On the Danforth Anniversary Retrospective

The print version of On the Danforth celebrates its tenth anniversary this year

Almost 10 years ago, On the Danforth was created by the students and faculty of the Publishing: Book, Magazine and Electronic program at Centennial College. In anticipation of the anniversary this spring and summer, OTD Online would also like to salute our print companion by talking to previous students about their experience working on the magazine.

Challenges:
“Probably time! There were many late nights trying to get OTD put to bed.” – Paulina Perzynska, senior designer, Spring 2008, currently designer and marketing coordinator at Rethink Breast Cancer.

“Obtaining print quotes that were within the budget of the magazine was a huge challenge. Also, making sure that the photos we were using, especially for the cover, were high resolution enough. During that time, not all cameras had enough megapixels for an 8″X10″ page at 300dpi. Quality was an issue.” – Debbie Yea, production manager and photo editor, Spring 2006, currently senior project manager at Nelson Education and a freelance photographer at sLIGHTangle.ca.

“The toughest thing was that we were all friends, and design-wise I had to be careful if I didn’t like what someone produced.” – Ellissa Glad, creative director, Spring 2007, currently graphic designer and owner of Something Creative Graphic Design.

“Some of the toughest things were learning to work with people and understand that everyone is different and operates in a different way. You need to be able to figure out those parts of people and find a way to work with it and also to allow that person to shine.” – Laura Huggard, publisher, Spring and Summer 2013, currently working in sales and marketing.

Fond Memories:
“The best part is always when you are able to see the final project go out into the world.” – Mollie Wilkins, creative director, Spring 2008, currently director of marketing and PR at farandwidecollective.com and a freelance copywriter with Harlequin.

“It was great to get to experience what business On the Danforth had to offer by having to take photos of the many establishments and events. I recall going to an improv comedy show, eating saganaki, learning about organic foods, and taking in some local art.” – Debbie Yea, production manager and photo editor, Spring 2006, currently a freelance photographer and project manager at Nelson.

“We pulled some late nights with pizza, which were fun too!” – Caroline Starr, associate sales manager, Spring 2008, currently an acquisitions editor at Oxford University Press.

“Some of my fond memories of working on the magazine are the moments near the end when I would get sneak-peeks of both sections pages and seeing the magazine come together. I saw it from the beginning when it was just ideas and then to see it come together on paper was really cool.  You forget that it will be a tangible product and to see it as a finished product is a really great feeling.” – Laura Huggard, publisher, Spring and Summer 2013, currently working in sales and marketing.

Overall Benefits of OTD:
“The best part was that we were creating an actual magazine and website—something that was real and tangible, not theoretical. It was really exciting.” – Paulina Perzynska, senior designer, Spring 2008, currently a designer and marketing coordinator at Rethink Breast Cancer.

“Working on On The Danforth was an interesting segment of the course. It was the most directly applicable project that we did and gave insight into how all the pieces of the publishing process come together to create a final product.” – Lila Campbell, senior editor, Summer 2006, currently a freelance editor whose clients include Pearson Canada, Penguin Canada, and Nelson Education.

“Every year it’s a little different based on the personality of the two Editors-in-Chief, the people writing for it. Each issue has its own little personality.” – Denise Schon, co-ordinator of the Publishing: Book, Magazine and Electronic Program at Centennial College.

“My favourite memories from OTD are just getting to be creative and really have a lot of control, with the other editors on the project. It’s not something a lot of young professionals will get coming out of the gate and entering the work force.” – Jacqui Bester, senior editor, Summer 2010, currently a sales and marketing associate at Baxter Travel Media.

“Working on OTD, the online magazine, it gave me a glimpse into the work involved to manage a large team and how to ensure a publication is not only up to standards, but providing the best experience for its readers. Also, it taught me how to be better and more efficient in a managerial role.” – Stephanie Furlan, online editor-in-chief,2012, currently a freelancer and marketing manager at PaperDroids.com.

Future of OTD:
“The big changes are, it started off one issue and then went to two issues. And then the website just became better and better as well. … The students in the early years did the obvious articles so now I think the students are doing a better job of really kind of digging into what’s going on in the neighbourhood, what’s the neighbourhood thinking, rather than doing some of the more obvious ones.” – Denise Schon

Check out the spring and summer issues of On the Danforth for more retrospective articles, arriving in April and May of this year!