Appreciation Dinner - MENU

I was asked to work on the menu and the souvenir (which was a yearbook) for this dinner. The menu didn't get approval only because it was too complicated for the amount of time we had left before the dinner, but I enjoyed the idea, so I'm going to share my home-made-falling-apart model with you.


The original idea is the one on the right but with the suggestion of a friend, the idea was tweaked to the one on the left. The concept is similar to a paper towel roll. It is a menu+program+thank yous rolled up around the neck of a table number stand, serving two functions(menu+table number if you haven't caught on). And to make things easier, the table number is just a topper that is put on separately so the menu+program+sponsors can be take off the pole and change/ convenient for last minute edits. But because I was a little worried that the menu+program+sponsors would end up being a really long sheet, and people would not want to roll back up the paper after unrolling it out, a friend of mine suggested I split it into three parts, and secure each part with velcro...unless I could figure out a way for the menu to be pulled out and have it spring back into its rolled up form. And that's what I did! (the former)

The final decision, was something much more simple: the menu+program+acknowledgements was printed on one single sheet and rolled up and tied nicely with a ribbon.

Carleton!!!

I made it in!! I received a conditional offer in my email last night. Except out of haste I could not remember my pin, and I failed my security question... so I got locked out. heehee. (I emailed them and they unlocked it for me this morning)

The conditional offer, according to what I've heard, is that I am only accepted for Term 1, depending on my grades. If I flunk Term1, I guess that means I'm screwed!

I really did not think I was going to make it into Carleton because I knew of a guy who had entered the same program as me and was accepted to both OCAD and Carleton like two weeks ago. Hooray!
Although I have been pro-Carleton hands-down the entire time, I am now in a slight decision-making pickle. I never thought I would have difficulties making a decision and it should always have been Carleton University without a doubt. But now, I see OCAD in a different light, and all this waiting for Carleton's response has had me mentally preparing myself for the big T.O.



From what I've gathered from me and the guy that was accepted to both schools, here's the dilemma to picking the best school for my education:

CARLETON UNIVERSITY
1. it's interdisciplinary
you need to take marketing and psychology on top of your project courses
Interdisciplinary is important, because I think it makes the program more well rounded if you can relate it to different aspects. It's like why many university's arts and science programs are so great. (1point!)

2. it's within their engineering program.
If you are designing a chair, a car, an airplane, or a salt and pepper shaker, i think it's important that you know and understand physics, and how the object functions , and be able to do measurements and calculations (math) to create something at its maximum potential. (hence, engineering and design) So they teach you the technical skills you need to know. (and howto use design programs) to me, i feel that OCAD is very concept based, they are concerned mostly with design, and less with structure and possibly even plausibility. It may look cool, but the object may not be realistically strucaurally sound when put to the test. perhaps form without so much the function? (i could be very wrong!) (1point!)

3. they have co-op
Carleton is the only school with an ID CO-OP program. Plus, you can go to France in third year!!! (although I don't know if their co-op program is good or not. For example, the engineering co-op program at mac apparently sucks. 90% of what's listed isn't even related to your program, of the 10% that is related, 8% requires that you are a graduate student, and then the last 2% are located in places that are just not convenient. So unless their co-op program is good, it makes no difference from OCAD not having co-op)OCAD doesn't have one, but you could get internships and etc. yourself. I have a friend at umbra who said that there is a design computer program that they don't teach you at OCAD, that you need to learn (not autocad) if you want to work outside (ie. umbra), so you are kind of underprepared. However, I think ocad has a bigger name, but Karim Rashid graduated from Carelton, so... yah. (tie!)

4. you get a B.I.D. in the end
which is recognized within the field of industrial design people.. lol But for some reason, I think OCAD only gives you a BDes with an industrial design specialization. (1point!)

- many big workshops + lots of resources
- lots of competitions to join
- Canada's oldest ID program
- Globe and Mail ratings are pretty good. but it is for the overall school, it may be good because of their journalism and not their ID.

Cons
- does not emphasize so much on how to think (it's university-based, meaning there's a standard that every student must follow. As long as you do this and that, here are your grades, okay next. It doesn't necessarily mean you'll learn anything though)
- some of the profs have poor ratings. There is a large possibility you will be teaching yourself everything.... or the lectures could be super boring
- not sure about national and international reputation for ID...
- according to some people, they're not very updated on the real world. The profs aren't all connected to the design industry. (because they've been in teaching for so long vs. in society)



ONTARIO COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN

1. They teach you how to think on your own
(which is also very important; it doesn't matter if you know all the design programs in the world, if you can't create your own ideas, you're stuck either way. You could always build your technical skills later or whenever, but can you always learn how to think? In the real world, it's the ones with the ideas that lead the team. (1point!)

2. Prof ratings are good
apparently, there's very high ratings from both ratemyprofessor.com and myocad.com --> "you will definitely learn a lot". Also, the profs are in the industrial design field themselves while teaching, so you get to be updated on the real world and know what is required. However, that also may mean that they don't know how to teach... (0.5point!)

3. Everyone is either an artist or designer, and you are at THE Ontario college of art and DESIGN.
It has a long history of successful artists and designers and the school has a reputation..name that people know and recognize (not sure about internationally reputation but apparently south korea knows what OCAD is)(0.5point!)

4. Located in Toronto
It's the big city! Toronto has, comparably, the most design firms (I guess this replaces co-op) (1point!)

Cons
- does not teach you technical skills (design programs)
- Does not involve in competitions, which I think are a great way to learn. (In fact, during the other guy's interview, the industrial design prof told him that they discourage students from joining competitions!)
- doesn't have the latest technology (so that's probably why it is more concept based and less technical or practical)
- no co-op!
- not interdisciplinary!
- workshops are small for the amount of students who need the facilities
- studios aren't open 24/7
- courses seem to be very disorganized or too.."kao-kei" - you basically plan out your own courses (if you look at their course list, there's a lot to choose from like this or this or this or this x100000 and it just keeps going) On the other hand, you could say you have many options and "flexibility"
- Not sure how much guidance teachers actually provide to students, and empowerment "what you put in is what you get out" -- but would they guide us to make the most of it?
- don't really know how they will "teach you how to think"
- Globe and Mail school ratings are VERY poor for OCAD. It's pretty much at the bottom of every list. (for a reason?)


hmm. but I guess in this case Carleton still kind of wins? I will mull over it, make a decision over the next few weeks, and if it's Carleton then let's hope I don't flunk first term, or else to Japan I go!

cheers,
the fence sitter.