Valeriya Kim (IDEA21) wins RGD Award for Visual Web Design with Firetold educational website prototype
Congratulations to Valeriya Kim (IDEA Grad 2021) for winning the RGD Award for Visual Web Design with her educational website prototype dedicated to Reconciliation and designed with in InVision. Instructor: Judy Snaydon. Course: IDES 244—Design Studio II.
Truth and Reconciliation Week takes place between October 15–18, 2019. This important week at Capilano University demonstrates our commitment to deeper understanding and systemic change.
““If there is to be reconciliation, first there must be truth.””
“Firetold. An educational website dedicated to Reconciliation. The website is designed to carry a story through expressive illustrations and interface visuals. Strong storytelling, content is strategically organized providing the viewer an insight into the life of the Indigenous community.”
The name xwm θkw y’ m (Musqueam) means “People of the River Grass.” The story of their name has been passed on from generation to generation.
Luccile Flanders comes from the Musqueam Nation, a growing community of over 1,300 members living on a small portion of their traditional territory, known as the Musqueam Indian Reserve, located south of Marine Drive near the mouth of the Fraser River. Luccile was just six years old when she was sent to residential school.
“But I came into the wrong hands when I was six”
The Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh. These three are part of a larger cultural group called the Coast Salish. The City of Vancouver is on the traditional territories of these three First Nations. They have a special spiritual, cultural, and economic connection to this land that goes back thousands of years. Some of their traditional territories overlap, and they share these lands and resources.
I come from The Musqueam Nation. There is a story that has been passed on from generation to generation that explains how we became known as the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) - People of the River Grass.
Storytelling has been an important aspect of Aboriginal culture. It is the backbone of many beliefs and traditions.
Growing up, I didn’t have parents. My mother had died in childbirth, and thus, I was being cared for by my aunt and uncle. As a child I would hear multiple stories that have been passed throughout generations.
For more than one hundred years, Aboriginal children in Canada were educated through the Indian Residential School system. This system consisted of 140 Indian Residential Schools.
I was six years old when I was taken to a residential school. An RCMP officer that threw me in the back seat of the car…
More than 150,000 Aboriginal children attended these schools.
I spent a decade of my life behind a brickwall with no childhood. I felt so alone….
Children were forbidden to speak their Aboriginal language, practice their cultural traditions, or spend time with children of the opposite sex, including their own brothers and sisters.
I have so many scars from there… when I was punished, I was brought to a dark room, where I was forced to kneel til 10 p.m.
Children did not get enough food and lived in poor quality buildings that were hot in the summer and cold in the winter. The overcrowding and malnutrition meant that diseases often spread rapidly, and many students died in the schools.
I remember the time when the girl on the bed beside me was dying and I thought: “Where are her parents? Why didn’t they come for her?” I realize now that they were simply never notified…
Many of the people who attended Indian Residential Schools left with very little education and a belief that it is shameful to be an “Indian.” Many also found it hard to fit into Euro-Canadian society. They had a low level of education and faced racism and discrimination when they tried to find work. Unable to fit into community life and not accepted in mainstream society, some did not feel that they belonged anywhere.
A lot of people who I know say that they I had a rotten life…
Now I can say to myself that I’m not alone…
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) is a national project to document the experiences of survivors, families, and communities affected by Indian Residential Schools and to teach all Canadians about what happened in them.
“This course focuses on communication design practice and its role in promoting sustainability. Students are introduced to ways in which design solutions can engage “strategies, processes and materials that value environmental, cultural, social and economic responsibility” (GDC Sustainable Design Principles, 2009). Projects emphasize collaboration, the discovery process, and the development of platform-neutral solutions. Instruction in design-related software supports the course.”
“Many congratulations to all our RGD Award winners and honourable mentions! This year, there were 973 submissions from 462 design students attending 34 post-secondary schools across Canada, so we did exceptionally well!”
About RGD
The Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD) is a non-profit, professional Association that represents over 4,100 design practitioners, including firm owners, freelancers, managers, educators and students.
For all the winners, see rgd.ca.
See also Valeriya’s InVision prototype for Firetold.
