Conestoga news

December 5, 2019 10:06 AM

Student project takes gold at national design awards

Two 2019 Conestoga Graphic Design graduates were honoured with awards at the Advertising & Design Club of Canada’s (ADCC) annual awards show, held November 14 in Toronto. Tanner Garniss-Marsh and Marissa Ouellette took home gold and silver, respectively, in the club’s student competition category.

Conestoga College_Tanner Gariss-Marsh.jpg
2019 Graphic Design graduate Tanner Garniss-Marsh won gold at ADCC’s annual awards.

Designed to encourage and promote the highest professional standards, the awards program recognizes exceptional work in advertising, design and interactive media, and is among the most widely known for excellence in Canada’s creative community. In total, 43 student entries were awarded to up-and-coming creative talent from post-secondary institutions across the country.  

Garniss-Marsh was one of only two entries recognized with a gold award in the student competition. His project Öko Electric Vehicles saw a brand extension for a car company. Initially working as a team, Garniss-Marsh and third-year Graphic Design student Maria Luisa Sartori Guarienti were tasked with creating a design concept and logo based on a brief for a fictitious company before disbanding to define the brand and other graphic elements as an individual project. 

“Öko is an eco-friendly electric car company developed for environmentally conscious and younger demographics in larger urban centres,” said Garniss-Marsh. “A lot of research went into this project to understand the industry and the applications where design would be used, helping influence and drive creative decisions.”

In addition to his and Guarienti’s logo, Garniss-Marsh’s brand extension for Öko includes strategic company colours, typography, animations, website development and instore displays and applications.  

“The Graphic Design program is really comprehensive and the skills I developed helped create a well-rounded design that covers a lot of different mediums,” said Garniss-Marsh. “Because there were a lot of great projects submitted to the student competition this year, winning gold was a little unexpected, but I was proud to accept the award on the same stage as so many other talented teams and individuals and represent Conestoga’s Graphic Design program.”

Ouellette’s Fons, a coffee brand and packaging design project, was one of ten student entries to be recognized with silver.

A full list of winners is available through ADCC

Founded in 1948, ADCC is a non-profit, non-political group dedicated to encouraging excellence in Canadian advertising and design. The club aims to inspire creativity, provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, and forge a sense of community and integrity among advertising and design professionals. 

Conestoga’s three-year Graphic Design advanced diploma program is recognized as one of the top design programs in the province. It employs a project-based learning approach that addresses design, digital content creation, communication, inter-personal, mechanical, technical and enhanced employability skills.