Mariana Quinn realized that with just one week to go, two spots remained for the Skills Ontario competition – one of the largest competitions in Canada for skilled trades and technologies. Despite the limited time, the online Graphic Design student decided to participate. "It [was] quite a busy time in the school year for Graphic Design students, but I thought it would be a fun way to end my first year, so I submitted the application, and I was good to go!"
This year's virtual competition meant Mariana could compete from her home office using her familiar computer setup. "For this competition, we were tasked with a manga cover design. So, I had to finalize the book's theme and story, create a logo for the manga, and design the front and back covers. I then brought the finished designs into photoshop to create a digital mock-up, and with the mock-up, we then had to create three digital ads," she explains.
Mariana competed in the six-hour-long competition and placed second and won Silver. This meant she was eligible to move on and compete at the Skills Canada National Competition! "To be honest, since I was just finishing my first year, I didn't expect to be chosen to compete at Skills Canada because I was competing against competitors with a lot more experience than I felt that I had," she says.
However, being at an early stage in her career was an advantage. To compete at Skills Canada and qualify for the world competition, you must be under 23. So her skills and age made her the perfect candidate to move on, and she booked her ticket to Vancouver. "I was grateful for the opportunity to test my skills and see what I could create, putting into practice the skills I have been building all year."
Arriving at the Skills Canada National Competition
"For Skills Canada, it was both a similar yet completely new experience," Mariana explains. The Skills Canada National Competition took place over two days in Vancouver, with a different design prompt each day that had to be completed within six hours. "At Skills Canada, our design prompts were a bit more detailed and complicated. They were designed to prepare us for what to expect at the World Skills Competition if we were to win and go on to compete there," she explains.
On the first day, Mariana's task was to create a 12-page magazine. She says, "It began with a masthead design for the magazine that I had to finalize and print out in different sizes. With the finalized masthead, we were then to incorporate that on the magazine cover. All the images were provided, but I had to make photoshop composites, which combine two or more images into one. I designed the cover art using this process and three other images that needed to be used in the magazine's articles. Following this, I had to format all the typography provided using paragraph style sheets properly."
During the second day, Mariana began by making a logo design for a sustainable brush company. The logo was then used to create package designs for two brush companies. "Creating die lines for packaging is a process I have become accustomed to while at Centennial, so this went quite smoothly. The second part was a new experience for me. The packaging had to be printed and assembled to hold the actual brushes. It was quite challenging but an interesting process to tackle," she says.
After two days of competition, Mariana placed third! "I was honestly so shocked when I won Bronze, and looking back on some of the photos from the day, you can just see my elation. I was competing with skilled individuals from all over Canada, and I felt honoured to even place next to them," she says.
Check out the award ceremony below:
Mariana is about to enter the second year of her program in the fall and shares that she enjoys how much she has learned. "The professors have all been so helpful, offering help where needed and taking the time to explain unfamiliar content. Overall, this is the right direction for myself and my career. With each new assignment and new skill I learn, I get an increased sense of fulfillment."
Graphic Design is the second degree Mariana is pursuing, having earned her Bachelor in Fine Arts before enrolling at Centennial. "After graduating from that program, I realized that I saw fine arts as more of a hobby and was gravitated to digital design and what I could pursue with that," she explains. "I have always been interested in the design industry and digital design, but the pandemic changed my view of what I wanted for my life and career. It offered me the perfect opportunity to pursue a career that I am passionate about."
In preparation for both the Skills Ontario and Skills Canada National Competition, Mariana says she relied on the advice and teachings from her professors when making design decisions. "Time management is quite different in the Skills competitions because you only have six hours. I found the time management strategies I've learned in school helped me finish each day's task," she adds.
“The Graphic Design program at Centennial has helped format my way of thinking into that of a designer, which is one of the most helpful things this program has given me. I just finished my first year, and I am excited to see how my skills continue to develop and where my abilities as a designer take me from here.”
Congratulations, Mariana, on this outstanding accomplishment!
Article by: Alexandra Few
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