Crafting the look and feel of one of George Brown College’s key reports was a project that Graphic Design student Chris Ensoll and recent Graphic Design graduate Lee Jong successfully completed despite the challenging circumstances in spring 2020, when the in-person collaborative design process they were used to was forced to shift online.
“We’re told that good design doesn’t happen in a vacuum. You need to collaborate with others, and you need feedback and criticism to execute a great design solution, which is a much more difficult task when you’re not sitting in the same room,” Chris said.
Chris and Lee successfully made the full shift online to produce a sleek design for George Brown College’s 2019-2020 Impact Report — a document that outlines the positive influence the college has had on individuals, organizations and the greater community. The project provided a great work-integrated learning opportunity for the pair through the School of Design’s IN Studio and IN Store during the Spring 2020 semester.
“I think the ability to effectively work remotely is a very important skill to have now,” Lee said.
New ways of telling the story of your design
This project also helped Lee and Chris hone their online presentation skills. They showcased their ideas and progress during virtual meetings with George Brown College President Anne Sado and other college employees, including Senior Corporate Communications Specialist Melinda Mattos.
“Lee and Chris really impressed me with their creativity and professionalism, as well as their ability to work as part of a cross-functional team,” Mattos said. “Their designs were thoughtful and compelling, and they did a fantastic job of presenting their ideas through virtual meetings with our college president, Digital Experience team and Communications team. It’s clear that they’ve not only built strong graphic design skills at George Brown, but also outstanding client service skills.”
Rising to new challenges
The start of this project coincided with the launch of George Brown’s new website in May, providing new challenges for Lee, who also designed the 2018-19 Impact Report.
“A major design challenge was to work within the parameters of a new site,” he said.
Chris said he's pleased with their results and that they created an online presentation of the report that stands out from other pages on georgebrown.ca.
“It was a huge challenge and a great learning experience working with restraint,” he said, “which isn’t something you get every day in class where we typically get to explore our own ideas with few restrictions.”
What’s next?
When looking ahead Chris said he's very interested in environmental design and crafting interior spaces like retail, museum or pop-up exhibits. But, he notes, “my direction changes with every semester and new information.”
Lee is aiming for a career in art and creative direction and is also interested in environmental design. He’s currently working remotely on contract with Toronto ad agency The Garden.
“I would love to be designing theme parks for Walt Disney World,” he said, “and that’s hopefully the path I go down.”
