Articles

Guides

• Federal Government Security Clearance
  A Student Guide to Government of Canada Security Clearances For Graphic Design Students Interested in Federal Careers
• Intro to FSWEP
  The FSWEP is the main entry point for students who want paid work experience with the Government of Canada, including in design, communications, and related roles.

Advice

• Portfolio Prep for Junior Designers
  Your portfolio is one of the spokes in your brand. It’s the most important artifact to support your hiring argument.
• Intro to Post-Secondary Life
  Welcome to the Graphic Design program. This guide gives you advice for your first year. Use it to settle in. Use it to succeed.
• Job Titles and Sectors: Where to Look
  A job search often starts with one search term: Graphic Designer. That term covers only part of the field. Postings use many other titles for the same work.
• Build a Brand That Makes Your Case
  A guide for junior designers: what a personal brand really is, what it is not, and why everything else you make fits inside it.
• Build a Portfolio That Speaks for You
  Your portfolio is the most important thing you make as a junior designer. A resume lists what you have done. A portfolio proves it. Treat it as your most important design project. This guide follows the work roughly in order, from the audit that starts it to the life it has once it ships.
• Juggling Multiple Offers?
  Juggling more than one fieldwork offer is a good problem to have, but it can feel stressful.
• Small Daily Steps
  Seeing your transition to industry on the horizon may cause anxiety about the future. That’s normal. Here’s the thing: the best antidote to anxiety is action.
• Summer Portfolio Development
  This unofficial summer assignment is designed to help you kickstart your professional network to gain valuable insights for building your portfolio.
• Handling Interview Anxiety
  Meeting new people and sharing your work can feel intimidating, but there are practical strategies to make the experience easier and more rewarding.
• A Designer’s Résumé
  Your résumé should be an error-free, creatively written, professionally designed business document which evolves with you as a designer.