Kaitlyn Pontanilla

[kpontanilla]

Collaborative Project → CRI710 Research Project

In the fall semester of my final year, my group conducted research on location-based real-time dating (LBRTD) applications in order to answer the question: are LBRTD app users getting what they want from Tinder and Bumble? 

A large portion of my research focused on the concepts of impression management and user intention. My responsibilities to the group included synthesizing the group’s secondary research into the literature review, and explaining the primary research methodology and potential ethical lapses. This project was an excellent way to enhance my teamwork and communication skills, both within the group and outwards to our research participants. I gained useful knowledge understanding ethics in research, and coding skills in analyzing research data. 

[kpontanilla]

Freelance Project → The Fulton Sisters Branded Signs 

I have been working as a receptionist at a real estate office for the past couple of years. More recently, the third generations of Fultons commissioned me to create large-print for sale signs that matched their new team branding. Working closely with the sisters, I was able to create eye-catching and memorable signage to be used on posts for their properties for sale and lease. Photo editing was completed in Adobe Photoshop, with the main boards completed in Adobe Illustrator. 

Follow The Fulton Sisters here.

[kpontanilla]

Freelance Project → Kentaro Derry’s Exodus Cover Art

A close friend of mine recommended me to an old high school friend that was hoping to get some cover art done for an upcoming Soundcloud mix that he was in the process of producing. Derry’s vision for the cover art was celestial: many of the photos from his moodboard were of planets and the galaxy. With this in mind, I worked closely with Derry to get his perfect galaxy image. 

Fun fact: This was all done using my Macbook’s trackpad. No mouse or tablet was used in the making of this piece. someone please buy me a tablet so I don’t have to suffer

[kpontanilla]

School Project → GCM110: Final Project

For my final project, I created a set of 14 tips and tricks to typography in graphic design. In the above samples, I have outlined the basic characteristics of type, and the concepts of kerning, tracking and leading. These infographics were created on Adobe Illustrator. 

[kpontanilla]

School Project → CRI300 Project: 130mood:trbl Art

Inspired by tracks from Korean R&B singer DEAN’s debut album 130mood: trbl, I created a three-piece line art project using Adobe Illustrator. Photo inspiration was used in the case of the models, with some areas strategically filled to add visual interest to the pieces. 

[kpontanilla]

School Project → GCM120: Original Comic Book Cover

In our culminating project of the course, each student was assigned an adjective randomly generated based on the first letter of our names. From there, we could choose to make a comic book or children’s book cover with an original protagonist. Using the adjective “forgetful,” I created Miss Place, a kickass superhero ready to save the day...once she remembers where she placed her glasses. The appearance of the character looks like me because, quite frankly, I am just as forgetful. The project was done on Adobe Illustrator. 

[kpontanilla]

Collaborative Project → GCM720: Magazine Publishing [Pt. 2 - Feature Spread]

In the winter semester of my third year of university, I took a magazine production class as part of my Publishing & Printing module requirements. This semester-long project enabled me work with people I have never worked with before to produce and publish a 15-page magazine using any style of our choice. My group’s overall aesthetic for our magazine Paste surrounded DIY or “copy and paste” culture, grunge, and vintage.

Another one of my tasks was to write an article and design the page that was cohesive with the rest of the magazine’s established aesthetic. I wrote about how to get creative, and used textures and doodles to play up the DIY/scrapbook feel of the page. This spread was created on Adobe InDesign.

[kpontanilla]

Collaborative Project → GCM720: Magazine Publishing [Pt. 1 - Kensington Market Advertisements]

In the winter semester of my third year of university, I took a magazine production class as part of my Publishing & Printing module requirements. This semester-long project enabled me work with people I have never worked with before to produce and publish a 15-page magazine using any style of our choice. My group’s overall aesthetic for our magazine Paste surrounded DIY or “copy and paste” culture, grunge, and vintage.

