We were honoured to visit Toronto City Hall today and present each member of City Council with an autographed, limited-edition print that celebrates the Toronto Flag, the 50th Anniversary of George Brown College, and Toronto’s modern history.

Now 45 years old, Toronto’s official flag was born of a public design competition held by City Council in 1974. A third-year George Brown graphic design student at the time, Rene DeSantis was declared the winner by a unanimous decision. In 1997, a second competition was held following Toronto’s amalgamation; however, it was decided that the new entries paled in comparison to the original, and so DeSantis’ design remains.

DeSantis credits this accomplishment to helping open doors when he went looking for a job after graduation. “If success comes in a thousand steps, what college did was take me up to the 999th,” says DeSantis, who is now the co-founder and President of Montana Steele Advertising, adding, “Without George Brown College, I would have never designed Toronto’s flag and would not be where I am today”.

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