Work from 36 students in Conestoga’s Design Foundations program is on display through the Skillz Manifesto 2021 online gallery. The annual design showcase celebrates students’ accomplishments over the last academic year.
Work from students in the Design Foundations program is on display through the Skillz Manifesto online showcase.
“On behalf of the Design Foundations faculty, I would like to congratulate our students on their efforts and perseverance throughout this year,” said Jessica Massard, program coordinator. “While we do have a lot of fun together, this program is rigorous and challenging. Students have worked hard this year, which is obvious as you look at the online exhibition of work. The quality of the work, the uniqueness of the concepts, and the talent each student brings to the table continue to amaze us each year.”
Traditionally celebrated in person, the annual event was adapted last year into a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic and extended to this year’s showcase as students in the one-year program continued to learn remotely. The online exhibition provides an opportunity to still share work with the community and features student galleries, which include paintings, drawings and illustrations, digital design, 3D design, photography, and animation.
Students collaborated as part of curriculum to pull the online showcase together while maintaining aspects of the traditional event through the presentation of student work, a continued sense of community and branding. Each year, Skillz Manifesto features a winning visual design campaign by a student -- this year's branding was created by Taryn Kennedy.
“Students and teachers had a lot to learn during this session: more than the art, more than the techniques; more than the Padlet submissions, the Zoom calls, the web tools and the Flip Grid Recordings; more than the individual parts. Everyone had to learn to work together as a class, and we had to do this without ever stepping foot in a classroom. We all needed to learn to be a unit without so much as a physical handshake,” said student Dave Watson in a note posted to the online gallery. “Students and teachers rose to the occasion. We, the 2020-21 Design Foundations class, did more than just survive in this new online world; we thrived. This site is a testament to our mastery of this new way of learning.”
Visit the Skillz Manifesto 2021 online showcase to browse student galleries.
Conestoga’s Design Foundations is an intensive one-year certificate program intended for students interested in exploring a career in applied design and communications. The program provides an opportunity to create a competitive and individual design portfolio that features skills in 2D and 3D design, drawing, colour theory, digital production and much more.