A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Creative Collaboration Between Graphic Design Students and Five Counties

In March 2026, Fleming College celebrated a unique partnership between our Graphic Design–Visual Communication (GDV) program and Five Counties Children’s Centre. Students Taylor Polley and Austin Lane took on the challenge of developing “Rethink Therapy,” an awareness campaign designed to educate parents that progress and growth happen everywhere, not just in a clinical setting.

This project served as a vital bridge between the classroom and the workforce, allowing students to apply their skills to a professional-level project with real-world community impact. We sat down with Taylor and Austin to discuss the creative grind, the intimidation of client presentations, and the pride of seeing their designs come to life.

Q. Can you explain the heart of this project?

Austin: Five Counties Children’s Centre reached out to Fleming College in 2025 to work with our class on an integrated multimedia campaign based on “caregiver coaching”. This entailed building a campaign from the ground up to show students what working with real-world clients would be like.

Taylor: We were given a brief stating that Five Counties wanted a campaign to make parents aware of the crucial role they play in their child’s treatment success. From there, we learned, designed, and produced the ideas that eventually inspired the Rethink Therapy campaign.

Q. How was working with a community client different from a typical classroom assignment?

Taylor: It was very different because research was left entirely up to the students, whereas in class most information is given to you. This campaign had to impress a much wider audience, including our professors, the client, and the client’s target audience.

Austin: It was challenging in a good way. It was definitely a different feeling presenting in front of a community client; it felt incredibly important, which was a bit intimidating. Ultimately, that helped prepare us for presentations with future clients.

Q. Walk us through the creative process. How did you get from a brief to a final campaign?

Austin: We began with a brief and preliminary research to come up with early logo ideas and sketches. One sketch used two circles: a large one to represent the parent and a smaller one for the child.

Taylor: I also explored designs using hands similar to the Five Counties logo to represent unity between the parent, the child, and the clinic. We met with the staff to ask questions and get a feel for what they were looking for.

Austin: Once the interview portion was finished, we used our accumulated knowledge to refine our ideas to match the overall message. We spent a lot of time refining the logo, the tagline, and the name of the campaign because we really wanted to nail the concept.

Taylor: Once we found our core design elements like colour and imagery, everything began to fall into place. After the lead creative was finished, we worked on deliverables like posters, social media posts, and website designs.

Q. What was the biggest hurdle you faced during the “grind”?

Taylor: I felt that one of the biggest challenges was the naming of the campaign. We wanted it to capture the essence of caregiver coaching while being short and easy to interpret. We actually put off giving the campaign a name for a while to give us time to resonate more with the design.

Austin: A lot of the challenges came in the form of refining ideas. We would reach a point where we felt like it needed something, but we didn’t always know what that something was. This led us to make multiple variations, often very similar to one another, to find the missing piece.

Q. Were there specific moments where you felt especially proud of the work?

Austin: I felt that everything was really coming together when we were working with the gradient for some of the posters and media. We had all the important aspects sorted out, and all that was left was organizing those ideas.

Taylor: There were two main points in the project that made me proud of the work I was doing: the initial meeting with Five Counties Staff and the design development stage.

During our first meeting, we were getting a feel for what the project should encompass. The Five Counties Staff educated Austin and me about their role in the therapy process. Hearing them talk so passionately about their mission gave me an overwhelming appreciation for the project we were about to embark on.

The second time I recall feeling especially proud when we were choosing imagery to go along with the design. We wanted to use photos that were relatable to families everywhere. Carefully choosing each image with intention gave me a sense of pride because it provides representation to children and their caregivers.

Q. What advice would you give to future students taking on a community client project?

Taylor: Information, information is key. Research and learn everything there is to know about the client, because the more you understand their audience, the more successful you will be. Have fun, look at intimidating projects such as these with optimism, you are learning, you are a student, and this will help you greatly with future endeavours.

Austin: When drafting ideas, try to make a broad spectrum of iterations. Really think outside the box about how you can express the content. Don’t be afraid to draft an idea you are unsure of, as it may end up being the best one you come up with.

Q. How has this studio experience shaped your goals for life after Fleming?

Austin: It helped me understand that there are many different ways to incorporate my knowledge into so many different kinds of careers. One of my goals is to stay creative and do personal projects. Another goal is to carry my knowledge of art and graphic design into any future career, even if the career itself is not art-focused. In my current career working as an eyewear consultant, I use my knowledge of colour to help pair clients with the perfect pair of glasses.

Taylor: During my time at Fleming, I honed my technical and creative abilities.  I learned what I liked about design and how to communicate ideas through it. Before my time at Fleming, I was unsure about what I wanted my future to look like. As soon as I stepped into the GDV Studio, I knew I wanted to become a Graphic Designer. I now want to be a successful designer and make art my career.ore satisfying. That’s what truly motivates anyone who’s in it for the long haul; the pursuit, the striving, the questions, the process. Those are the true rewards.