05 SERS Pathways Posters

University of Waterloo SERS

2026
Freelance

This project was commissioned by the University of Waterloo's School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability (SERS) to redesign a set of four academic pathway posters. Each poster guides undergraduate students through a four-year course of study toward a specific career direction: Biodiversity, Energy and Climate, Food and Agriculture, and Water. Deliverables included 48x36 posters for display, 9x12 handouts, and digital versions for email distribution.

Ideation

In November 2025, I gave a presentation at the University of Waterloo on graphic design fundamentals and how it may be benefitial for academics. Following this presentation, a professor in attendanced reached out on behalf of the school. His department, SERS (School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability) had internally expressed interest in a document to help undergraduate students plan their course selection toward specific career outcomes, and was looking to have the existing drafts developed by a designer for display and distribution.

The brief required the posters to do two things at once: present each field in a visually compelling way that entices student and fosters their existing interest, and remain functional as a course-planning tool that students could legibly navigate.

Draft sent by client in original email

Approach

I developed two distinct concept directions for the client to choose from. Option One was photography-led: an element representative of each subject, such as a leaf for Biodiversity, was divided along its natural structure, with a photograph placed within each section. Course information was listed simply below in a clean, legible format.

Option One: Photographic - Biodiversity

Option One: Photographic - Water

Option Two returned more directly to the literal pathway concept at the heart of the original brief. This direction used a custom illustrated map, populated with subject-relevant icons, with the course pathway winding through the scene across each academic year. It offered a warmer tone and greater opportunity for representation, but required significantly more labour to produce the icon sets, and integrating the course list into the illustrated map made the text less immediately legible.

Option Two - Map

The client selected Option Two. I judged that the legibility concerns could be addressed through hierarchy principles in a later stage, and chose not to raise the labour difference until after the client had made their preference clear, prioritizing their satisfaction with the concept itself.

While Option Two came with more labour in drawing each icon, requiring several to fill the canvas, Option One didn’t come without speed bumps either. While the leaf idea came naturally for Biodiversity, finding something representative of Water and Hydrology that had natural divisions in it for photographs was challenging.

Early Development

With the map-and-icon direction confirmed, I researched and brainstormed a distinct visual setting for each of the four subjects. For Biodiversity, the four years of coursework were mapped onto four distinct biomes; the client asked that all four be specifically Canadian rather than a broader global selection, which I incorporated. For Water, I drew on the references of”pirate treasure maps”, using their inherent sense of a charted path and iconography as a natural fit for the subject.

To populate each map accurately, I requested example lists from the client and the relevant professors describing what they felt best represented their field, along with the finalized course list for each pathway. The course list was necessary early on, as it determined how much space needed to be reserved within each layout.

Project Evolution

The poster series was built sequentially, and the icon style evolved significantly over the course of the project. I began with flat, two-dimensional icons using a single primary colour per subject, varying only in shade. By the time I reached the Water poster, I found that isometric icons were far more compelling, as well as allowing for natural colour schemes as opposed to a monochromatic palette.

As a result, I returned to the Biodiversity poster, the first in the series, and substantially revised it to bring its icon set in line with the isometric, colourful style developed later.

Each poster went through several rounds of review. Completed sets were sent to the client, who shared them with the relevant subject-area professors in department meetings. Feedback was then consolidated and passed back to me for revision.

Considerations

Asset Volume

Dozens of custom icons were required across all four posters, each needing to follow a consistent visual language while representing distinct subject matter.

Stylistic Consistency

Maintaining a unified icon style across a series designed and built sequentially, while the style itself was still evolving.

Course List Legibility

Reserving and structuring space for dense course information within an illustration-led layout, using hierarchy to keep text legible without compromising the visual concept.

Multi-Format Production

Preparing each poster for three distinct outputs (48 by 36 print, 9 by 12 handout, and digital), including RGB and CMYK colour profiles and print-ready bleed.

Outcome

The final deliverables were prepared for all three required formats: 48 by 36 posters and 9 by 12 handouts in print-ready CMYK with appropriate bleed, alongside RGB versions for digital distribution. The handout dimensions were set at 9 by 12 rather than a standard 8.5 by 11 to preserve the original aspect ratio without altering the layout.

The department was very pleased with the final results, noting that SERS does not typically allocate budget toward aesthetic or design-focused content. They expressed enthusiasm at seeing their academic subject matter represented through vibrant, custom illustration. The posters will be printed and displayed on campus, as well as distributed to students starting in the Fall 2026 semester

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