advr

Angelique Paul

How did you get started in your career?

Fingerprints Inc. started off as my thesis at OCAD U. My Thesis professor, Nick Goso said that for our final year, we should look deep into ourselves about what we want to do. He said to “pick something that means something to you”. I wanted to be excited and passionate about working on something for a year. Through reflection, I found I was passionate about changing the education system and how many students are ‘left behind’ because of not fitting the typical mold designed for learning. That affected me personally. I struggled to learn in elementary and junior high because I didn’t learn in a way that I was expected to. My first iteration of Fingerprints was as a physical afterschool program. After OCAD U, I took it to my master’s program at Ryerson and created an app that is accessible to more students. Upon graduation from Ryerson, Ryerson funded me as an accessibility solution and I was incubated in the Social Venture Zone. COVID has turned Fingerprints into an at-home experience where mentors and mentees are paired and meet virtually.

What skills or relationships developed at OCAD U helped you participate in your field? Is there anything you would have done differently?

My education at OCAD U shaped me. The Advertising program taught me the importance of telling a story, the importance of remaining authentic. In my fourth year at OCAD U all of my professors highlighted the importance of speaking from a place of truth because truth and a common story really speak to the heart of who you're trying to reach. This skill has been extremely beneficial when I explain my company, especially since my company was built off personal experience.

 

Krutika Galgalikar

Please briefly describe your current job / practice.

I work as an Art Director at Publicis Toronto, creating digital experiences through CRM (Customer Relationship Management) practices. The Advertising program taught me to think strategically about the intersections of data and communication – this has aided me immensely in my current role. We’re constantly solving design problems to generate measurable outcomes for our brands. 

 

What were your policies regarding internships, volunteering, and paid work?

The Advertising Program at OCAD offers a real-world experience of working with brands in the 4th year of the program. In the final year, students are given a creative brief by selected brands. Inspiring mentors and professors often serve as advisors through our conceptual progress and presentation. This experience gave me my first taste of the advertising industry. We collaborated with other students, brainstormed in teams, learned how to interact with our clients professionally, and meet their marketing needs. 

This was truly an eye-opening learning experience. I understood my own creative strengths and learned how to work with others, all while focusing on delivering an entire advertising campaign.  

Parika Sikder

What is your current title or role? (ie. freelance designer, art practitioner, etc.)

Currently, I work as a Copywriter at Isobar Canada which is a digital innovation agency in the Dentsu Network.
 

Why did you choose to attend OCAD U?

I chose OCAD U for a number of reasons. While many of them were personal, I knew that this school was going to be the catalyst that equipped me with the tools and resources I needed to have a creative career when I had zero connections and zero knowledge of how to get started. 

Advertising - 2019/2020

Olivia Viola

How did you get started in your career?

It was all thanks to OCADU’s Grad Exhibition. I was approached by an Associate Creative Director at an Experiential Marketing agency. He thought my display stood out from the rest and gave me his card. After interviewing with him, I got my first Junior Art Director job.

I was very interested in exploring the different avenues of Advertising and Design. After experiencing the startup world through an internship I had during my undergrad, I decided I wanted to try working at another startup, where I worked as both a UX/UI Designer and an Art Director. From there I felt a need for agency life, so I began working as Art Director and Designer for a couple of agencies.

Jiu Yue (Mary) Chen

Tinder has always been perceived as the 21st century way of meeting potential romantic partners,especially popular among millennial who craves for occasional ego boost. During my exchange period in Melbourne, I resorted to tinder not for the popular reasons its known for, but to have the pure intention of simply meeting...people // This is the documentation of my conversations with those creative spirits I've crossed path with thanks to Tinder. 

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Hanieh taghizadeh

Vibeke Silverthorne

Ray Yuanrui Zhang

Tommy Yong

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