Systematic Design
A client presented challenge aimed to give students real-world experience in Utrecht, NL
Impact Fair is a sustainability trade show in Utrecht, The Netherlands, that aims to bring businesses and consumers together with a focus on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Impact Fair tasked my group at the Co-Design Studio in Utrecht with finding a solution to get Gen-Z more actively involved both at the fair and afterward.
Publication Design
The Fungus Among Us
This first-year zine was an introduction to InDesign and was a semester-long project. Mushrooms are a favourite subject of mine, and since moving to Vancouver Island in 2018, they have been one of my favourite things to photograph. I am blessed to be in an area where access to forest and ocean trails is convenient and easy. Picking mushrooms for my topic was a no-brainer, and it was easy to incorporate my photography into this zine. Although it was not required, I challenged myself by writing all the text for the zine.
Throughout this project, we utilized InDesign features such as master pages, paragraph and character styles, layers to separate elements, drop caps, table of contents, proper naming conventions, preflight, and how to package a file for print. We were required to print the zine at the end of the term. I printed off extras to sell to my family and friends, I sold more than 20 copies. My instructor has used this zine as a student example since my first year. I am beyond grateful to have my work shared with other students!
"This project taught me the power of design tools, but also the value of challenging myself to go the extra mile."
Internship at RAS
Utilizing my photos and construction background to bring out the best for RAS.
My internship at Ron Anderson Sons in Chemainus (RAS) over the 2024 summer was exciting, and combining my skills of working on-site with my passion for photography was a true highlight. I am deeply familiar with the company. I was an employee running a layout saw before I was accepted to VIU, and I have been working there over the summer while attending university. My responsibilities for the internship included developing and maintaining a social media presence, including Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Additionally, I developed quarterly newsletters, a Google Business presence, and updates to the website.
Branding and Logos
Working with clients to achieve maximum impact.
While attending VIU, I had the exciting opportunity to develop a few logos for both the school and clients. Logo design is a unique challenge of merging a client's wants with the client's stakeholders' needs. All of my logo work uses a dedicated design process that includes a heavy empathizing phase to guide how the logo needs to be read and how it will be used.
Native Speakers
Native Speakers is a brand I developed for my fourth-year capstone project, designed to connect non-Indigenous users with Indigenous culture and languages in a respectful and authentic way. This has been a challenging project, as it is crucial to approach the subject with cultural sensitivity and authenticity.
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Wordmark:
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Uses a rich burgundy red for strong contrast against a white background.
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Features a warm, round, inviting font that feels unpretentious.
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Includes a squared outlined dot, referencing characters found in Indigenous languages of Canada.
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Logomark:
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A hand-drawn strawberry inspired by traditional beadwork and Indigenous artwork.
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Represents the heart, women's health, and reconciliation.
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Highly recognizable and able to stand alone.
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Colour Palette:
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Rich, warm tones, including bright pink, soft orange-red, and three shades of green.
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Reflects the vibrancy and cultural significance of the design elements.
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Ladysmith Brewpub
Ladysmith Brewpub is a fictional company created as part of a second-year project at VIU to teach the fundamentals of publication and logo design. The target audience is people who enjoy spending time in a quirky, cool, and vintage-inspired brewery. As someone who loves vintage aesthetics, this project was a fun opportunity to explore that style.
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Logo Design:
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Strongly influenced by 1970s design, featuring a rich, earthy colour palette and vintage fonts.
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Incorporates a playful, slightly tilting slant in the last few letters of “Ladysmith,” inspired by the town’s well-known hills.
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Branding Elements:
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Stickers were created to support the brand identity.
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Publication design elements were developed as part of the course requirements.
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SARDAV
Search and Recovery Dog Association Victoria (SARDAV) carries out highly sensitive work, assisting in the recovery of individuals' remains when rescue is no longer possible. They reached out to the VIU graphic design faculty seeking an Indigenous designer to help create a new logo. As a Métis designer, I was excited to take on this challenge. SARDAV wanted the design to incorporate Indigenous elements while featuring a wolf motif.
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Logo Design Considerations:
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Needed to be highly legible and include a maple leaf.
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Used a simple, clear font like Arial and a badge format for readability.
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Symbolism & Design Choices:
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The original cross was replaced with a medicine wheel, symbolizing healing, as not all Indigenous communities resonate with crosses due to historical trauma.
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The wolf is depicted cradling the medicine wheel, representing protection and care.
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