Submitted by Merivale HS Teacher, Irv Osterer:
SHSM (Specialist High Skills Major) Students at Merivale High School, doing the compulsory SPCE (Sector Partner Contextualized Experience) certification, presented their product advertising work to the regional manager of DeSerres Ottawa, Mr. Thomas Baribault.
Thomas had previously sent the school some art materials that he and his staff wished to give higher profile in the DeSerres stores. A few of the kids were working down the wire on this – but made it! The student work is terrific, and some of it is really outside the box!
Thomas spoke to each of the students one on one, and gave feedback to each of them on how they should proceed with their final comprehensives which due at the end of the month. The students in turn presented and defended their concepts and design choices. The finished artwork will be dry mounted to foamcore panels by the DeSerres people and used for the Christmas displays in December in the St Laurent Shopping Centre flagship store.
One interesting wrinkle that Thomas added (much like those surprise ingredients on the food channel cooking competitions) was the introduction of some new promotionals designed by an advertising agency in Paris for DeSerres. Thomas asked the students to try and incorporate some of the motifs, design elements and colours used in these promos into their finished work.
Irv Osterer, Teacher, SHSM Lead
This was a terrific surprise — and quite in line with what happens in the field. I am trying to make these assignments and workshops real for the kids.They had real design perimeters and deadlines, and they met them… Thomas was elated with what he saw.
