RBC Amplify
Multimedia/UX Designer
Leading communication design for RBC’s best-in-class student program during the first years of operation
RBC Amplify
Multimedia/UX Designer
Role
Multimedia/UX Designer
Duration
2 years + 4 months
Team Members
Program Directors & Managers
Leona McCharles
Valerie Gelinas
Christine Silva
Mackenzie Burton
Oren Kumer
Student Co-ops
Stephanie Curry
Jamie Holman
Jofo Domingo
Matthew Crans
Software
Adobe Creative Suite
Microsoft Office Suite
RBC Connect – Internal CMS + site builder
Asana
Trello
Context
RBC empowers students to tackle complex opportunities in fintech
RBC Amplify is a four month innovation incubator and career-launcher for top academic talent in finance, computer science, data science and UX.
Student teams of four are given open-ended business challenges on the cutting edges of financial technology, and the R&D resources to pioneer real solutions.
Over the course of the summer, students continuously develop, pivot and pitch their ideas to key stakeholders. The term culminates in a pitch competition juried by executive leadership — the Amp Expo.
Promotional video featuring members of the 2025 cohort of students — created by Lucky Wolves
Amplify Program Team
Managing operations, supporting teams and spotlighting success
The Amplify Program Team is a dynamic, cross-functional unit responsible for the primary operation and administration of the program.
Key functions and responsibilities of the Amplify Program Team
🎯
Foresight, strategy and delivery of program objectives
📊
Documenting and reporting operational metrics and milestones
🤝
Fostering and managing stakeholder relationships across lines of business
🗣️
Canvassing executive leadership and key stakeholders for project proposals
⚙️
Helping Amplify teams fulfill project-specific requirements and connecting students with subject matter experts
🗓️
Planning and execution of program-specific events including workshops, seminars and the Amp Expo
📢
Establishing and maintaining program visibility and employee engagement through infotainment content delivered over intranet
🏢
Acquiring and managing work spaces and technical hardware
Role & Contributions
Leading the visual design of program communications
Program managers presented flexible guidelines for this role, entrusting me with ownership over content strategy and delivery. I worked closely with them throughout the term to refine and implement the strategy.
Functions of the Multimedia/UX Designer role for the Amplify Program Team
💡
Participating in Design Thinking workshops alongside Amplify students and program managers
🔎
Interviewing and observing teams to gain deeper understanding of projects and roles; transforming insight into content strategy
🎯
Designing the visual identity of communications by deconstructing and expanding upon elements from a root illustration
🌐
Designing and publishing the central content hub for promoting the program via RBC’s internal CMS and engagement platform, RBC Connect
📰
Publishing interviews with Amplify students to highlight their dynamic experiences and promote student hiring across RBC
🎨
Supporting individual teams with skill gaps in visual design to refine presentation materials and project branding
🏆
Designing and fabricating physical materials for final pitch event including signage and trophies
💝
Participating in United Way’s Create4Community hackathon, focused on addressing housing precarity through technology-based interventions
2nd Iteration
Transforming Amplify into a best-in-class talent attractor
The success of the program’s inaugural year put a high degree of trust in our team’s ability to deliver value and attract top talent.
With widespread stakeholder buy-in, Amplify was awarded a significant increase in resources to transform and grow the program.
Program milestones and transformation between first and second cohorts
🎯
Provisional patents filed with contributing students named as authors; financial awards distributed to students
📊
Qualitative and quantitative insights are gathered and analysed to inform the next phase of program development
🚀
Program doubles in size. 2x project proposals and students; program team adds new members
🌎
International teams based in Minneapolis, New Jersey and Luxembourg added to the program’s roster
📍
Amplify is awarded prime real estate: from a repurposed coat room in 2016 to a premium co-working space in 2017
🥇
Larger program team, institutional buy-in and longer prep time enable us to transform Amplify into a best-in-class student experience
Animation promoting the 2017 term, featuring logos I created for each project proposal
Clips from docu-series footage captured during the 2017 term
My Role
Growing as a designer as the program evolves
In between summer co-ops, I continued to work alongside program managers to transform and deliver an updated content strategy.
I was able to leverage my first full year of experience at RBC to become a subject matter expert in visual design for the program, taking on new responsibilities for shaping the voice of the Amplify brand.
Updated job functions carried out in the planning and delivery phases of the second round of Amplify
🎥
Shifting strategies from static design to an action-oriented docuseries promoting the program and participants
📗
Designing a multi-use publication for Amplify students; onboarding docs, notebook and day-planner
🔄
Updating the user interface of the intranet content hub to reflect the 2017 branding and content strategy
📱
Creating a series of mobile-first newsletters to help orient and pre-onboard students in the period before the beginning of the term
🙋🏻♂️
Leveraging my tenure as a student contractor to provide professional guidance and organizational way-finding to the new cohort of students
👾
Continuing to provide design support to teams, adding motion design to the support toolkit
🖼️
End-to-end project management of partnership with OCAD University Illustration undergrads to design the 2018 promotional artwork
🏆
Reprising the role of DIY trophy maker in collaboration with program director, Val Gelinas
Excerpt from a recap video filmed and edited to promote the 2017 Amp Expo
Beyond Amplify
Providing design support to teams across RBC T&O
In addition to managing a fixed content schedule and a flexible support role for Amplify teams during summer terms, I was deployed onto various assignments within the Technology & Operations business unit throughout my tenure.
📊
Infographics, slide design and ad hoc graphic design support for the Corporate Strategy and Transformation office
📚
Brand overhaul and resource hub for Core Banking Integration; redesigning communications to promote the unit’s functions and to attract talent
👚
Material and graphic design support for the Technology & Operations Student Program; t-shirts, stickers and other promotional materials
💡
Supporting the visual brand design of during the early phases of the Intrapreneurship initiative: an employee innovation incubator in the style of RBC Amplify
Wearing my “Really Banking Cool” swag and shaking my RBC tambourine. Go, Team RBC!