Narratives: The Storytelling Power of Design

Narratives: The Storytelling Power of Design will explore how a powerful story underpins great design. Our talented and thoughtful panelists will discuss how they ideate through research, sketches, prototypes and feedback to uncover the most compelling narrative for a project. Drawing on their own personal experiences and perspectives, these three designers will reflect on the multiple, nuanced layers that shape the stories they tell through design, creating work that resonates on multiple levels.

You will learn:

• How to identify and root your work in your own narrative 
• Storytelling tricks and tools you can use in your own work
• The role story plays in great designs 

Format: Each panelist will introduce themselves and present their work for 5 minutes each. The presentations will be followed by a discussion, chaired by Director of Design Victoria, Carla Sorrell. This will be followed by questions from the audience. 

AIBC Learning Units (LUs): 1 Core LU

Speakers:

Kate Snyder is the Co-founder and Principal of Studio Roslyn, an interior design, architectural and brand/identity studio. Raised in rural Manitoba, Kate majored in Architecture at the University of Manitoba, where she met close friend and now business partner, Jessica MacDonald. After working for several years at other architecture and interior design studios, they founded Studio Roslyn together in 2017. Kate and Jess have developed an aesthetic of refined maximalism with a ‘more is more’ philosophy, creating vibrant designs that spotlight pattern, texture, and color. Kate is constantly inspired by her relationships with clients and colleagues, and the personal growth of her team.

Sara Huyn is an architectural designer at Cascadia Architects with a deep interest in the intersection of design and narrative. Her work spans adaptive reuse, mixed-use, and multi-unit housing, as well as commercial and institutional projects across Greater Victoria, the Interior, and Vancouver Island. She approaches design as an empathetic practice, uncovering the unseen layers of place and program to create spaces that reflect shared stories and experiences. She is passionate about the powerful role storytelling plays both internally and externally, shaping our lives and the spaces we create. Sara lives in Victoria with her husband and two children.

Melanie Lambrick is a full-time illustrator from Vancouver Island. After establishing her career in Montréal, she is currently based in Victoria. Her work explores an array of styles to create thoughtful, timeless and surprising images, most often for editorial audiences. Her clients include The New York Times, New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, Refinery29, Reader's Digest, LA Times, The Economist, The Globe and Mail, Ubereats and more.