Hello potential students and eventual alumni (possibly). My name is Aaron Mallin and I am a Director and a graduate of the Electronic Media Design program at Langara College in Vancouver. These days my main area of focus is TV and film served with a side dish of graphic design. I have been working in my field for about 2 years give or take. Previous to Langara, I was a habitual doodler and a non-technical person. The last time I was into computers, I was using command line to run.exe for a game called Space Quest. I had been working in retail for some time, gone to school for business and general studies, but found it wasn’t quite for me.
There are so many schools. There seems to be a carnival of tents with different attractions and prizes to take home.
Eye Contact
There are so many schools. There seems to be a carnival of tents with different attractions and prizes to take home, all claiming to be the fastest, brightest, exciting and whatever programs. I must have met with a dozen “Advisors”, “Career Counselors”, “Program Heads” and others whose titles were probably only in existence to form a cool acronym on their business cards. The entire process took a couple months of researching to narrow the tent selection down to a chosen few. For me, the choice was based heavily on convenience (location) and enticement (computer). As I said, I had little or no computer experience. I did not know any one making a living creatively that was worth talking to, so I just took it for face value and committed to the unknown.
The Drink
In my gut, I definitely questioned where Langara sat on the creative chart knowing Vancouver had Emily Carr, Capilano College, AI, VFS, etc…all schools known and defined by the art students they pump out. Langara is known for transfer students and whatever, I digress. I had a meeting with the Program Head where I was supposed to bring in a “portfolio”. I showed up to this office with 8.5 x 11in ink jet paper with drawings on them I had done the night before, which by the way I carried into the office in a yellow paper folder (the kind you have to bend and fold the metal clips in the inside of to hold the paper in place). He looked through the 3 or so drawings and asked me a few questions regarding where I’d been and what type of work I had done before. The interview seemed pretty regimented and standard looking back at it. I do remember leaving with a good feeling about the school and my upcoming new life with a Mac computer.
During the course of the program it was very intense right from the first power up. 15 students enrolled in my class and we had a summer start in May. By December, there were only 8 people left. I’m being nice by making it 8 because we were always complaining about one person who seemed to have a VIP schedule for coming to class when it was convenient for them. There’s always going to be one person who manages to push everyone’s buttons. Again I digress.
The point is that the program you choose will get crazy in terms of what’s expected, as did the EMD program.
The point is that the program you choose will get crazy in terms of what’s expected, as did the EMD program. It’s just a part of the process and you will get through it as others have. When I went to Langara, I was at an off campus location that was less of school and more of a generic building. It was actually run by the people who train ambulance drivers, so there was no 24 hour access to a working lab. This is something that was a huge draw back during group project time. People had lives, families, and jobs so this made things difficult but not impossible. I now believe the EMD program has a full-time computer lab with 24 hour access. It makes my point mute for the future but applicable for my experience.
I found all the instructors except for a couple to be very current and talented in terms of their work and personalities. This is very important to note, that for a school that could just stick anybody in front of the class to teach, EMD has chosen some of the sickest designers in the country hands down. If you don’t believe me, check for their names and portfolios on the web and on the GDC website. Instructors will be more than willing to be there for you if they see that you are putting in the effort. This wasn’t just limited to the time spent in the program, but after as well. When I graduated, I was maintained contact with instructors regarding feedback on projects, companies to apply to and all the stuff I was still clueless about.
The downside to the program is that its length is very short with a sink or swim mentality. It’s worked amazing for some and has been not so forgiving for others. The upside to EMD is that when that totally encompassing feeling of “I had enough I can’t do this anymore” passes at the end of the year, it will give you a point of reflection and a chance to breathe. This is before entering the second and third year respectively in the Communication & Ideation program, which is supposed to act as the creative development part of the EMD experience. EMD compared to the Communication & Ideation program is more focused on teaching the tools you will need, opposed to further developing creative thought and process. However, as that sounds a bit misleading towards the program, EMD is taught by award winning designers who have a personal interest in seeing your growth as you learn the tools of production in addition to the tools of process.
One of the things I wanted you to take away from this is that your level of experience prior to the program doesn’t matter whatsoever.
Morning After
One of the things I wanted you to take away from this is that your level of experience prior to the program doesn’t matter whatsoever. The instructors know that everyone is coming in from different backgrounds and they will adjust accordingly. Yes there will be people in your class who know what a blind emboss with a clear coat varnish is and that is okay. It will be intimidating at first, frustrating to say the least, but you will get there if you put in the work. This is completely applicable to any school that you end up choosing, you will only get out of it what you put in.
The school you choose or why you chose it will not matter. The only thing that matters is where you end up as a designer. With the end result in mind, EMD is great because there is a chance to further development as a designer in the Communication & Ideation program. It’s actually suggested that everyone enrolls in it because the worst thing is going to an interview and hearing from potential employers that you’re not ready yet to be employed as Junior Designer.
My final thought regarding the EMD program is it’s designed to get you in, get your feet wet, and make you want to jump in for more. It’s a great program but you have to anticipate that you may need to take the Communication & Ideation program to find that career you’re looking for. The underlying theme of all the posts on this site and at any institution is it’s up to you to make something of the experience.
120am – This is my company.
Vincent Garcia – This is my partner at 120am.
LifeSoDigital – I’m also a partner here.
Domestic – And an art director for this clothing line.
Domestic – This is their blog.
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