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The future of graphic design

Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thrusday, April 30, 2009

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - For the second consecutive year members of Thomas Simpson School's graphic design club have proven their skills at the territorial level.

Three members of the club competed in the graphic design category at the 2009 Territorial Skills Competition in Yellowknife on April 21. Jarvis Tsetso took second place in the category and Charlene Gargan earned a Spirit Award. Daphne Squirrel competed in the event for the first time.

NNSL Photo/Graphic

Daphne Squirrel, left, Jarvis Tsetso and Charlene Gargan used all of their computer skills and creative talents while competing in graphic design at the 2009 Territorial Skills Competition on April 21 - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

All three of the students - including Tsetso and Gargan who were competing for their second time - were challenged by the competition.

"It was harder," said Tsetso.

The students were given six hours to complete a series of tasks related to promoting a Walt Disney cruise. Assignments included creating a logo, a postcard, a newspaper ad and editing a photo. While racing against the clock, the Fort Simpson students were also competing against one student from Yellowknife and two from Inuvik.

Creating the newspaper ad was the most challenging part, said Tsetso. The task required deciding how to arrange pictures and text that had been supplied.

Despite working for hours in front of a computer Tsetso said he didn't think he performed that well and wasn't expecting to hear his name called during the awards ceremony.

"I was surprised," he said about taking second place.

Charlene Gargan was also surprised to hear her name called for a Spirit Award.

Introduced this year, the award was given to participants who displayed a good attitude, perseverance and determination during the competition, said Jan Fullerton, the executive director for Skills Canada NWT.

Eight competitors out of the approximately 80 at the event were given one of the awards. The competition is all about promoting skilled trades and technology to Northern youth, said Fullerton.

The competition also gives students the chance to test their skills and see what they are capable of, she said.

The competition has helped inspire Gargan, who has applied to take the digital media design program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. Gargan said she enjoys a number of aspects of graphic design, including working with technology and adding effects on photos.

Daphne Squirrel said she had fun at the competition and that it lived up to her expectations.

"I thought it would be challenging, and it was challenging," she said.

Competing in graphic design requires a working knowledge of a number of computer programs, said Nathalie Lavoie, an art teacher at Thomas Simpson School and the founder of the graphic design club.

To prepare for the competition, the students familiarized themselves with the Adobe Creative Suite that includes Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign programs.

"You could spend hundreds of hours learning every tool and detail," Lavoie said.

Last year, students in the club learned about the basics of the programs and graphic design. This year they built on those skills.

Graphic design is involved in the production any product that combines graphics and text, ranging from magazines to packaging for a product, said Lavoie.

To spend six hours looking at a computer screen and successfully complete the tasks at the competition is intense, she added.

"To be competing at this level it's quite an achievement to come back with a medal," said Lavoie.