I was honoured and humbled to be nominated by friends and colleagues to become a Fellow of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada. These quotes are some of the most cherished things I've ever received. I can hardly read them without choking up.

1. Mark Busse, CGD
FGDC NOMINATION

2. “ Mark Busse is one of only a handful of people in Vancouver
who rise to the top when I think of creative forces doing good
and bringing people together. Through his work with Creative
Mornings, and the countless other projects he has been involved
in, I have always been amazed at the bandwidth he has for
volunteer service which raises the profile of our city not only
to outsiders, but to its inhabitants.”
Bob Kronbauer
President and Editor-In-Chief
Vancouver Is Awesome

3. “Mark brought CreativeMornings to Vancouver which was our
ninth city and first Canadian chapter. From the get go, it was
clear he was bent on making a special, open and accessible space
for Vancouver’s creative community. His passion is unmatched.”
Tina Roth Eisenberg
Swiss Miss

4. “We have to start a TV series and call it ‘Everybody Loves Busse’...
Hey, t-shirt idea here! :D”
Pam Goldsmith-Jones
Past Mayor
City of West Vancouver, BC

5. “Mark has been a great advocate for all people that have come
in contact with him, either working with him or for him. He is
a great creative force in his field and influences others to do
their best.”
Vikram Vij
Chef & Co-Owner
Vij’s & Rangoli

6. “Impacting graphic design starts with influencing the group and
movement that surrounds it. From there it must be fostered,
directed and given a place to have a voice. A real place.
Mark Busse has always understood the importance of all of this
and with his community engagement, continues to positively
influence generations of designers. I can think of few better
recipients for this nomination and highly endorse Mark as
colleague, community investor and a proud peer.”
Mark Brand
CEO
MB Inc.

7. “Mark Busse teaches and inspires me on a constant and continual
basis. His contribution to my life, and the lives of creative people
in my community, is unparalleled. I am a motivated collaborator
and co-conspirator, due to his mentorship. I have immeasurable
admiration and respect for Mark, professionally. My privilege, on
top of this, is to hold him in my heart, as a friend.”
Bif Naked
Rock Star, Writer, Humanitarian

8. “It doesn’t matter whether you are in the world of music, design,
or any and all of the arts, Mark has, and continues to connect
people and introduce people into the design industry. He has,
and continues to make a HUGE difference in the world of graphic
design... and all other realms of art of course!”
Shaun Huberts
Musician

9. “In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell tells us about The Law of
the Few — ‘The success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily
dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and
rare set of social gifts’. In particular, there are Connectors: the
people who link us up with the world. Now, I’d say Mark is one
of the best connectors I’ve ever met. Except when I read a little
further, I see there are ‘mavens’ – people we rely upon to connect
us with new information. And ‘salesmen’ – the persuaders.
So you can see the problem. Mark is hard to put in a category.
He’s good at all this stuff, bringing people together, making
things happen.
And I’m sure that’s just the way he likes it.”
Gord Price
Director, The City Program, Simon Fraser University
Past Vancouver City Councillor

10. “Mark si crazy, and crazy is what Vancouver needs. We are in
a city where we all complain about the lack of social life and
opportunities and this is something Mark will not tolerate. Mark
has created a myriad of creative social events, has written about
the industry, has connected many people and entertained even
more. I consider him as the guy to go to for advice, ideas and
recommendations for the creative community in Vancouver.”
Alex Beim
Founder / Creative Director
Tangible Interaction

11. “I have known Mark for a long time related to his leadership
activities on behalf of GDC to promote the Icograda Design Week
in Vancouver 2010 that was planned and initiated much prior
to that year. We met several times in different international
cities and he always brought his distinct can-do energy and
enthusiasm to that project, just like following a charismatic
hockey team captain. My fondest memories of Mark will always
be of Habana and Beijing and his video of me at one of the
ceremonies is still on youtube with his great laughing voice over
at the end. Hey Mark your honesty, drive and creative energy is
worldwide, bro!”
Don Ryun Chang
Past Icograda President 2007-2009
Dean of Hongik University Graduate School of Advertising PR, Seoul Korea

12. “No one who meets Mark Busse leaves without being truly
inspired in every way. As a graphic designer, he has an
impeccable sense of design, and a deep understanding of a
project’s true essence. As a person, Mark is incredibly committed
to influencing those around him in a positive way, and practically
anyone who meets him ends up being his friend for years to
come, and getting involved in his many projects to positively
impact our communities, such as Creative Mornings. It gives
me great pleasure to endorse Mark Busse, and wholeheartedly
recommend he be the one receiving this award. I can think of no
one better for it, as he lives and breathes graphic design, and
is, in my opinion, one of the very few people who truly make a
difference in this field.”
Natacha V. Beim
Founder / CEO
CEFA Educational Systems

13. “When I think of Mark Busse, I usually laugh. Not in the “wow
that guy is funny” way (although he is funny in that way) but in
the slightly incredulous “wow, he pulled that off and dammit I
wish that I had done that first” kinda way.
I think of Mark as someone who gets [really cool] things done.
Call it force of will, or persuasiveness, or an infectious passion
for what he finds interesting, I look up to Mark for his ability to
question what is thought of as truth, and to kick it around to see
how it might react to a new reality. He asks hard questions and
receives interesting answers that lead to even better questions.
This is a smart guy, with a clear path to his goals, event
organization and planning.
Oliver Oike, CGD
Past President
GDC Manitoba

14. “For a number of years, it seemed to me that the acronym
‘GDC’ had become interchangeable with the word ‘Busse’. I
began to suspect that this guy had cloned himself - he was
literally everywhere the GDC was. He’s opinionated, articulate,
passionate, committed to design in a way that would likely
exhaust most people, a true believer and a champion of
professional graphic design in Canada.”
Dave Mason, FGDC
Principal / Strategy Director
Multiple Chicago

15. “I’ve known Mark Busse for over 37 years. This will date us, but
we were seven and about to enter grade two at a new school.
The coincidence of being seated next to one another has led
to a life-long friendship and our collaboration in what became
Industrial Brand. Now in its 16th year, Mark has been the force
that connects us and the company to the greater creative and
design community of Vancouver, and beyond. Standing up
and putting his might, not just his mouth, behind what he
believes in has invigorated the GDC, resonance of his presidency
is still felt to this day. Bringing the global conference Design
Week to Vancouver in 2010, leading the now insanely popular
Creative Mornings Vancouver, and taking a place on the City
of Vancouver’s Engaged City Taskforce are some of many,
many things Mark has done to ignite and foster creativity and
connection here.”
Ben Garfinkel
Partner / Strategy Director
Industrial Brand

16. “I could go on talking about all the great things Mark has done
for the industry in BC and Canada, but what I think makes the
DNA of his unique indelible mark is the fact that he always gives
more than he takes. A generous man with his ideas, influence,
network, professionalism, passion and humor who in the last 10
years I’ve had the pleasure of calling a friend and a mentor. The
industry would not be what it is without him and his “Busse-
Factor”; a magic potion that I wish I could bottle—and use in
small doses, as you can get hooked on it.”
Marga Lopez, CGD
Past President
GDC BC Mainland

17. “Mark has more fire, passion, motivation and ideas than anyone I
know. Also no one gets a conversation started better than him.
His positive influence within the GDC and the community will be
felt for a long time. What always stands out for me is his selfless
generosity. And the fact that when he first met me he told me
my eyes reminded him of lamb. :) Mark, you are one good bean.”
Sylvia Rigakis, CGD
Past President
GDC AB North