Ara students front new Canterbury Tech design

Ara Institute of Canterbury students were behind the unveiling of a fresh new design for Canterbury Tech at the organisation's annual summit last week.

Each year, Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication) students provide pro bono design services to charitable organisations, social enterprises, and startups under D4 Creative, a design studio run by third year students.

The Canterbury Tech collaboration was between tutor and master designer Carl Pavletich and his design students Joey Charles, Talisa Paget and Declan McDonald.

“Canterbury Tech approached D4 to help design and produce social media content for the many events they run. It was soon discovered that their existing brand was limiting their ability to communicate the range of activities they offer the local tech community,” Carl Pavletich, Department of Creative Industries Senior Academic Staff Member said.

He said the design went through many rounds of testing and presentations to the organisation with the students getting a lot out of the process.

_{Here is a video of how the new logo is inspired by the previous logo.}

“The penny dropped when the students were invited to the Canterbury Tech Summit, and they could see the scale of the community and the impact of the project. They also were able to network,” Pavletich said.

Canterbury Tech’s General manager Louisa Taylor said they decided to renovate their look and feel in line with their 21^st birthday and because their work was being recognised around the country.

“A key part of the brief was to develop a whole new suite of colours and sub-brands to make it easier to communicate,” Taylor said.

“Developing the new brand was an amazing collaboration between Ara tutor, Carl Pavletich, and his design students Joey, Talisa and Declan. We’re so thankful for the hard work Carl and his students put into this rebrand and we hope they got as much out of it as we did!” she said.

Pavletich said the Visual Communication programme provided several micro-internships with dozens of design, marketing, and communication projects available for students.

He said the opportunities, often involving thousands of hours of design work, have a real impact on student success.

“Students who apply for internships are three times more likely to find employment within six months of graduating, and 80% of VisCom students find employment in the creative industry within six months.”

Canterbury Tech’s design upgrade is another example of the kinds of projects which give students valuable hands-on experience while supporting notable organisations.