Avani Abraham | Contributor
Featured Image: A talk with York alumna Yazmin Adam on life after York, artistic freedom, and dealing with creative blocks. | Courtesy of Yazmin Adam
York has been home to several talented artists and creators, who have used the knowledge and experience they have gained as a springboard for their success. One such of these talented alumna is Yazmin Adam, a recent graduate of the York/Sheridan Joint Program in Design (YSDN).
Having come to York with a background in visual arts, Adam always knew that she wanted to pursue a career in the design industry. She recognizes the impact that good design can have on society. Her passion for the field grew even stronger once she was given greater freedom for artistic expression and exploration in the later years of the YSDN program.
“I think that design plays a significant role in shaping culture, innovation, and communication in today’s society,” Adam says. “To add to that, I think that the way we interact with technology is also largely dependent on design. As we rely more on technology, user experience/interface designers have a responsibility in crafting the sleek, user-friendly interfaces we use on a daily basis.”
Since graduating, Adam has already secured a position as Junior Designer at Certo Creative, a Toronto-based boutique design agency. Her job focuses on a heavier involvement in the major parts of the design work for numerous brand identity, web, and editorial design projects. She works closely with her creative director and clients to ensure an original and meaningful product that they can not only be proud of, but also satisfies their clients’ needs.
Aside from designing, Adam is passionate about travel and photography. Her most recent adventure was a six week-long road trip through Canada and the U.S. with two of her close friends. They drove from Vancouver to Toronto taking a route through the northern States, which resulted in capturing breathtaking landscapes and long-lasting memories. Adam draws inspiration from both these memorable experiences and other artists, which play major influences in her creative approach to design.
“My love for travel, in a way, does reflect my creative output. I am open to trying new things and playing around with different directions. I think that allowing for versatility in my process pushes me to step outside of the box and take risks once in awhile,” she adds. “I might fail, but I also might come up with something fresh and brand-new that I like, so I tend not to try to stick to one particular style.”
While this does aid Adam in combating the creative blocks that will inevitably happen to any artist, what also helps her is to unplug from technology and sketch out her ideas. This suggests that the most integral part of designing is not the tool used, but rather the designer’s creativity.
“I find that stepping away from my screen every once in awhile and sketching out my thoughts or ideas really helps me get my creative juices flowing,” Adam says. “For example, when I am working on logo concepts for a branding project and I get stuck, I take a few minutes to write or sketch out whatever comes to mind when I think of the brand, no matter how stupid or irrelevant the idea is. This helps me lay out all of my options, and from there, I can start narrowing things down.”
From all her wisdom, experiences, and aspiration to carve out her own place in the industry by one day starting a boutique agency of her own, Adam offers some truthful advice to aspiring designers. “Always know who your competitors are—familiarize yourself with the works of other designers and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses,” she says. “This will really help you determine the level your own work should be at, and to find ways to separate yourself from what others have done.”
