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July 12, 2021
July 12, 2021
Officially about three months ago! I had done my high school co-op for Launchpad, and when I went to college, I chose them as my placement. After I was done, Jenn and Cliff reached out, and I was offered a position to be on the team!
Graphic Design technically - but right now, that’s up in the air for me! In school, I had an interest in Layouts and Branding, but now that I’m actually in the field, I find I’m becoming more interested in exploring other areas of my creativity like video-editing and motion graphics.”
Well, to use an everyday commercial as an example… video-editing focuses on the things done to the actual video itself. Like modifying the video and playing around with vibrant colours to really make it come to life!
Motion Graphics is usually about any fun things that get applied to the text and the logo. The whole point of it is to bring flat things to life. When you can take something apart (i.e. logo) and give it some animation - it brings it to a whole new level that really engages your audience.
My art teacher was definitely my biggest influence. When I was in high school, I spent a lot of time flip-flopping between art and business (my favourite subjects). At some point, my teacher took us to Cambrian and introduced us to Graphic Design.
(At the time,) I had never heard of it before, but once I found out about it, I immediately recognized that it was the love-child of art and business. It was a happy accident!
Okay...this is going to sound so cliche, but it’s the atmosphere. People talk about how a team can make or break a workplace, and it's true. We’re lucky because we have the most amazing clients in the world, but even if we didn’t, I’d still be on this team because it’s just that much fun!
That is a loaded question! I’d have to say it’s the roots.
When people think of a brand, many jump to the logo immediately and are very concerned with what it's going to look like. At that stage, the logo is one of the last things you need to be worried about because your brand needs to stand on two feet by itself, which comes through building a strong foundation.
It means it needs to have a presence.
Of course, the visuals will help with all that, but a good brand needs to have the strength behind its concept to ensure that people will know its name and understand what it is. No matter what the business is (i.e. a cafe or homeless shelter), they all need to have that strength. If you don’t have the basics thought out, it won’t be efficient in supporting a brand’s growth in the long term.
Branding means connecting a brand with its audience, often through using various visuals and services. The most important part of branding to me is making sure we take care of our clients, listen to their needs, and effectively uncover how we can best help them. As designers and creatives, we need to foster a strong relationship with consumers and create an environment where a bond of trust can thrive!
Oh my gosh, the personalities!
You know how some people get dogs, and sometimes their dogs will look just like them or have the same personality? That’s like people with their brands. It’s fun to see clients and work with people where their brand truly is an extension of themselves. We get to peek in and meet a character through branding, and that’s always cool.
This goes back to another question, but it’s their trust. Trust takes a lot of time. If I didn’t have Launchpad behind me, it would take way longer to build a strong relationship with people.
When clients hire us, they hire professionals that are looking out for their best interests. We offer suggestions and new ideas because it's what we’re good at. When our clients know this, that’s when our best designs are created because we have an opportunity to play around and truly build something great that will help them reach their goals.
Like any project, the first thing you wanna do is research, research, research! And it shouldn’t just be about their history or target audience. It’s about what their brand is sharing with the world.
Knowing whatever products or services they have, as well as the message they’re trying to send out, are all things I know I need to be well-versed in. After looking at these findings and knowing who the brand is at its core, that’s when I can come up with ideas and get inspiration.
It’s going to sound a little selfish, but I just want to be really good at what I do.
In my life at school and at home, I was always quiet and in my own bubble - so my designs are where I can be that loud, expressive person. I want what I do to speak for me because I have pride in my designs, and I’m confident with my abilities. I want to continue learning and push my creativity to the limit, so I can be proud of myself and say I did it!
So what drives me in my career is honestly me. I want to be the best..or at least really, really good!
I LOVE THIS SLOGAN! It isn’t overly grammatically correct, making it even better because it’s using “human” as a language.
Going through design school, you would hear all these big words. For example, absolutely everything on a poster had a specific name for it. “We Speak Human,” is about stepping back from all the business and design lingo and creating a message people will understand and not feel intimidated by.
It makes a lot of sense to me, so that's why I love it.
It’s tricky to say, but I love working on bigger projects! That’s when Launchpad gets to work with many different people in all sorts of areas. With big projects, it shows off our team's unity and gives every member a chance to contribute. Everyone has so many different talents and specializations to show off. If we get every person contributing towards a big project, that’s when the real Launchpad flair comes in.
Style-wise, I’m loud! I’m also an eclectic person, so I like a bit of everything.
My advice for anyone looking to tap into their design style is - don’t force it. It’s going to come naturally. As you learn, you’re going to start to pick up on things you like and how you want to apply them. With that being said, it’s also good to not apply your style to everything you do because you want to have differentiation. Our styles are going to shift as time goes on, and that's okay!
"It’s great to find something you love, but don’t devote your life to it or stop looking for new ways to improve it. The worst thing we can do as creatives is put ourselves in a box that didn’t exist. Burn those boxes!”
I’m obsessed with Jimmi Hendrix posters and the 70s in general! Hendrix posters I like a lot because they are the definition of the 70's rock and roll era, and most of the music I listen to is from that time.
I love playing video games, and lately, I'm starting to get into indie ones. They’re based on pretty simple storylines, but the artistry that goes into creating them is beautiful. The world just comes alive. Seeing that has played a big role in inspiring me to pursue and learn more about motion graphics and video editing.
Write and read! I’ve always loved writing, and I've actually been doing it since I was 12. I also love books, and one of my favourite authors for anyone that needs a good laugh is Christopher Moor.
Nerd + Eclectic.
I’ve played the violin for 10 years! I started lessons when I was 8 and stopped when I was 18 to focus on college.
“What other people think of me is none of my business.” - Rupaul
A watermelon! It has a nice outer shell to protect you, and it’s also very juicy and delicious.
The pocket, obviously! I guess I’m a pretty short person, so I’d also like to have the advantage of a couple of extra feet...that would be nice.
