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It was an experience Maya Stover says she won’t soon forget.
Seated at a table surrounded by a group of her peers, the second-year Conestoga College graphic design student put her education to the test at Capacity Canada’s recent Creative Day for Social Good (CD4SG) creating new marketing materials for a non-profit organization.
“It was such a cool experience. It’s super hands on and you actually get to work with a creative director,” she said. “I learned so much in such a short amount of time.”
Stover was among more than 80 graphic design students and public relations students that partnered with art directors, writers, account managers and creative professionals who volunteered their time in a creative 24-hour ‘blitz’ to benefit 21 non-profit organizations across Canada.
CD4SG, held at Alchemy Systems in Guelph and the Kitchener design firm Him & Her on Oct. 18, provided these organizations with free design and marketing work to further their impacts in their communities.
“You get to do something for people, like these non-profits, that can’t always afford to spend a lot of money on their design work, so it’s really cool we can help them out,” Stover said.
Last year, 50 non-profits applied for 18 positions. This year the number of applications more than doubled to 102 for 21 spots as organizations from British Columbia to Newfoundland reached out to take part in the event which is done in partnership between Capacity Canada, Conestoga College, Alchemy Systems, Him & Her and Manulife.
“I think this increase in interest speaks well of Creative Day and what can be accomplished through the hard work of the students and our dedicated volunteers and event partners,” said Capacity Canada’s Matt Miller, who has helped co-ordinate the event annually since its inception eight years ago. This year it underwent a major rebranding to become CD4SG.
As in previous years, prior to the actual ‘blitz’ day the creative teams featuring students and volunteer art directors reached out to the non-profits they were assigned to formulate a creative brief to outline what design work was needed.
Most of the work, which included everything from new brochures and logos, digital ads, radio spots and new websites, was completed in one day. The following day, on Oct. 19, the teams presented their work at Alchemy Systems to representatives from non-profits, many of whom livestreamed the event.
“The reaction of the non-profits is always one of the best parts of the event,” said Miller.
For the students, the pressure of creating design materials in such a short time is not an easy task but it’s one they embrace.
Anna Moriarty, a third-year graphic design student who also took part last year, said she took a different approach this time by sketching a few ideas for her team’s client – Burlington-based charity Food for Life – ahead of time.
“It was good to get ideas going before the actual day so that way you’re not spending a lot of time doing sketches and logos,” she said, adding her team even found time to offer their client additional materials, such as posters and buttons to give to people who donate.
Going that ‘extra mile’ for their non-profit clients is something many of the creative teams wished to achieve.
“It’s always nice when you can add a few extras they weren’t quite expecting,” said Andrea Lorentz, marketing and brand manager at Great Canadian Holidays and Coaches, and one of many volunteers who worked with the students.
Lorentz, who also volunteered her talents last year, said communication was key for the design team she led as they crafted new materials for Waterloo Region Block Parents Program.
“We were able to craft a very comprehensive creative brief, with a clear direction from our client,” she said, noting pushing through any roadblocks is also very important as the deadline approaches.
BOB NIEBOER PHOTO
“Keeping the foot on the gas is really important and so is keeping up a level of collaboration.”
For first time creative team leader Matthew Campbell of Imagine Communications in Waterloo, he said the process was more condensed than what he’s used to, but it was still very manageable.
“The design process we’re doing here can be applied to anything,” he said of his team, which created material to rebrand the Woolwich Lions Club. “It’s a problem-solving process. That’s all it is.”
Solving problems is exactly what faced third-year public relations student Brynn Dolfi, a first time Creative Day participant.
Her team was tasked with creating an event banner and revamping the website for an Alberta-based women’s shelter called Big Hill Haven.
“I went into this knowing nothing. But we’ve made it through,” she said, crediting the creative work of her fellow team members.
Dolfi was among about 25 public relations students, compared to about half a dozen last year, that took part in connection with their writing for not-for-profit course at Conestoga.
Conestoga College’s Paula Barrett, another creative volunteer, said her public relations students were ‘parachuted in’ to the project approximately a week before the event which benefited the design teams.
“The plus is they come in with a fresh perspective because they haven’t been immersed in this for weeks,” she said. “You can plan as much as you want but a lot of the time it’s that last-minute creativity and adrenaline that really makes the creative solution happen.”
For Teressa van Vliet, a graphic designer at Manulife and returning creative volunteer who led Dolfi’s team, she said the creativity level was ramped up by not only the students themselves but by having two locations.
This year, for the first time, five of the 21 design teams worked out of the downtown Kitchener studio of Him & Her, while the remaining teams worked at Alchemy Systems’ Guelph office.
“It certainly changed the dynamics a little bit,” Van Vliet said, who worked out of Him & Her. “It was a great opportunity to serve more clients in a way which was fantastic and get more students involved.”
Expanding the CD4SG concept through franchising is something Alchemy Systems Creative Director Terry McGuire said is a very real possibility.
“This year having the two locations involved was kind of proof of the concept. It worked out quite well,” he said, explaining the additional location gave organizers space to serve more non-profits.
“Our goal last year when we finished was to rebrand which we did,” he said, adding rebranding the event to CD4SG has been well received by the non-profits.
So much so, McGuire said he would like to see additional students involved on each coast as well as a location in central Canada.
“We’ve got to get that franchise kit going and start building those new relationships in the next year,” he said. “I don’t think we need to double in size but if we can continue to grow and grow organically through franchising, I think we could have a bigger impact.”
In terms of impact this year, CD4SG organizers estimate the event resulted in the completion of approximately 150 projects which translated into more $120,000 worth of pro bono design work for the 21 non-profits.
But CD4SG also had an even bigger impact for those involved, including Erin Martin, graphic designer and partner at Him & Her.
Martin, who also acted as art director for the Food for Life team, said she was impressed by the students’ talent and enthusiasm.
“The energy of it all and the sheer passion and care that every student and individual put into the day just blew my mind,” she said.
Martin, a Conestoga College graphic design graduate who took part in the event as a student, said she was thrilled her studio could be involved this year.
“It was very rewarding to me to be able to have that many people in our office that all share the design mentality and love for creativity,” she said. “I’ve got a long way to go in my career, but this was a real milestone.”
For Stover, working with her team at the Him & Her’s studio was a bonus.
“I really love seeing the design studio and now have an idea of how things run in a real studio,” she said. “That was really interesting to see. You learn so much from doing it and that was really cool.”
