York/Sheridan design students were recently honoured with several national awards for excellence in design by the Society of Graphic Designers (SGD), Canada's national graphic design association. The annual SGD competition awarded a total of four scholarships and four honourable mentions, and York/Sheridan design students won three of the four scholarships and took one of the accolades of merit.
"York/Sheridan design students kicked some serious butt," said David Scadding, Chair of York's Department of Design, with unrestrained enthusiasm. "Taking the lion's share of the top prizes and an honourable mention, too, is a terrific achievement. It's evidence of our students' intellectual engagement in the studio, creative talents and commitment to professional excellence."
Plaudits go to the following 4th-year York/Sheridan design students:
Cecilia Mok, under the guidance of Sheridan design Professor Katalin Kovats, was awarded the $2,500 Veer Scholarship for her stamps and accessories packaging project (right).
Sarah Anderson's efforts, under the mentorship of Sheridan design Professor Willem Hart, yielded the $1,000 Aquent Scholarship for her "803 Font" promotional poster.
Lucia Chu, under the guidance of York design Professor Angela Iarocci, captured the $1,000 Applied Arts Magazine Scholarship for her stretch packaging project.
An honourable mention went to Joanna Jung, under the mentorship of Sheridan design Professor Mary Ann Maruska, for her multimedia project titled Accidental Arrangements.
Click here to view the winning design projects.
Co-ordinated by SGD, the scholarships are funded by Veer, Adobe Canada, Aquent Design and Applied Arts magazine – some of Canada's top design-related companies. Additionally, the winners will be profiled on the SGD national Web site, in the SGD newsletter, and receive prominent coverage in Applied Arts magazine, as well as other Canadian design publications.
The SGD National Scholarship Awards encourage and support students in taking their design education to a level that will better prepare them for professional practice. The competition is open to students who are enrolled as full-time students in a second, third or four-year graphic design program in Canada, are returning to school to continue their studies, and are student members of the SGD, Société des designers graphiques du Québec or Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario.
"York/Sheridan design students also took the majority of top honours at the 2005 annual Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario competition," proudly noted Scadding. "When the results are officially announced, another success story is definitely in order."
The York/Sheridan Joint Program in Design, Ontario's first Bachelor of Design degree program, provides a professional education in a humanistic context. It is offered jointly by York University and the Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Oakville.
This article was submitted to YFile by Mary-Lou Schagena, Faculty of Fine Arts.