What the VFS Digital Design program lacks in years, it makes up for in product. To celebrate the success of the 2nd Digital Design graduating class, program administration held an awards ceremony designed to honour the year’s high-performers and the class’s brilliant works.

Three former students of VFS’s Foundation Visual Art & Design program – Jose Capili, Chris Abbas, and Amy Wong – figured prominently in the outcome of the awards. VFS met with each of them and got their opinions on how Foundation prepared them for success in Digital Design.

Ground work: Building your Foundation

The Foundation program equips students with experience in a variety of creative fields, popular artforms, and industry tools. It also prepares them to enroll in a variety of the other production programs offered at VFS, including 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Classical Animation, Film Production, Game Design, and Digital Design.

Jose, Chris, and Amy took this “taster course” and each fell in love with the artistic freedom the digital design medium offered.

“Foundation was boot camp,” Chris says. “Try to imagine doing back flips with one arm, only three fingers, and a constant yearning to sleep, while taking notes in a lecture. It was a lot to take in, but it was worth it.” And with their feet properly under them, all three enrolled in the VFS Digital Design program.

(Not) Just Another Awards Ceremony

Jose, Chris, and Amy were all nominated in multiple categories and received prestigious awards.

Jose Capili’s attention to detail and motivational skills landed him the Best Project Management award. The project itself was a style and branding guide for a fictional nightclub named Lounge Five. “I was just happy I created something that meets industry standards.” Jose’s project has since been chosen to represent Digital Design on the program’s touring showreel.

Chris Abbas’s motion graphics film Aelaris won Best Motion Design. “When I received the award for Best Motion Design I felt flattered and a little embarrassed. Speaking in front of a large audience makes me, for the lack of a better word, stupefied.”And Amy Wong’s support work on a variety of projects was recognized with the Best Designer in a Supporting Role award. “I helped in story structure on some projects, I helped with video shooting on others, I edited images and also helped with some programming consultation. I’ve learned so much just by helping others.”

The Thin Edge

Jose, Chris, and Amy credit Foundation for sparking their drive to succeed. “Foundation was so full of knowledge – not only about design, but also about filmmaking, animation, acting, and writing.” Amy says. Chris adds, “The workflow of Foundation forced me to organize my time and thoughts into neat little boxes each meticulously labeled with color-coded markers. With so much to do and so little turnaround, Foundation prepared me for the harsh deadlines in Digital Design.”

All three students have been gainfully employed in design roles since graduation: Chris and Jose are working for Vancouver’s Lightroom FX and Riptown, respectively, and Amy is freelancing in Peru.