Graphic Design students on the cusp of graduation had an innovative new way to showcase their work and connect with industry professionals during the pandemic – and they did it from the safety of their homes.
Their 2021 Virtual Grad Show, held on April 15, was held via the gather.town platform to mimic the social experience. Students and guests were able to see and interact with one another through their avatars on screen. Guests visited different virtual booths where graduating students showcased their portfolios, including three years of projects. They could move throughout the space to view works from different booths, have one-on-one conversations, mingle, play games and even ‘dance.’
Students present their portfolios at their virtual booths.
This was the first time the Virtual Grad Show was held virtually, which allowed family and friends to attend from all over the world. Faculty member Jessie Demone noted that while last year, they didn’t have time to navigate the prospect of moving the traditional in-person event to a virtual format when the pandemic hit, this year, they were prepared. Their goal was to offer a live, virtual event that maximized the benefits that the virtual medium had to offer.
“It was a pretty amazing experience, all things considered, and the platform offered a lot of the real-world social functions that made you feel like you actually went somewhere and attended a party,” said Demone.
The invitation-only event, called ‘D is for Design,’ drew more than 130 guests – including second- and third-year Graphic Design students, program faculty, more than 35 professionals from the industry, as well as family and friends.
Third-year students organized the event as part of their Portfolio and Exhibition course taught by Lisa Livingston. . They worked in teams to develop various components of the event via gather.town including the event spaces, swag bags, sponsorship packages and prizes, promotional materials, a highlight video reel and a website.
The event was not only a celebration of student work; it was an opportunity to present their portfolios to industry professionals seeking student hires.
“Many students are hired by industry members attending the show,” said Demone. “Industry has an opportunity to view multiple portfolios at one time and find the student whose work is an ideal fit for their company.”
Elizabeth Richardson, who worked on producing the show for more than four months, said the event proved to be a fun and immersive experience.
“It meant the world to me to be able to say goodbye to my classmates and show my family from around the world the work I have done,” she said. “After the show, I was encouraged to apply for freelance positions and to send off portfolios to particular companies … the show went better than I could have imagined and I am grateful for it.”
The Association of Registered Graphic Designers recognized a student for outstanding work at the event. Chloe (Hyunmi) Park received the RGD Grad Award for her second-year brand identity project: NEOBLOCK.
“It means a lot to me as an international student,” said Park, who is originally from South Korea and currently lives in Niagara Falls.
Park enjoyed preparing for and attending the virtual grad show.
“It was a wonderful new experience,” she said. “It gave us great opportunities to meet a lot of people no matter where their locations are, and show them our artwork.”
With graduation around the corner, she hopes to work in brand development in the design industry after graduation. “Based on my design experience at NC, I believe that I can be a good designer who fits into the design industry in Canada,” she said.
The 2021 Graphic Design Virtual Grad Show was sponsored by The Printing House – which awarded $50 print cards to each member of the graduating class – as well as CAA Niagara, Hill Street Beverage Co. and Crazy D’s Sparkling Prebiotics.
Grad show links
Visit the 2021 Virtual Grad Show website disfordesign.ca, D is for Design Facebook page and D is for Design on Instagram.
A student-created post-highlights page from the D is for Design show (submitted by Nutta Sukprasert).
