Who are we?
We are educators from the Graphic Design Diploma program at VCC, and as the COVID-19 crisis recently pushed our face-to-face design program into emergency online delivery, we found ourselves immediately thinking of ways that we could use our new approaches for a unique online event in our industry.
The #connectedbydesignvcc team is made up of VCC Digital Media department head Anne Emberline and instructional assistant Elaine Smith working together with some of our very best alumni in true COVID-19 era collaboration – entirely online.
100% of the ticket sales from this event will be donated to the VCC COVID-19 Emergency Bursary Fund to support students in need.

Our Approach
Active Learning
One of the things that makes learning at VCC so special is our passionate focus on experiential and active learning. We push to leave behind boring passive lectures and instead constantly innovate more engaging forms of learning where students discuss, research, create, design, and critique.
For this event, we’ve used this expertise in innovative learning design to bring you a unique interactive experience that will leave you inspired, enriched, and hopefully more well-connected in the industry.
&
Online Networking
We know how energizing it is to make new friends and colleagues, so during the event you’ll be discussing and collaborating in groups that are big enough to have good energy but small enough that you can still form genuine social connections.
We’ll also make sure to prompt you to share your contact info so you can continue your conversations (and collaborations) once the event is finished.
The
Design
Team
Just a bunch of passionate design weirdos working together

Anne Emberline
VCC Digital Media Department Head & director of Connected by Design.

Elaine Smith
VCC Digital Media Instructional Assistant and project facilitator for Connected by Design.

Talia Kerr
Graphic Designer and Digital Marketing Coordinator at City Spaces and design consultant for Connected by Design.

Diana Hojdan
Graphic Designer at Hot Soup Media Group and social media coordinator and web designer for Connected by Design.

Wei-Li Cheng
Freelance Apparel and Graphic Designer and illustrator and designer for Connected by Design.

Margerie Fahrni
Freelance Graphic and Web Designer and graphic designer and developer for Connected by Design.
Meet our Amazing Grads
You’ll also see some of our amazing grads at the event. The students below are just finishing their two-years of study and we couldn’t be more proud of how much they’ve grown in their time with us. Check out their portfolios below to see their work (and maybe hire them too).






Our Sponsors
#connectedbydesignvcc has been supported by the following sponsors. Thank you!




