Check Out Dashboard

Catherine Baird—Dashboard

 

Catherine Baird is a former graduate of the Web Design program and currently an Associate Creative Director at Dashboard. From building and training the team of art directors, designers and animators to art directing and leading every project that comes through the door... Her passion for type, photography and design sets the standard for the agency.

 

She was hired on the spot at the Year End show at Sheridan by Ecentricarts, and the rest is an exciting timeline that is still moving forward. She gained experience and then moved to Henderson Bas and was promoted to Art Director and then to ACD. Catharine then moved to France! Where she worked for Semegauche in Paris—sounds very glamorous—but I am sure it was very challenging designing in another language. Catharine then returned as a freelancer to Dashboard and
has been there since and moved up in the company to
Associate Creative Director.

Dashboard is a small agency made up of 35+ unique friends who push each other, brainstorm, build ideas share recipes, battle it out in video games, take breaks to KFC have jam Sessions, legendary parties and create ingenious work...

Some of these clients & campaigns include:

ING Direct

• a fun and supportive client – campaigns include THRIVETASTIC - a social media & PR campaign

Sporting Life

• radio to print, invites, banner ads, microsites
• Dashboard is doing it all...

The Grid

• ilstings magazine – focused on bands and arts and culture
• Rebranded online and gave a Badge value to neighbourhood – so a hyper local level – content coming into actual neighbor hoods
• Used hashtags – ie EMT  and YELP – a social integration

Santa Claus Parade

• A pro-bono project - rebranded the oldest parade in the world with a contemporary feel and digital slant creating an interactive mosaic with apps, microsites and social media—an amazing success.

5 Steps to Success

1. Be a really, REALLY good designer
   
   
2. Understand (and love) technology
   
   
3. Learn video editing, frame by frame flash animation, and social media
   (video editing -premiere, aftereffects, Final cut pro)
   
   
4. Understand what UX and IA are – think what the user experience is before you design —Guide a client into organizing a usable structure
   
   
5. Work hard, be flexible and keep up

Your goal is to have clients trust you

Catherine Baird

Associate Creative Director

Catharine will be adding to her family this year so contact

  peter@dashboard.com

http://twitter.com/#!/WEAREDASHBOARD

355 Adelaide St. W. Suite 100
Toronto, Ontario M5V 1S2

THE TAXI: Its how we get there

Stephen Coomber — Interactive Designer at TAXI 

stephen@coomberville.com

Stephen Coomber 

from Taxi walked in our classroom at Sheridan in hoodie + jeans and seemed like anyone of us in the class that morning. But behind his laid back look — his design experience is anything but. Stephen has a wealth of experience and many creative campaigns behind him. He was generous enough to share his knowledge of the interactive world with the Sheridan post grad students.

Stephen graduated from the web design program at Sheridan and then started his career at Organic —a web-based company here in Toronto. He then moved to Y & R in Toronto a corporate giant and business driven agency. It was 9-5 but not as much creativity given to the designer. With already much experience, Stephen wanted a position that he could use his creativity and Taxi was definitely this—with many awards on their shelves for successful creative campaigns. However, with creativity comes rewards but also entails long hours. Stephen then proceeded to give us a presentation “A Day at Taxi – Enjoy the Ride!”

Stephen’s overview of Taxi gave us a glimpse on a everyday projects and environment. Cool projects like travelling to NYC staying in the Tribeca Grand (my personal favourite when I visit - personal white noise in your room to a great "perfect 10 martini" down at the bar ...ok I had to add that in!) Stephen did a video shoot in NYC among other projects using green screens, actors throwing lightning bolts and video editing—all very cool—to working on a top secret House makeover site for Canadian Tire here in Scarborough.

Taxi has a creative environment—but it is not open concept. There are open spaces but many designers have their own small offices with walls—which Stephen prefers—so he can "hunker down and work". The teams do meet together in open spaces in the office with information architects, web developers, designers with a plethora of Timmy's coffee and donuts to get the creative juices flowing. However, after all the meetings and briefings, Stephen only starts to work on the mac around 4:00pm so you can imagine there are many late nights.

Stephen shared that as many of us know there is many social events and networking is key to meeting peers in your field. He also gave us some invaluable and straight forward advice.

FIND A MENTOR

They know your new job better than you.

And you will want to return the favour and pay forward.

NEVER TAKE A SHOTGUN

Always sit in the drivers seat and take control of your career.

LEARN & NETWORK

Go to seminars and learn the latest....

and meet industry people (sometimes this may be after hours in a bar singing karaoke)

TWEET

Let them tell you
@mashable, @theNextWeb, @taxiCanada

DRINK BEER

The creative industry is very much a social scene...
connections often happen after hours.

I appreciated this advice –– but since I am not a beer drinker—I personally will substitute a martini or on the healthy side of things a coconut water... 

“Don’t take yourself too seriously — Be passionate and have fun”
Stephen Coomber       

Taxi is renowned for winning award after award for brilliant creative and won Agency of the Decade in Canada. As a creative, it sounds like the place to be.