Five Conestoga students and recent graduates have been named winners in Applied Arts magazine’s student competition, celebrating the next generation of creative professionals.
2019 Graphic Design graduate Christine Langille’s design concept for Rabid Hopper Beer was recognized with an Applied Arts award for Packaging Design - Series in the magazine’s student competition. In total, five Conestoga students and recent graduates were honoured with Applied Arts Student Awards.
Open to secondary and post-secondary students in Canada and the U.S., the Applied Arts Student Awards recognize work across the visual communications spectrum, from image-makers to advertising, marketing and graphic designers. The awards program aims to celebrate innovative creativity and capture the current visual arts landscape in Canada and beyond. The magazine is a national leader in visual communications.
Bachelor of Design student Emma Caswell was recognized in the Promotional Design - Series category for her project Oblivion Music Festival. The series of posters was created for a fictional weekend music festival and depicts concertgoers’ experiences from morning to night.
Cailey Gavin, a 2018 Bachelor of Design graduate, was honoured in the Digital Content - Single category for DesignStein — an animation series featuring the four stages of the creative process. The title combines the scientific approach of cognitive processes with the creative approach of divergent thinking. The series features an introductory video, followed by four core videos.
Christine Langille’s design concept for a premium dark ale picked up an award in the Packaging Design - Single category. Rabid Hopper Beer, brewed by Intrepid Aleworks, is described as a classy beverage that is crisp and refreshing with a not-so-subtle hop flavour. Langille is a 2019 graduate of the college’s Graphic Design program.
Rachel Mulhall, a 2019 Bachelor of Design graduate, was recognized in the Entire Packaging Program - Campaign category for her project SevenDaze Vodka Cocktail Series. The beverage company is built to target young, working adults through a unique take on the everyday. The packaging is made up of illustrations that play on mundane themes, with each bottle composed of a monochromatic colour scheme to portray each day of the week.
A 2019 Graphic Design graduate, Hanif Sadigh was honoured in the Entire Design Program - Campaign category for MILK — a recipe book pairing teas with different spices to create unique tastes. The book targets tea lovers in their 30s to 50s.
Judged by a panel of industry experts and professionals, entries were scored independently on creative merit, technical excellence and medium suitability. Winning pieces were revealed online in the magazine’s awards gallery in December, as well as in print in Applied Arts’ fall 2019 issue.
In addition to showcasing winning entries to the magazine’s annual awards program, the fall 2019 issue examined the role of education in the ever-changing design landscape. Works by Conestoga students were featured heavily as the article highlighted the college as one of Canada’s leading post-secondary institutions for art and design.
In the article, Conestoga faculty member John Baljkas discussed the college’s Graphic Design program and its approach to teaching design practices informed by multiple disciplines. Baljkas credited Conestoga’s location in one of the fastest growing tech sectors in North America as a key factor.
“It’s not untypical for us to be approached by software engineers who readily admit that they can develop the apps but lack the skills for user interface design,” Baljkas told Applied Arts. “We also encourage collaboration through events like our annual Creative Day for Social Good, in which students work with writers, creative directors and project managers from places like Manulife, Intertek Catalyst, HIM&HER and Google on developing communications solutions for non-profits.”
The three-year Graphic Design advanced diploma program is recognized as one of the top design programs in the province. The program employs a project-based learning approach that addresses design, digital content creation, communication, inter-personal, mechanical, technical and enhanced employability skills.
Conestoga’s Bachelor of Design program is unique in Ontario for offering students an inter-professional perspective that blends graphic design, entrepreneurship, and liberal studies courses with co-op opportunities. Enhanced studio space and technologies, including state-of-the-art software, hardware, and printing facilities, are provided.
Visit the School of Creative Industries for more information.