Integrating Art and Technology
Oliver Gadoury, a fourth year student in the UBC Bachelor of Media Studies program, shares how the application of learned concepts in a real-world setting that BMS provides allowed him to discover his passion for web development and digital design, and achieve professional experience in the industry.
“BMS is Unlike Any Other Media Program in Canada”
Oliver has always been interested in various fields of media: photography, journalism, graphic design and web development. In high school, he worked with his friends on a number of collaborative media projects.
Website and eCommerce shop created for Sean Brown’s CURVES exhibition.
Developing an academic interest in media studies, and driven to pursue a career in the field, Oliver found out about the UBC Bachelor of Media Studies program while searching for a program that would fulfill this goal. He was drawn to the program for its unique breadth of media that “was unlike any other media program in Canada,” as it offered interdisciplinary learning within 8 different disciplines of media.
“The Knowledge We Gain Can Be Used to Solve Real World Problems”
In the BMS program, Oliver enjoyed how he had the opportunity in his courses to work on collaborative projects where he could apply learned concepts in a real-world setting.
In INFO 419: Information Visualization with Professor Richard Arias-Hernandez, Oliver learned how to tell a story through data and visually represent the information. The course allowed him to expand his knowledge in media design and principles on different visual representations to understand and represent their meaning.
In this course, Oliver worked on a timely project with his classmates Claire Gallagher & Bianca Santana about the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on Canadians’ mental health. From working on this project, Oliver learned how to reshape data to deliver a story.
As part of a term project for INFO 419, Oliver created a series of infographics and a website to host the final project.
In CPSC 344: Introduction to Human Computer Interaction Methods, Oliver learned HCI concepts such as visual design techniques, wireframes, and prototyping. Combined with the first year Computer Science course CPSC 110: Computation, Programs, and Programming which taught him coding skills, Oliver completed a series of webpage interface design projects – heightening his passion for web development.
The unique collaborative and project-based nature of the BMS program allowed Oliver to work together with his peers and learn from the different perspectives and skill sets they brought. Oliver was able to meet and collaborate with students from diverse countries and backgrounds.
Oliver’s experience in a diverse range of courses offered in the BMS program also led him to acquire and apply the knowledge of web development and media design outside the classroom.
Creative Direction at WeCause
With his newly gained knowledge in visualization, web development, and experience working in teams, he developed the creative direction and visual identity for WeCause an organization which connects volunteers and donors to causes and NGOs in need, allowing local organizations to receive immediate help with their community projects.
Oliver crafted the brand identity, content creation, and social media communication to create a platform that connects communities closer together. The knowledge he had learned through the Bachelor of Media Studies program were applicable to his work in many ways and helped him further in his role as the Creative Director. The knowledge and skills he had gained in the BMS contributed to shaping his experience at WeCause.
While working with WeCause, Oliver designed logos, brand identity and led creative direction.
Further Pursuing Digital Design and Web Development
Through Oliver’s studies in media and hands-on experiences with web development, he discovered his passion for digital design. Oliver is interested in working in the fields of UI/UX, as well as software and web development. Oliver is also passionate about the creative presentation of technology and media, hoping to pursue careers in art or creative direction. Moreover, Oliver gained interest in working abroad after his experience with the Go Global Exchange Program in Italy, where he hopes to work in the future.
Web campaign for CiTR’s Accessibility Collective.
“Stay curious, stay learning” – Oliver Gadoury
To view more of Oliver’s work, you can view his portfolio or Instagram.
