Reference 1
REFERENCE 2
Re: John Belisle
I worked with John for almost 15 years at Signals Design Group, and know him as a talented creative professional, trusted colleague and very good friend.
When John and I started working together at Signals in 2002, he was a bright star – a talented designer, known for his strength in illustration and conceptual design. Over the course of dealing with many challenging clients and projects, I watched John develop from star designer to a respected Creative Director in a studio of more than 20 people.
John’s work helped to cement Signals’ reputation for creative excellence in the highly competitive world of graphic design, not only in Vancouver, but nationally and internationally. He worked on high profile campaigns and projects with clients that ranged from major resource corporations to health systems, educational institutions and non-profits. It’s remarkable that regardless of the organization, John always applied the same dedication, thoughtfulness and curiosity about the client and their mission that he would distill into smart, effective creative. Working with John was always a collaborative and collegial process, sometimes surprising and most often, fun.
As John assumed the responsibilities of Creative Director, mentoring junior designers, helping them to hone their process and find their creative voice became a big part of his work. In the busy Signals studio of 20 plus, he consistently demonstrated his abilities to lead creative teams, keeping them inspired and on track, while attending to clients and balancing project demands and schedules. Those will be useful skills should he decide to transition to a career in teaching.
When I heard that John is considering a move into teaching, my first thought was how lucky the students would be and that they would love his classes. John has the qualities that distinguish the very best teachers, qualities that helped him succeed in his design career: patience, thoughtfulness, an abiding curiosity, a commitment to connecting with others, and the confidence in himself that inspires confidence in others.
In sum, I highly recommend John as a potential teacher and predict that he will quickly prove to be an exceptional instructor and valued staff member.
Sincerely, Barbara Baker
Former Senior Counsel
Signals Design Group
barbarab.haro@gmail.com
May 24, 2017
RE: John Belisle
Dear employer / recruiter,
I’m very pleased to write in support of John Belisle’s teaching opportunity where he would have the chance to share with young people his considerable talent and experience in branding, design, and illustration. At Signals Design Group, I worked as a strategic communicator and account executive from 2001 until 2016. In that role, I collaborated with John to translate business strategy into a creative execution first in his role as a designer, and later as associate creative director and creative
director. The ability to develop creative that matches a strategic brief is one of the most valuable skills a designer can possess — John was not only able to do this day in and day out, but also as creative director, he helped other designers understand this role and gently nudge them in a direction that was original and creative but still met the needs of clients.
In addition to his ability to understand and create, I think that one of John’s greatest strengths is his ability to work as part of a team. I spent countless hours with him, steering both strategy and creative through ideation and production, helping others — from digital designers to producers to developers — understand the vision and do their best work.
I was also always impressed with his interactions with our clients when he was invariably downto-earth and genuine, which in an industry filled with imperious creative directors, was always a breath of fresh air. John’s storytelling ability and his dry sense of humour and wit were daily
delights and I think will find an eager reception in an educational environment.
I wish John the best and can only hope that graphic design students will get the chance to benefit from his talent, experience and tales!
Sincerely,
Robyn Sussel
Health Communicator and
former Co-Principal, Signals Design Group Inc.
T. 604 803 7541
robynsussel@gmail.com