x7″, 300dpi, 1200K)

David Berman – head and shoulders high-resolution (8-bit grayscale JPG, 1458 x 1465,
367K)

David Berman – standing high-resolution (JPG, 457 x 741, 69.5KB)

high resolution (32-bit TIFF, 457 x 741, 1.3 megabytes)

David in Washington giving talk and gesturing behind the National Press Club podium. high resolution (PNG, 2120 × 1192, 3 megabytes)

David Berman standing in front of sculpture at Carleton University. Photo by Chris Roussakis (PNG, 1300 × 450, 650 KB)

David Berman standing in front of sculpture at Carleton University. Photo by Chris Roussakis (PNG, 700 × 460, 388 KB)

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More photos of David Berman in action, for promotional use

For higher-resolution versions of any of these photographs, written permission to reproduce any material, or if you require further information for publicity purposes, please contact us.

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Reviewed May 10, 2023