Cool Concept
A talk series showcasing what creatives are capable of when they create their own work and are free to explore and experiment.
Cool Concept is a talk series featuring the personal passion projects of designers, illustrators, animators, and other visual creatives in Toronto.
I launched the first talk in 2018 with an audience of over 100 people. I wanted to create a talk series celebrating the personal creative work we all do, but that doesn't get the same recognition as our commerical work. There's brilliant thinking and execution in work done out of love for the craft or idea, sometimes even better than what we do for clients; I don't think that work should languish in the backs of portfolios or deep within old harddrives. I also love championing creatives from Toronto specifically, as our work is often overshadowed by work from the States and Europe. Cool Concept is my way to bring all that out into the sun.
Logo
See how the eye mark is used in signage and other graphics. A subtle sign that "Cool Concept is this way".
Posters
For every event, I design a poster that anchors all the communications. While other graphics are templated, this initial poster informs the colour palette used to colour code all event promotions and serve as an indication that this is a new addition to the series.
Initially my focus was the eyes from the Cool Concept logo, but over time I moved towards doing something interesting with type and the number of the event, often creating custom numerals.
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Branding & Identity
Art Direction
Web Design
Editorial Design
Illustration
Infographics
On-set direction
HTML & CSS
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Winner of Silver Davey Award (website: sustainability) for Ecology & Society, 2023
Winner of Silver Davey Award (website: science) for Ecology & Society, 2023
Familiar with Figma, Sketch, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Wordpress, Webflow, and AODA (accessibility) requirements for print and web.
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Bachelor of Design in Graphic Design
OCAD University, 2011.
Margot holds dual citizenship in both Canada and the United Kingdom and is legally eligible for work in both countries. She currently lives in Toronto, Canada.
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2011 - Present:
Senior Designer, Square
Senior Designer, Office/Bureau
Senior Art Director, H+K Strategies
Instructor, Toronto Film School
Art Director, Publicis
Art Director, Juniper Park\TBWA
Designer, Critical Mass
Designer, Indigo Books & Music
Lead Designer, Blue Ant Media
Designer, WIND Mobile