New looks for Toronto: York-Sheridan grad show

WHAT: York/Sheridan Design Grad Show 2010
WHEN: April 18 – 21, 2010
WHERE: Fermenting Cellar in Toronto’s Distillery District
HOW MUCH: Free
Spacing is happy to present selected works from the upcoming York/Sheridan Design Grad Show 2010, the graduation exhibition of the 2010 class of the York/Sheridan Joint Program in Design (YSDN). The outstanding work of this year’s 106 graduates will be on display April 18 – 21 at the Fermenting Cellar in Toronto’s Distillery District.

The exhibition 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 selected pieces of work represent the types of projects students have been working on over the last two semesters. We’ve also selected these three projects because they reflect a shared sensibility with Spacing and our readers.

1. Toronto On The Move
: by Jason Wall, Duk Han Lee, Hila Zwergel

Toronto On The Move is a proposed series of interactive installations designed for the corridor at Spadina Station, one of the TTC’s major hubs, which invites users to discover the uniqueness of Toronto. Other than the occasional presence of busker musicians, the corridor currently feels like an endless, drab space to the thousands of commuters who walk through it daily. We propose to enhance the commuting experience with three installations that employ sensors, video
cameras, and screens to showcase the diverse sites that one can explore in Toronto. Since Spadina Station serves as a transit gateway to the downtown core, the installations promote specific events and destinations that can be enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. Users can ride a stationary bicycle through High Park, jump on a mat to make a ball ascend the CN Tower, or
interact with their own silhouette to see a dance performance.

View the installation videos: example 1, example 2, and example 3

2. Touch Toronto: by Marcelo Hong

Touch Toronto is a proposal for a pedestrian way-finding system that uses the newest technologies and combines it with traditional way-finding navigation to offer Torontonians new and fun ways to discover creative places in the city. The main areas/topics were Literature, Arts/Design, Fashion, Film/Theatre, and Music. The solution features a touch-screen kiosk that reads user’s temperature (much like mood rings) and gives feedback on their mood. Based on their mood and choice of category, the device gives a feedback of suggested places that are within a 5-minute walking distance.

3. Toronto Transit Rebranding
: by Victoria Pallotta

The corporate identity for Toronto Transit (a re-branded TTC) is one that is clean, fresh, and consistent throughout all applications of the agency. The new approach that Toronto Transit is taking, in its’ re-branding, is one that will elevate the agency to higher levels, bring awareness, and a new outlook through the many changes the agency has implemented. The green colour palette is representative of the move towards a more environmental approach to public transit services. The new logo combines two arrows together, both leading in opposite directions, representing back and fourth movement (getting from point A to point B). The symbol is a strong, clean, and easily recognizable mark and one that is representative of the service that Toronto Transit offers.

INFO ON YORK/SHEDIDAN PROGRAM: Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, YSDN is a national leader in graphic design education. Offered jointly by York University and Sheridan Institute, it combines the faculty and resources of two leading institutions in an intensive, four-year honours Bachelor of Design 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.