I was tasked to create the inside front double-page ad spread. As the photographs that my team members took during a trip to Kensington Market were already striking enough, I decided to keep text to a short but powerful line each. I went for “not your dad’s jeans” and “not your mom’s minivan” to emphasize the secondhand nature of many stores at Kensington. I had also created the logo to match the aesthetic of the rest of the ad (Kensington Market does not have their own official logo). These ads were created in Adobe InDesign.

[kpontanilla]

Collaborative Project → FCAR 2019 Merchandise

As part of my position as the Graphics Director of the Filipino Canadian Association of Ryerson (FCAR), the co-VPs of Marketing and I have taken the initiative of creating new merchandise for our execs and general members to purchase. Our team of three was responsible for coming up with a list of typical Filipino phrases. Ultimately, it was my job to create the designs to be put forward into the final round of choosing phrases. 

This is the first writing system of the Philippines, baybayin. Before the colonization of the islands by Spain, this native writing system was used across the Philippines, with slight variations between tribes and provinces/regions. A friend from the States introduced me to the writing form and history, and I’ve made it my own mission to learn more about it and inform people about this fading piece of Philippine history. Similar to Hangul/Korean, each block of characters represents a syllable. In the end, I created fourteen designs using Adobe Illustrator. Keep an eye out, folks! Merchandise to come! #FCARLove

Show us some #FCARlove! Follow us on Instagram!

[kpontanilla]

Collaborative Project → FCAR Graphic Designs

Since October 2017, I have been lucky enough to be a part of the Filipino Canadian Association of Ryerson (FCAR) as their Graphics Director. In my position, I collaborate closely with the co-VPs of Marketing, Social Media Director, and VP Events to create promotional material for our upcoming events. These graphics need to be complete two weeks before each event. Drafts are sent to this group of execs for feedback and changes, then passed onto the Social Media Director for publishing.

Show us some #FCARlove! Follow us on Instagram!

[kpontanilla]

Collaborative Project → East End Arts’ Weekend of Words

As part of my final project as an East End Arts intern, I was asked to put together the mail-out postcards and social media material for their program “Weekend of Words.” This event was a celebration of the literary arts, and encouraged leisure and seasoned writers to mingle, hear from Indigenous writers, and tell their own personal stories through writing and spoken word.

In collaboration with Toronto-based illustrator Daniel Rotsztain, I pieced together Rotsztain’s incredible illustrations and the colours and elements of the organization’s new branding to create the promotional material. Pulling from 20 unique designs, I arranged the most appropriate assortment onto the pages based on the hosted events. In all, 300+ postcards were distributed in the Riverdale (East York) area, with nearly all individual events selling out of tickets.

The series of events and workshops had a great turnout. Browse through the albums here. 

[kpontanilla]

Collaborative Project → East End Arts’ East York Days

In my first month as an East End Arts intern, I was tasked with creating the mail-out postcards for their upcoming event “East York Days.” This pilot project consisting of two free outdoor concerts featuring local musicians and artists was created in collaboration with City Hall Live!, The Nooks, and the office of Councillor Mary Fragedakis.

Each side of the postcard required a lot of information to be displayed: the name of event, artists and showtimes, food truck presence, sponsors, and social media links. It was my responsibility to work as a liaison between East End Arts and the vendors, talent managers, and sponsors to obtain photography, social media links, and biographies for marketing the event. 300+ postcards were delivered and over 50 posters were set up in the local communities in East York. 

The event was a great success! Check out photos from the June 20th event here. 

[kpontanilla]

Collaborative Project → GCM210: Practical Packaging

In my consumer packaging class, groups were tasked to innovate the way we package and consumer party mix. Our group of four identified one of the problems with traditional bags – when left in the bag, the party mix topples onto one side and ends up getting poured into a bowl anyway. The solution we came up with was to package the party mix in bowls that came in packs of two. My responsibility for this project was to create the conceptual design (as seen above) for our submission.