Anyone who visits the Waterfront campus can find themselves browsing the In Store, a store designed and employed by George Brown College’s (GBC) design students. Launching in a small room in 2015, the store has grown and attracted numerous departments and faculty members around GBC.  

Lori Endes, a faculty member who is part of the School of Design, wanted students to experience and learn more about design entrepreneurship by starting a new project. Originally, she hoped to create a space for students to interact with one another. 

“We wanted to explore entrepreneurship where students can take an idea, make something out of it, and execute it,” said Endes. “It developed a design culture.” 

The design culture inspired Endes to focus on a socially innovative business model. She prioritized work-integrated learning experiences by creating a learning atmosphere based on a design studio for students. Soon enough, she noticed that the store turned into a design hub.

“[In Store] is an opportunity for things to happen,” Endes said.

The designs on the merchandise sold by the store are all crafted and curated by students and instructors.  Items such as cards, accessories, tote bags, and cups are sold in the store. When a student is notified about their design being featured, they are given a gift card or a sample of their product. 

“If we see a student’s work that will look great on a product, we will reach out to the student and design the artwork on the product,” said Jennifer Masters, a faculty member of the graphic design program. 

Some designs are also selected from the annual poster show, which is part of the Corporate 1 second-year graphic design course. However, students have other options to exercise their knowledge and gain experience. For example, some of them may design reports, work on customized gifts, or craft social media campaigns. 

“The international department is one of our biggest customers because they give gifts to many of their partners,” said Endes. “We’ve done custom design gifts, worked with the president’s office on the impact report, and did an entire campaign on diversity and equity.” 

Moreover, Masters says that these design experiences will also help students leverage their communication skills for work after graduation. Throughout the design process, students have the opportunity to interact with different clients and present their ideas to them. 

“I think they are a bit nervous for the first time [when they present], but what is really great is that it gives them the opportunity to get comfortable with it so that they are much more ready to go into the workforce,” said Masters. “Even when it comes to speaking with the creative director and articulating their ideas.” 

In the future, Endes and Masters hope to collaborate with other faculties, including the faculty of jewellery and fashion, to develop and curate a wide variety of products for different customers. They are also looking to expand their items into the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Gift Shop (ShopAGO) and other stores. However, throughout the whole process, they are confident that students will enjoy and learn from the unique experience. 

“[Students] develop professional practice skills, and I’m like ‘You’re ready, you won’t have a problem,’” said Masters. “And they all end up being super successful.”