Seneca College’s Sc hool o f Fashion Tor onto
The British Display Society is delighted to reach out to Carol Crombie who is the Programme Coordinator of Visual Merchandising Arts at Seneca College’s School of Fashion in Toronto. “As Chair of the BDS, this is an exciting opportunity to make connection with Seneca College in Toronto.” Iain continues “ The BDS offers an award to colleges that operate a VM Course - the ‘Centre of Excellence Award’. Outside of the UK, the BDS has Dublin College of Creative Arts and Nanyang Polytechnic School of Design in Singapore as BDS Centres of Excellence. We are hoping that we can work with Carol and her students over the coming months to support the inspiring VM students.” Over a Zoom meeting, Carol mentioned that she had recently taken on the role of Coordinator for the Visual Merchandising program at Seneca College in Toronto, Canada, after teaching in the programme for more than 20 years. Her specialty is teaching drawing and design development, which includes the creative process, the language of design, and the skill set required to communicate design concepts.
CAROL CROMBIE, PROGRAM COORDINATOR OF VISUAL MERCHANDISING ARTS AT SENECA COLLEGE’S SCHOOL OF FASHION
Carol says “Skill development includes rough sketches for critique, to final coloured drawings (both hand-drawn and digitally rendered) for presenting proposed ideas for approval. Students learn how to research resources, source materials, create professional presentations, and explore the use of online media for promoting visual ideas.” The college runs a two-year diploma program focuses on collaborative project-based hands-on learning. Students learn the importance of display for design and as a visual marketing tool. They apply practical techniques, and creative themes to present display concepts for showcases, windows, and online merchandising. Studies also include such topics as the fundamentals of design, fashion forecasting, prop construction, styling, lighting, and photography. Their range of teaching faculty from the visual merchandising industry ensures that the teaching content is relevant and up-to-date. Practical hands-on experience is available to the students through field placement participation in the workplace. This not only enhances the student’s technical skills but also provides valuable contacts for future employment and helps prepare the students for a career in this rapidly-changing retail industry. Seneca College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
www.seneacollege.ca
