Yasin Mete never felt truly connected to his post-secondary studies until he enrolled in Humber's Advertising and Graphic Design diploma program. 

In 2019, Mete was enrolled in a marketing program at a university, but he found that he wasn’t passionate about the course material.  

"It was very analytical, and there was something that just wasn't clicking for me. I took a year off to really figure out what I wanted from my career," said Mete.  

While in university, Mete had taken up photography as a hobby. Once he was out of school, Mete spent most of his free time taking photos.  

"What hooked me was the expression and communication. The creative space is built on people – who you know and what projects you work on," said Mete.  

Eventually, Mete decided to return to post-secondary education, but he wanted to find a program that would enable him to express his creativity. When he found Humber's Advertising and Graphic Design diploma program, he was confident the program would give him the opportunities he was looking for.  

"It was like everything just clicked into place. I needed that mentorship culture and to have professors I could easily talk to. At Humber, they do a great job creating a welcoming dynamic between my peers, professors and me. They levelled me up and lit a fire inside me," said Mete.  

The Advertising and Graphic Design diploma program is offered through the Faculty of Media and Creative Arts (FMCA) and provides a number of graphic design courses that help students hone their visual, conceptual and technical skills to prepare them for the demanding advertising industry. Additionally, students learn important marketing concepts that help them with strategy development and creative problem-solving.  

Students later apply their knowledge while working with real clients through FMCA’s BuildingF. This in-house design agency allows students to build their portfolios with real-world work while they are still under the supervision of their professors. After working with BuildingF, students must complete a work placement for their final semester.  

Mete’s classes gave him the creative freedom to experiment, but he still had the guidance from faculty members that he needed to keep him on the right path. 

"I already had experience in my field; I just needed a bit more direction. Rather than dictating everything I did, it was more guided. I could push my work beyond the classroom and still have encouragement from my professors," said Mete. 

Mete was also interested in web development and began practicing it in his spare time to further expand his skillset. When looking for a work placement, he hoped to find one where he could combine his new web development skills with what he learned at Humber.  

Mete joined ventureLAB, a tech accelerator for hardware technology and enterprise software companies based in Markham, Ontario. This organization helps Canadian tech companies raise capital, retain talent, commercialize technology, and acquire customers. ventureLAB and its partners have helped thousands of Canadian tech start-ups become globally competitive in a wide range of industries, creating over 4,500 jobs and raising more than $350 million in investment capital.  

"It was the best of both worlds. I'm able to work in brand design, brand identity and web design. It was like all my favourite things packaged together in a really awesome work culture," said Mete.  

“Yasin has created an enormous impact at ventureLAB. From his first day with us, Yasin took the time to dig deep into our strategic objectives and create exceptional design work for our website and brand guidelines, which were unique and inherently true to our brand identity," said Kathryn Groenewold, director of marketing at ventureLAB.

"Not only delivering exceptional results, but Yasin is also an enormous culture addition and brings empathy, personality, and true teamwork to everything he does. This was the dream pairing for our Marketing team and ventureLAB as a whole. Yasin leaves a lasting legacy on our design, brand and team," said Groenewold. 

Mete says that his time with ventureLAB has been a fantastic learning opportunity. Outside of the practical experience he's getting, he loved the culture at his work placement.  

"I have one-on-one meetings with senior-level marketing staff, and we reflect on where I'm at in my placement. We're not only talking about work responsibilities but also about my well-being. They're good at talking to me as a designer and a person," said Mete.  

Mete’s experience at Humber and ventureLAB has given him the confidence to find a position that’s right for him. Once Yasin graduates, he’s got his sights set on a creatively fulfilling design career.  

"I'm a lot more composed now, and I'm going to find somewhere that aligns with my values."