Sheridan and Lighthouse partner to help families coping with grief

When Sheridan Honours Bachelor of Illustration program students Erin and Naomi were looking for their work placement opportunity, they discovered the Lighthouse for Grieving Children charity. They were tasked with using their talents in illustration to work on initial sketches for a children’s storybook, written for children dealing with grief. The students pitched character designs and worked on the layout and spread of the book. They also helped create assets for the non-profit's new website. “It was a great way to feel connected to others, and it’s fulfilling to know your work is being used for a good cause. It opens up the chance to get involved in projects you might not normally have done,” Erin said about the experience. 

“This was a valuable learning experience for me and gave me great insight into how future professional industry work may look,” Naomi said. “The experience of collaborating with a client and working together to define their visual communication needs and decide on optimal solutions was invaluable to me.” 

The students were supported by Maria Gabriele, Field Supervision, Sheridan’s Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design. “Sheridan Illustration students are highly talented in their craft. They bring a deft command of visual language to an organization,” she said. “The partnership program helps prepare Illustration students for the work world and builds entrepreneurship skills in a field that is often more associated with the arts and entertainment than commerce. This enrichment of the students’ education in turn produces more qualified grads.”