CINSSU
Project Overview
Designing a year-long art direction system for the Cinema Studies Student Union
My first year as Art Director for the Cinema Studies Student Union at the University of Toronto was an 18 week experiment in poster design on the fly — researching films and capturing their essence through illustration, typeface, colour theory, and layout; utilizing all my artistic capabilities.
For my second year as Art Director, I was determined to develop a flexible visual identity system for a full academic season of student programming — creating posters, schedules, social graphics, and campaign materials that would make lectures, screenings, competitions, and social events feel cohesive, energetic, and visible across campus.
For my second year as Art Director, I was determined to develop a flexible visual identity system for a full academic season of student programming — creating posters, schedules, social graphics, and campaign materials that would make lectures, screenings, competitions, and social events feel cohesive, energetic, and visible across campus.
Project Objective
CINSSU hosted a wide range of programming, from weekly film screenings to seminars, competitions, and social events. Each event needed to feel distinct enough to attract attention, while still belonging to one recognizable student-union brand.
Project Disciplines
Visual Identity
Poster Design
Events Graphics
Skills
Art Direction
Typography
Illustration
Layout Design
Color Systems
Print Design
Social Media Asset Creation
Tools
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Campaign Assets
Free Friday Films
Free Friday Films was the anchor program of CINSSU every academic year. In my second year as Art Director, I designed a recurring visual system that allowed each screening to adopt the tone of its film while remaining instantly recognizable as part of the same weekly series. Below is a showcase of some my favourite first year posters and the effective design system of the second year posters.
Student Filmmaking Competition
For the annual Student Filmmaking Competition, I developed promotional, event, and award materials that elevated the program from a student screening into a more formal festival-style experience.
Social and Community Events
Beyond screenings, CINSSU events needed to feel approachable and social. These pieces used brighter palettes, humor, illustration, and accessible copywriting to invite students into community-building moments around film culture.
Reflection
The final body of work created a recognizable visual presence for CINSSU across campus and social channels.
The project taught me how to build a design system that could flex across formats, audiences, and tones — from playful social events to academic seminars to flagship film programming.
The project taught me how to build a design system that could flex across formats, audiences, and tones — from playful social events to academic seminars to flagship film programming.