The show launches with a reception for family and friends on the evening of Sunday, April 18, and is open to the public throughout its run. Members of the professional design community are invited to meet the rising young talent and view their work at a special industry reception on the evening of Tuesday, April 20. The exhibition will close with an external assessment in which more than 30 established designers are invited to give individualized feedback to each of the graduates poised to join the professional ranks.

The York/Sheridan Design Grad Show is a harbinger of future directions in the industry. The student exhibition team has produced a fresh conceptual approach and exciting new format for the show, aimed at portraying the distinctive creative voices and collective spirit of these up-and-coming designers. For a glimpse into the intriguing range of talent, originality and inventiveness found in the YSDN graduating class, visit the exhibition website www.ysdn10.com.

Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, YSDN is a national leader in graphic design education. Offered jointly by York University and Oakville’s Sheridan Institute, it combines the faculty and resources of two leading institutions in an intensive, four-year Bachelor of Design (Honours) program focusing on education in visual communication, information design and interactive multimedia informed by design history and theory. While imparting the practical techniques and skills for professional work in the challenging field of graphic design, the program encourages creative and critical thinking, collaboration and the leadership skills essential for success in design for the future.

Over the past decade, the stellar achievements of YSDN students have been recognized through a host of awards from leading provincial, national and international design organizations and publications, including the Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario, Applied Arts magazine, Coupe magazine, the Adobe Design Achievement Awards, Advertising & Design Club of Canada Student Awards, and Society of Graphic Designers of Canada National Scholarship Awards.

Alumni of the program have gone on to establish successful careers in Canada and around the world. Recent graduates include Fawad Mehrzad (BDes 2008), motion designer for CTV, whose most recent project was the 2010 Winter Olympics; Jane Speed (BDes 2000), principal and founder of Toronto design studio Carte Blanche Creative specializing in both print and web projects for international hotel chains and other brands; Liang Zhang (BDes 2006), art director at the Brooklyn, NY-based international design agency HUGE Inc; graphic designer and researcher Janice Fung (BDes 2004), who went on to earn a PhD in Architecture from the Mackintosh School of Architecture, Glasgow School of Art and is now a principal of JF design in Toronto; Michael Tjioe (BDes 2008), the graphic designer on Research in Motion’s BlackBerry Brand team; Sharis Shahmiryan (BDes 2007), award-winning editorial feature designer for The Toronto Star; and Mark Okon (BDes 2007), motion and print designer with the ad agency Wieden+Kennedy in Tokyo, Japan.

What:   York/Sheridan Design Grad Show 2010

When:  April 18-21

Sun. April 18, 6-10pm: Friends & Family Night – speakers at 7pm

Mon. April 19, 10am-5pm

Tues. April 20, 10am-5pm | Industry Reception 6-10pm – speakers at 7pm

Wed. April 21, 10am-4pm 

Where: The Fermenting Cellar, Building 58, Suite 200, Distillery Historic District, 55 Mill St. Toronto

Admission: Free

Info:  http://ysdn10.com/

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Media Contact:
Amy Stewart, Communications, Faculty of Fine Arts, York University
416.650.8469 | amy.stewart@yorku.ca