Structured visual systems for modern brands and technical environments.
DomDesign is the studio of Dominic Daniel — a graphic designer working at the intersection of precision, craft, and real production thinking. Based in Québec, Canada.
Production-floor trained · Branding · Editorial · Technical design
- Based in
- Québec, Canada
- Disciplines
- Branding · Editorial · Technical
- Status
- Open to freelance
- Studio
- DomDesign
02
About
My path into graphic design did not follow a straight line. It was built through years of hands-on work in the print and production industry — before I ever sat down at a designer's desk.
I came up through production. At Imprimerie Paragraph, I worked as a project manager — coordinating jobs, handling files, and learning how design survives ink, paper, registration, and the unforgiving reality of the press. That foundation reshaped how I think about every layout I touch today.
At PMU Québec, I now produce evacuation plans — technical drawings where every line, label, and legend has to carry meaning under pressure. Precision is not a stylistic preference there; it's a requirement. That discipline carries directly into my branding, editorial, and identity work.
I trained formally through three complementary programs: a DEP in Graphic Design at CBG Sorel-Tracy, a DEC in Project Management & Graphic Communication at Ahuntsic College, and an AEC in Graphic & Web Design at John Abbott College. Each one added a different layer — craft, process, then the digital and strategic dimension.
Today I work as a graphic designer, take on freelance projects on the side, and continue building a body of work rooted in real production thinking. I'd rather make work that holds up on press than work that only photographs well on a feed.
03
Experience & Education
Professional
-
2022 — Present
Evacuation Plan Technician / Graphic Designer
PMU Québec
Production of technical evacuation plans — drafting, symbol systems, plan layouts, and graphic output for printed safety signage in collaboration with fire safety and project teams.
-
2019 — 2022
Graphic Designer
Production JG
Design and pre-press for production-oriented print work. File preparation, layout systems, and on-brand visual output.
-
2019
Project Manager
Imprimerie Paragraph
Coordination of print projects from intake to delivery. Hands-on involvement with paper, ink, registration, and press realities — the foundation of my design instinct.
-
2018 — 2019
Print Industry
Various roles
Production-floor experience across the print industry — where design either works or it doesn't.
Education
-
2023 — 2026
Graphic & Web Design AEC
John Abbott College
Digital methods, web fundamentals, and contemporary visual communication.
-
2020 — 2023
Project Management & Graphic Communication DEC
Ahuntsic College
Strategy, production workflow, and the management side of design — how projects actually get made.
-
2016 — 2018
Graphic Design DEP
CBG Sorel-Tracy
Foundational training in design craft, typography, and the discipline of layout.
04
Selected work
A working archive of design work, technical layouts, academic projects, and freelance concepts. Some projects shipped, some were not selected — all of them shaped how I think, build, and communicate visually.
PMU Québec — Technical evacuation plans
Ongoing technical design work: floor-plan drafting, evacuation routes, symbol systems, and code-compliant signage layouts. Every plan is a working document — it has to be legible under stress, in poor lighting, and across different print sizes. Read the full case study →
Freelance client concepts
Independent client work outside my employer. Small businesses, local services, identity refreshes. The scope is modest by design — the goal is to ship work that actually gets used.
Concept Development & Design Lessons
Design process is rarely linear. This case study documents one complete concept engagement — from brief to final deliverable — and what it taught me about scope, client communication, and working at scale before a commitment is made.
Case study. Heritage skincare brand — identity system & investor pitch
Client need. An emerging skincare brand pursuing a "heritage-meets-clinical-science" positioning needed a complete identity system plus investor-facing pitch materials — logomark, packaging, and website direction — to support a funding round.
Creative direction. A warm gold-and-ink palette, a custom lattice logomark, three distinct homepage explorations (dark immersive, ingredient-led editorial, apothecary-style), and a full packaging mockup system across the product line.
What worked. The identity held together cleanly across every touchpoint — packaging, pitch deck, and web. Maintaining visual coherence across that range of deliverables in a single engagement is one of the harder production challenges to solve, and this system did it.
Why the direction was not selected. The proposal was submitted at the end of the brief period and did not advance to the next stage.
What I learned. A proposal this comprehensive represents significant production time before a client commits. The quality of the work is not the variable — the timing and structure of the engagement is.
How it improved my process. I now scope a smaller, paid discovery phase before building a full multi-deliverable system. The work is better for it, and the client relationship starts on a clearer footing.
05
Skills
Design
- Branding & visual identity
- Editorial & layout systems
- Typography
- Hierarchy & grid
Technical
- Evacuation plans
- AutoCAD layouts
- Production-ready files
- Pre-press & print specifications
Web
- HTML & CSS
- Visual Studio Code
- GitHub & GitHub Pages
- Responsive design
Software
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe InDesign
- AutoCAD
- DaVinci Resolve
- Microsoft 365
06
Contact
If you're looking for design that holds up in production — reach out.
dominic@domdesign.ca