Illustration | Editorial Design | Publication | Website Design | Animation | Video Editing | Social Media Branding
RyeTAGA is a student chapter created by Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Graphic Communications Management. Each year, the team produces a journal showcasing thesis papers from both professors and students. RyeTAGA members handle every aspect of the journal’s production—from planning, conceptualizing, and designing to printing.
The chapter competes annually in the Technical Association for the Graphic Arts (TAGA) competition in the U.S., with a decade-long record of success.
Over the past three years, I’ve been a proud RyeTAGA member, serving as Multimedia Director for the last two. In this role, I managed the website, designed media and blog materials, and supported the creative team with journal assets.
Below are some projects I’ve enjoyed working on with RyeTAGA, all of which can be found on our official website.
Created With
2021 Journal
In 2021, our team embraced a trending gradient theme as the core concept for our journal. With this vision, I experimented with various color palettes and created gradient animations in Adobe Premiere Pro to serve as chapter dividers. These videos automatically play at the start of each chapter when viewed on digital devices, adding a dynamic, interactive touch. The journal remains available for viewing at the link below.
“In 2021, our RyeTAGA team won the “Best Publication Design and Ingenuity” award at TAGA, standing out among 20 schools across the United States and Canada.”
Haiying Zhang
“What if we brought the journal to life by reading it to our audience, making it more interactive and accessible—even for those who’d rather listen than read?”
RyeTAGA Team
“What's the best way to make that happen?”
2022 Journal
In September 2021, while planning for the 2022 journal, I encouraged our team to develop an audiobook version for the online journal. As part of the multimedia team, we recorded our voices reading each selected thesis paper and edited them for the TTS (text-to-speech) station on the website.
As Multimedia Director, I was responsible for designing and updating the site, ensuring it linked seamlessly to the printed journal. Below are some preview screenshots of the TTS station.
In summer 2022, RyeTAGA proudly won the Helmut Kipphan Student Publication Award at TAGA's journal competition.
Blog Covers
Here are several blog covers I created for RyeTAGA during the 2021-2022 period. Each design reflects our team’s vision and the themes of our content, showcasing my ability to blend creativity with purpose. I aimed to capture the essence of each article while maintaining a cohesive visual identity for our blog. Take a look at these covers to see how I brought our ideas to life through design.
Reflection
I truly enjoyed working on these projects during my time at RyeTAGA. This experience allowed me to enhance my proficiency with various design software while exploring new features. Each year, the multimedia team embraced fresh ideas that aligned with current graphic design trends, ensuring our website met user expectations.
There is certainly more we can do to enhance the website's interactivity. For example, converting previous PDF journals into ePub formats would enable users to download and view them on their digital devices.
